Tech-led industries drive change in private jet trends for business travellers

A shift toward more tech and digital-led industries using private aviation for business travel, rather than the more traditional financially-led industries, are driving trends and behaviour changes in Luxaviation UK’s business travel clients. 

While there are no big surprises in Luxaviation UK’s ‘top ten business travel destinations’ from the UK this year, the UK’s leading private jet charter operator is seeing changes in other areas, including their onboard behaviour, how they spend their time, what they wear and what they eat and drink. 

George Galanopoulos, Managing Director, Luxaviation UK, says: “Business travel makes up a key part of our business, accounting for around 80% of activity. Our business travellers are c-suite level industry leaders. More recently though, we are catering for a new generation of business jet users who are less formal in their attire, wearing more toned-down business clothes and who use the time onboard not only to work but also to relax, wind down and switch off from the technologies which actually drive their working day. 

“For all business travellers, convenience is key and private aviation is a time-management tool. For directors and executives, time is a valuable resource and business aviation enables them to recreate the boardroom environment and seamlessly extend their working hours – something that just isn’t possible with commercial aviation. However, there is a greater degree of value being placed on making sure that time onboard is used to help with well-being and relaxation. People’s food choices are different – they want superfood salads, plant-based protein and non-meat products. We have also seen a rise in requests for freshly pressed juices, flavoured waters and herbal and fruit teas.”

Luxaviation UK’s most popular business travel destinations for 2018 are: 

1. Paris
2. Geneva
3. Berlin
4. Rome
5. Nice
6. Barcelona
7. Palma
8. Madrid
9. New York
10. Moscow 

Patrick Margetson-Rushmore, Chief Executive, Luxaviation UK, says: “Paris, Geneva and Berlin continue to dominate our top ten destinations for business travellers. Cities such as Rome, Barcelona and Madrid are also very popular, as tech industries look at new destinations to base their offices and do business. Our clients come from the worlds of AI, big data and e-commerce. They travel for shorter durations, often hopping from one city to the next before returning to the UK. They operate at high-speed and private jet usage meets that demand extremely well, offering them a space to continue working or using the time to ensure their digital work does not take over their lives.”