United Kingdom: Victor reports uplift in new client bookings Shares UK August bank holiday data. By Paul Eden.

As spring turned to summer in June, on-demand air charter provider Victor confirmed a 100% increase in bookings for the month compared with May, plus a 70% increase in customer requests.

Regular flyers were undoubtedly travelling again as restrictions lifted, but Victor also reported a significant increase in new clients: 15% more new clients used the company in June 2020, versus June 2019. More than 40% of Victor’s June 2020 flights were booked by new clients.

Victor concurs that with the business aviation industry at large that customers are increasingly looking to the reduced COVID-19 infection risk and efficiency of private jet charter compared with commercial airline travel. The company also emphasises the mandatory 200% carbon offset it ensures on every flight, at no extra cost to the customer, and that the option of using sustainable fuel will be offered to clients - as soon as it becomes available on a sufficiently large scale.

The Embraer Phenom 300 was the most popular aircraft for charter according to Victor. This one is operated by SaxonAir, a Victor operator.

As the UK returns to work after the late August bank holiday, Victor has shared booking data gathered in the run-up to the holiday weekend. It saw more clients booking with shorter lead times - 88% of August 2020 UK departures coming less than one month after booking, compared with 73% in August 2019. There was little change in the most popular summer destinations, although Victor says a greater percentage of summer flights to the Balearics this year has been to second homes. (Second home owners will still have to quarantine on their return to the UK residence, however).

Victor’s most popular destinations for August bank holiday UK departures

A life-long, profoundly passionate aviation enthusiast, Paul E. Eden began writing about aircraft in 1996 and became a freelance aerospace writer and editor in 2003. He says his addiction began with a Matchbox Spitfire model kit and the Ladybird Book of Aircraft, around 1975. Since then, he has written for the Official RAF Annual Review and Salute publications, and currently edits and writes Executive and VIP Aviation International magazine. A regular contributor to a number of specialist publications, including Aerospace, the journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and airline, cargo and flight test magazines, he also blogs for Runway Girl Network.

His first book for Bloomsbury, The Official Illustrated History of RAF Search and Rescue, was published on 25th June 2020.

Blog: https://pauleeden.wordpress.com
http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/paul-e-eden/15/9a5/671
Twitter: @TwoDrones

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 3rd September 2020 | Issue #571

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