Bedford, USA-based charter operator Waltzing Matilda Aviation has said it has experienced a significant increase in business activity thanks to lower than normal pricing.
CEO of Waltzing Matilda Aviation (WMA), John Thomas said, “We are fielding up to 50 jet charter enquiries a day, up from 5-10 only a few weeks ago. With a massive imbalance in clients wanting to fly from Florida to the North East we are seeing unbelievably low pricing for one-way southbound flights for as low as $6,500.
“But we don’t expect this imbalance will last for more than a couple of weeks after which southbound pricing will rise to their more normal levels.”
Based on WMA’s level of activity at its home base it believes its business is coming back faster than some of the larger charter companies who were forced to furlough crews during the downturn.
The company said it maintained its full staffing levels throughout the downturn and is able to respond faster to the recovery than many operators. It has also used some of this idle time to invest in new systems and further enhance its website with a new online booking portal.
Thomas said, “With the FET [Federal Excise Taxes] holiday through to the end of December as well as low fuel prices, now is one of the cheapest times to fly privately. Further we have picked up a number of new corporate customers who have already made the decision not to allow their staff to fly commercially for the foreseeable future and therefore see private aviation as the only viable option.”
