Your kids no longer want your private jet

Customer needs and expectations in private aviation are shifting, with operators adapting to a younger, more diverse, and demanding clientele. That's according to a panel of industry experts who spoke on Nov. 5 in Miami at the 2025 Corporate Jet Investor conference. "The customer needs within this industry have been fairly consistent for a long period of time. These are people who need to travel; they need to travel with privacy, security, and efficiency," said Mike Christie, head of sales for the Americas at Global Jet Capital. "But the complexities and the challenges they face trying to accomplish that may change. The real focus is on the cost, the availability, the timing of maintenance, and the real big frustration right now is the amount of AOGs." David Stanley, President of Vista America, echoed the same sentiment, adding that his company is focused on "controlling what we can." "We've got maintenance facilities now that can be the priority, if you will, in our locations in Van Nuys, California, or in Red Wing, Wisconsin, where again, we have a sort of control over destiny from that standpoint," he said. "And just that need to have aircraft available for clients is really the big push, so just trying to meet that demand is priority number one." The panelists agreed that one of the industry's biggest hurdles in managing expectations in private aviation is education, for both the customer and those serving them, especially as trip profiles change from business-heavy to leisure-oriented. "I think that COVID brought a lot of customers in for the first time that hadn't flown before, and they expected it to be easy and seamless, and a lot of owners and users of private aviation weren't set up properly with their expectations," said David Richter, chief revenue officer and president of managed aircraft sales at Jet Access. "Planes break, and there's weather, and there's all kinds of other things that affect commercial aviation that affect private aviation. What I've come to see is, you know, reset those expectations properly, and they'll be lifelong users of private aviation." Aviation Portfolio CEO Craig Ross agreed with Richter, and added that educating clientele is easier said than done. "The consumer is too often private aviation illiterate, which fundamentally is going to cost, period, because they don't understand the industry. There are too many industry customer service reps who are barely private aviation literate, and that compounds the issue," he said. "You have two people who don't know what they're talking about. And the industry's trying, but they're trying to keep up with growth." With more young customers entering the market, guidance on the basics of private flight is more important than ever. "The age is a lot younger than what we've seen. I mean, we've literally had people have picnics out in front of the FBO before they get on the plane, because they just don't know that you can get catering on the airplane," added Darren Large, director of facilities and operations at Morristown Airport in New Jersey. "They come into the airport, they're not used to flying out of the private airport. They don't really know what the FBO is. They don't have any real education on that." The panelists also noted a growing preference for access over ownership, due to rising costs and the need for flexibility, giving companies like Vista Jet a leg up. "Some of the executives are younger, even the high net worth individual who may have inherited that aircraft, they just don't need to own the airplane, they would rather have access to an aircraft," Stanley said. He added that Vista Jet's subscription-based model appeals to customers who want the convenience of ownership without the responsibility. "They just want to be able to utilize the aircraft, but they absolutely want the highest levels of service," he said. "That expectation is still there." David Richter with Jet Access piggybacked off that statement, adding that nowadays kids don't always want their parents' plane. "It's the guys that don't want the headaches of the whole aircraft, but still want to fly private, so just tell me, write a check, make sure the plane is there, pilots are there, and the plane's going to go to where I need to go," he said. "They want that kind of simplicity, and then it comes down to how you communicate with them, where their parents might have wanted a phone call, now they're fine with having it done by text or any other means." The panel collectively stressed that long-term success while adapting to a changing industry depends on honesty. As new products and financing options flood the market, transparency with the customer is critical. "There are a lot of people chasing the big dollars, and not all of them are good people," Richter said. "So, you can educate them on the good and the bad in this business, then I think they're going to come out ahead and continue to use the product."RELATED ARTICLES:The top 6 US private jet operators flew nearly 100K hours in a monthGlobal 8000 achieves lower cabin altitude, gets certified in CanadaVista America boasts new safety ratings, Challenger 350 simulator