Tastemaker’s Note → Oil is the cost of admission to the sky and right now, that cost is climbing fast. Jet-A fuel is averaging $7.79 per gallon nationally, up $1.70 year-over-year and rising another $0.70 from July alone. At major private aviation terminals, prices have crossed $10 per gallon, meaning a midsize jet on a two-hour leg can burn $8,000 to $15,000 in fuel before a single other cost. This is what's reshaping the access economy around private aviation. The people buying jet cards are locking in fixed rates before those prices climb further.

And if oil keeps climbing, the math on owning your own jet starts looking less like a flex and more like a hedge because at some point, the people who used to split the plane stop sharing 😉

The things that we look forward to, are most certainly not things. We may buy things to give our lives some added texture. But ultimately we look forward to our passage of time and how warmly its spent…

To be more precise, the private-aviation customer is increasingly not buying an airplane. They're buying hours back. They’re adding more time to spend as they please. And I couldn’t agree with that any more.

Experiences are now the root of the economy. We want to feel something irreplaceable as we enter shops, as we take a bite of food, as we arrive to our new hotel for the week….

Sometimes its as special as getting on a private flight and being served a meal exactly how you like it. Sometimes it’s even seeing thoughtful details like soft pillows with silk pillowcases, which have been known to soothe your sensitive skin.

It’s a reminder that we can each show empathy when in the service of others. That’s what customer experience is all about, right?

The private aviation consumer is seeking that edge when booking a leg to Key West. Subtract the headache of the departure and arrive to the airport 20-minutes prior rather than 2-hours. What a difference it makes to board once you arrive….

Up until a decade ago, private aviation was all about ownership. But these days, you don't actually need to own a jet anymore.

Fractional and jet-card models exist specifically to solve the two things full ownership can't: unpredictable schedules and capital lock-up.

A typical 1/16 fractional share buys about 50 flight hours a year which is an accessible entry point for people flying privately on short, predictable trips, while a 1/8 share runs closer to 100 hours.

Fractional ownership is typically the better fit for travelers who fly 75+ hours a year and want the structure of an ownership stake, while jet cards suit those who want access without tying up capital in a share or long-term agreement.

The current market is healthy, with flight activity running well above pre-pandemic levels. In the first half of 2026, global average hours per aircraft reached 21.7, about 10% above H1 2019, while fractional operators and private flight departments were each growing more than 10% year over year.

Another useful indicator: fractional utilization was 12% higher year over year in late 2025/early 2026 and 75% above the comparable pre-pandemic period.

And there's a new demographic entering the market. Recent reporting points to newly wealthy technology and AI entrepreneurs driving demand, with the average age of some fractional customers falling significantly.

So the story is changing from more billionaires = more jets.

To:

more wealth + higher value placed on time + greater dissatisfaction with commercial travel + more flexible ownership models = a larger private-aviation ecosystem.

Wealthy clients have always bought beautiful things. But once you have enough beautiful things, time and access becomes the scarce commodity.

That’s a different kind of luxury that most individuals aren’t able to grasp. Champagne and gold-trim is considered “old-school” in comparison to real privacy, functionality, wellness, connectivity and personalization.

The shift that we’re seeing here is more aligned with better wi-fi, comfortable workspaces, quiet cabins, restful sleep, wellness features, personalized food, seamless ground transportation, private terminals, etc.

Remember the silk pillowcase for sensitive skin? The meal prepared exactly as you like it? Your favorite bottle waiting before takeoff? The details are small but the message turns into an irreplaceable memory. Someone truly thought ahead.

No detail goes unnoticed when an experience is considered as a whole.

That means thinking beyond the aircraft itself to the products and amenities onboard, the tools and resources available to the carrier, the service choreography, the keepsake waiting at the destination, the hotel that receives the guest, and the experiences that follow. Each element has the opportunity to know something about the person before they arrive.

The difference here is continuity → The experience is considered from both sides of the journey, so nothing gets lost between the product, the service, the environment and the person experiencing it. A bespoke silk pillowcase onboard the aircraft can be just as much a part of the experience as the destination waiting on the other side.

We craft the experience end to end, from the bespoke products, rituals and tools that enable the carrier to deliver it, to the client’s journey itself, and onward until they arrive home safe and sound.

We need to stop thinking of private jets as static objects and more as personal operating environments.

The future of private aviation lies in taking consideration much further, from personalization to anticipation. Not simply knowing the passenger, but anticipating and designing the environment around them with the products, rituals, services and experiences that make a journey feel entirely their own.

From private air to yacht, yacht to air, or whichever way the journey unfolds, the details never stop at the itinerary….

It’s the extra service, the thoughtful gesture, the willingness to go one mile further, that turns a beautiful journey into an unforgettable one.

P.S. Like my style (and taste)? Work with me.