Surge in Private Jet Demand as US Travel Chaos Escalates
November 11, 2025 – Demand for privateโข jet travelโ in the United โฃStates is โขsoaring amid widespread commercial โflightโข disruptions causedโ by air traffic control staffing shortages and government-mandated schedule cuts. Companies like Flexjet are reporting significant increases in operating hours and revenue, as frustrated passengers seek alternatives to increasingly unreliable airline service.
The surge comes asโ moreโฃ than 17,000 commercial flights in โthe US were delayedโ over โคthe weekend, according to data from FlightAware. These delays are โคcompounded by a partial โขUSโข government shutdown, whichโ has left air traffic control officers working without โฃpay. President โฃDonald Trump’s administration previously ordered US commercial airlines to reduce schedules at โค40 major airports by four โฃpercent, potentiallyโ increasing to ten percent on weekends due toโ pressure on controllers. โThis โคconfluence of factorsโ is drivingโ a notable shift towards private aviation, particularly among travelers โขfacing urgent or inflexible โฃschedules.
Flexjet recorded aโข 42 percent increase in total operating hours in the first seven daysโ of โฃNovember comparedโ to the same period last year, a โsubstantial jump from the averageโข growth of 20 percent seenโ throughout the year. โIts charter โคbusiness unit,โฃ FXAIR, experiencedโ a 56 percent increase in revenue in October year-over-year, with year-round revenue up 17 percent.
The travel disruptions are triggering panic among โฃpassengers, with car rental company Hertz reporting a spike in one-way bookings as individuals seek alternative โขtransportation.โฃ “October, and โคthey continue to spike,”โ Collins saidโ in an interviewโค with CNBC Saturday (8/11/2025), โindicating the ongoingโ nature ofโ the travel challenges. Air traffic control officers are continuing to โคwork โคdespite the lack ofโฃ pay during the government shutdown, mirroring the situation faced by other key sector workers.