New York Times: A growing number of Americans are using private jets, seeing them as a safer alternative to the often cramped commercial flights filled with strangers during the pandemic. The day after the Fourth of July, when commercial airline travel was down 74% year-over-year, private jet flights were up 5%, according to an analysis by the website Private Jet Card Comparisons. The major drawback for many travelers is, of course, the cost. A one-way charter flight between New York and Miami with the private jet company Silver Air costs between $15,000 and $20,000 for the entire aircraft, depending on the jet (their planes seat between four and 10). Bring nine friends, and that still amounts to a few thousand dollars per person each way — significantly more than the cost of your average first-class ticket, and far more than the price of a basic economy seat. Another company, Jet It, charges $4,200 per hour (though purchasing a membership reduces the per-hour rate to $1,600), not including airport fees. Their HondaJet Elite aircraft seats six. Even when paying top dollar, many travelers are seeing value in springing for private flights amid a pandemic.