Optimistic respondents to the fourth quarter JetNet iQ Global Business Aviation Survey so far are outnumbering pessimists by 4.8 to 1, according to the latest update in the December JetNet iQ Pulse newsletter. 

The survey cycle was only at the halfway mark when the newsletter was published, however, so that sentiment could change. “With the Omicron variant only reported to the [World Health Organization] on November 24, 2021, we will be closely monitoring the Q4 2021 dip in owner/operator optimism as additional survey responses are gathered in the remaining few weeks of this year,” the newsletter pointed out. In the third quarter, the survey showed a 9-to-1 result, so the fourth quarter does reflect a “substantially lower” reduction in optimism levels.

“Whether the Omicron variant is as dangerous to human health as it is transmissible, and whether governments’ quick policy response to invoke travel shutdowns is appropriate and measured, remains to be seen.

“In the meantime, the Delta variant, slow-to-recover supply chains, tight labor markets, and spiking inflation make for not-so-restful bedtime reading for leaders of government and industry.”

Nevertheless, companies should take advantage of the current upswing “to rebuild and strengthen our businesses,” JetNet recommended.