The weeks from late November through early January consistently see the highest volume of private jet travel. Holiday gatherings, second-home trips, and year-end business priorities all converge. This concentration of demand strains resources before winter weather enters the picture.

When snowstorms, freezing rain, and sudden temperature drops hit, even routine trips demand heightened coordination. De-icing delays build, runways close, and flights reroute, challenging operators without experienced flight coordination teams.

“Winter exposes weaknesses quickly,” explains Jason Vanis, Senior Vice President of Operations at Jet Linx. “If you don’t have the people, the planning, and the experience, small disruptions turn into major delays.”

Not every operator is built to handle this pressure. Smaller fleets often lack backup aircraft. Limited crews make repositioning difficult. When one aircraft goes down for maintenance, the rest of the schedule can unravel. Without a Global Safety and Operations Center monitoring national weather patterns, updates arrive late and travelers react instead of adjust.

Before booking winter travel with any operator, ask these questions:

• Do they have a 24/7 operations center monitoring weather?
• What’s their backup aircraft availability?
• How do they handle de-icing coordination?
• Can they show you their crew scheduling margin during peak periods?