In Canada you are not allowed on a commercial flight if you are not double-vaxxed. Not surprised to see a rise in people seeking alternatives.
I'm moving across the country and plan to take a seat on a private charter because of Omnicron: much less time spent in "security" face to back with people, more room between passengers once you're on.
I suspect plenty of people who would previously saw any sort of private flight as a completely untenable expense are slowly warming up to the idea for similar reasons
I think it's just the volume before was probably pretty low since not many people can claim the hour or two saved in security and boarding is worth 5x-10x the cost of a flight...
But COVID at least adds a more concrete benefit for people who would never have considered it at all, and might at least entertain the idea for specific occasions.
With how small private aviation is compared to commercial it wouldn't take many people making that consideration to have a large effect