Try B4U Buy a Private Jet
Fabrizio Poli
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Fabrizio Poli
Entrepreneur, Aviation Advisor, Airline Transport Pilot, Pilot Coaching-Mentoring, Aircraft Buyer & Leasing, Futurist, Speaker & Author.
Trying to sell Private Jet Travel as a low-cost air-travel option can be very deceiving, as most of the time it costs far more than airline travel. However, there are many benefits that in the long-run work out very cost effective.
JetSuite, a private jet airline that charters flights on its fleet of Phenom 100s (which seat four passengers) and CJ3 jets (which seat six or seven), is making the hard sell that in many cases, flying private can be a cost-efficient option for business travel.
The argument has its merits. The company offers daily deals on empty flights to fill vacant seats. A recent one-way trip on a four-seater jet from San Jose to Las Vegas was listed at $536.43, 66 percent cheaper than what four commercial business class seats would cost.
JetSuite is simply one company in a crowded field looking to make flying private more accessible. JumpSeat operates like Airbnb, letting individuals who have already chartered a plane rent seats out to free-floaters, potentially saving flyers up to 50 percent, says the company. And then there's
Jumpjet, which operates more like a taxi-service, placing different groups of passengers who all share a destination on a single jet. The company says round trips on its private jets could cost as low as $450.
Of course, such flash sales and other deals might be easier for old-age pensioners and students, than business travelers. But jet travel has its privileges, even when compared to first class. Your car pulls up and five minutes later you're sitting in the airplane: there's no TSA, no boarding process, no lines, no baggage check, no unhealthy airline food.
Surprisingly most Private Aircraft Operators do not have WiFi on their jets and this is where many clients prefer flying the smaller JetSuite aircraft, compared to larger jets because of being able to stay connected to the internet. They are basically flying conference rooms. In fact a third of JetSuite's non-flash sale planes are booked for business travel, and this percentage is growing each year.
New options in the market means the private jet industry is on the mend since getting “torpedoed” in the 2008 downturn. Today, chartered flying is about half way back to its 2007 high, at Tyrus Wings we predict steady growth for the industry over the next two to three years as the on-demand charter market heats up.
For those who want to sample the private jet experience, it's a great time to get your feet wet. As the industry recovers, private airlines are going more and more niche. If you want to fly private you can charter a plane, invest in fractional ownership like Netjets, or buy a jet card (a pre-paid option that entitles buyers to a certain number of hours of charter time) or go for a
Try Before You Buy
option offered by Tyrus Wings.
Without special deals, flying private will still probably cost significantly more than flying commercial. Still, private flights have their advantages for businesses and if you’re considering jet travel, you need to be aware of the available options. Shop around. Do your research.
When to think about flying private:?
You have a big group of very important people: "The more people that need to go somewhere, the more it starts making financial sense to fly privately. For a group of 15 extremely well-paid executives, who would otherwise fly first class, the time saved flying private can justify the cost difference alone.
In addition, group flying boosts productivity. If there are four, five or six people flying together, they can work in total privacy whereas if you're in first class on British Airways, you have no idea who you're sitting next to.
You need a multi-stop itinerary: If you have a group that needs to be ferried to and from multiple locations within a short period of time, going private makes sense (saving both time, hotel and meal fees), especially when there are no available direct commercial flights.
You’ll be using a frequently discounted route: At JetSuite, as with any carrier, certain routes cost less than others. If you are flying from Peterborough Airport in New York to West Palm Beach or from Santa Monica to San Jose, for example, chances are you can score a pretty solid deal.
You need to fly routes that commercial planes don't fly: Trekking from Santa Barbara to Orange County for a business trip by car or bus can be a hassle – while commercial airlines don't typically make this route, a charter company like JetSuite does. A recent search priced a CJ3 at $6,183 round-trip. That’s not a budget option – you could fly a group of business execs first class, internationally for that price – but it is a convenient one. In Europe there are many secondary airports close to business centers. Imagine having to fly 5 executives from Blackpool in UK to Limoges in France, then onto Parma in Italy all in one day. By private jet this can be done.
When facing bad weather:
When you just have to make that meeting, a private plane can often fly around nasty weather, while local storms will ground commercial aircraft.
Above all the Private Jet gives you more flexibility. A
2009 survey by the National Business Aviation Association. Respondents rated themselves as 20% more productive while on company aircraft than in the office. Their counterparts flying commercial reported a 40% drop in productivity.
Aviation Analyst & Managing Partner