Private Aviation May Be a Good Business Decision

For highly successful business owners and executives, flying first class is no longer the automatic choice for a more relaxed flight. Today, greater numbers of business executives are turning to private plane travel.

Why? Well, for one thing, first you must get to the airport, and in the NY Metro Area for instance, driving to Newark or JFK airports is no mean feat. In my previous article I recommended Independent Helicopters in Newburgh, NY, whose pilots will get you there faster and far more relaxed. You will even make your flight!

Then there is the airport experience that now entails standing in longer and longer lines and discovering that the airline has decided to restrict carryon luggage. Plane delays and cancellations are the new norm. Hours are lost standing, waiting and arguing.

Highly successful people have little patience for all this and have come to the realization that it makes no sense to go through it when they can drive up to a small airport and fly at almost a moment’s notice. And if that meeting they attended goes late, the plane is waiting for them.

Most private aviation companies operate as FBOs, (Fixed Base Operators) meaning they are granted the right to operate at an airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, hangars, tie-down and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance, flight instruction, and similar services.

No question, the costs of taking a private charter are considerable. However, there are ways to mitigate those costs through membership programs, usually in the form of private jet cards. They enable holders to use different aircraft at agreed-upon fixed hourly rates. Jet cards are offered by large and small fleet operators and charter brokers. The term "jet card" can also refer to prepaid private jet charter programs that have similar attributes. If you want to kick it up a notch, you may want to investigate fractional ownership of a plane.

Of course, there is no shortage of private planes on the market. A recent Issue of the Robb Report had an interesting article on what you need to know before buying your first plane. I loved the question: "what’s your budget?" It went on talk about how far you want to go, and to beware of emotional decisions, like wanting a bigger plane than your friend’s plane.

My emotional decision is not to buy a plane. Fortunately, in the New York Metro area, there are excellent options for using private aviation to get where you want to go. My favorite is Skyqueen Enterprises located at 136 Tower Road, West Harrison, at the Westchester County Airport.

If you are interested in looking further into the world of private aviation, here are two other interesting links:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/douggollan/2018/08/28/these-private-jet-cards-offer-fixed-pricing-and-guaranteed-availability/#12b7f5a630fd

https://www.forbes.com/sites/douggollan/2018/02/14/the-hottest-private-aviation-trends-from-new-aircraft-to-new-ways-to-access-private-jets/#4f3166912251