Aircraft Charter May Be Cheaper Than Regular
By J Schipper -
Though it may appear initially that private aircraft are a corporate luxury, they can actually save a business traveler money in some circumstances. Aircraft charters offer security, safety, flexibility and convenience.
First of all, to travel anywhere on short notice, be prepared to pay several times as much as you would if you had booked an economy ticket a few weeks ahead of time. Unfortunately, in today's fast moving business world, executives often do not have more than a few days notice of where they will be needed. So to be fair, when comparing the cost of a private or charter plane, the cost per traveler should be compared with the cost of a first-class ticket, not the standard economy fair.
In addition, work and meetings can take longer than expected to complete, so it can be difficult to plan the return trip at the time of ticket purchase. And one-way tickets, aside from being even more expensive, can lead to lengthy, aggressive security searches due to terrorist profiling by airport security. To be competitive, today's management team cannot be restricted by the inflexibility of airline schedules and ticket bookings.
Also, commercial flights may simply not be available at the time desired. With tight budgets, airplanes are overbooked, so even if the traveler is prepared to pay for a top-class ticket, the seats may already be all booked. With an aircraft charter you can set your own schedule, and aircraft charters can be changed or rescheduled on short notice.
With an aircraft charter your business schedule becomes the flight schedule. Charter flights allow the traveler to avoid the check-in an security lines, missed connections and the long drives to locations far away from the major airports. Also, factor in the overnight stays due to poor connections. This leads to hotel and restaurant expenses, as well as productive business time lost. Aircraft charters allow more sales calls, more time to manage your business and ultimately more leisure and family time.
With security searches, constant distraction and movement of valuable items such as laptops, cellphones and business papers, be prepared for theft and loss on commercial airline trips. Trips on charter aircraft are much more organized and relaxed, allowing the business traveler to manage equipment better. With a private jet charter the chances of losing luggage are almost non-existent.
It is possible to host a private meeting on board aircraft charter since the only passengers on the aircraft are the staff or invited guests. Computers and paperwork are much easier to handle without the logistical problems of cramped seats and poor power sources, not to mention the distractions caused by fellow passengers.
The film, entertainment and fashion industries have been using charter aircraft for years. Due to high
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