Top 5 Reasons to Fly Privately
Since 2010, my primary profession has been in the world of private jets. I am the Director of Private Jets & Jet Card Sales for Air Charter Service, a global leader in private jet charters. Lately, I've been writing a lot about my passions: Travel & Finance, but I realized I should start sharing more about an area where I've mastered my craft more-so than in Travel and Finance.
Why should I even be writing about this niche, high-end market?
My Resume: I've sold thousands of flights to hundreds of high net worth individuals and Fortune 500 corporations and have personally generated $50m+ in revenue. More than half of that is from completely organic cold calls. I've worked directly with billionaires, public figures, and celebrities. I know G650 pilots on a first name basis (sorry to 1-up you Drake). I've sold charter flights on 6 continents (Antarctica soon???). I've been called a broker, consultant, advisor, know-it-all, "my charter guy", and the silent assassin (of sales).
Accolades are great, but it's my level-headed wisdom which allows me to share some insight with the general public. Don't believe everything that a typical douchy charter broker will tell you.
So, if you or your company has the cashflow to fly privately, I suggest you read below for my personal take on why you should make the switch from commercial to corporate jets.
The Top 5 Reasons to Fly Privately
1. Time is Money
The real private jet enthusiasts realize that this is the #1 overall benefit of flying privately. It's been proven that flying privately will save a corporation money in the long run since their CEO's time is so valuable. An analysis of S&P 500 companies shows that those using business aviation outperform those that don’t by 70%. A Nexa Advisors study of the Small Cap 600 showed similar results. It also showed private aviation users outperformed non-users in revenue growth by 23%.
Here is a scenario for a CEO based in Manhattan who needs to travel to Bentonville, AR to visit Walmart's global headquarters. CEO has an investor's meeting with Walmart at 11am and needs to return in time for dinner with his/her family:
Commercial Flight
Based on current schedules (Feb 22, 2021) the quickest way to get from New York to Bentonville is with Delta, leaving from LaGuardia (LGA), changing planes in Atlanta (ATL), and arriving in Bentonville (XNA), a total of 6 hours and 5 minutes. This is not including the time prior to the flight in which the CEO needs to arrive to the airport and go through security (1-1.5 hours recommended).
This schedule will get the CEO to XNA at 1:25pm, which is too late for his meeting, so he will need to overnight in Bentonville the night prior.
The CEO has no luggage, so he disembarks the aircraft in XNA and gets taken away in his ground transportation to the hotel, where he will be spending the night.
After the 11am meeting the next day, which runs until 1pm, the CEO then boards a 2:15pm flight from XNA to JFK, via ATL. This entire process takes 5 hours 28 minutes and he arrives back in New York at 8:43pm. JFK is 60 minutes away from his home in Manhattan, so he is home by 9:45pm, too late for dinner with his family.
Private Flight
The CEO chooses to leave from Teterboro Airport (TEB), which is the #1 choice for private flyers in New York City.
He wants to arrive in XNA at 10:15am for his 11am meeting, so he leaves TEB at in his 6 seat Learjet 60, which will get him there in 3 hours. Factoring the time change, he leaves TEB at 8:15am.
He arrives in XNA at 10:20am and is taken to Walmart's headquarters by his ground transportation which is sitting right next to his jet.
His meeting finishes at 1pm and heads back to XNA for a 1:45pm departure.
The aircraft arrives back in TEB at 5:48pm and he is taken to his home in Manhattan via ground transportation.
CEO arrives at his home at 6:30pm, right in time for dinner with his family.
This is just one example of dozens that I can give you. The CEO saved almost 20 hours by flying privately in this scenario, which is critical to the day-to-day operations of a company.
2. In-Flight Meetings
Flying privately with employees and associates allows for in-flight meetings. Most corporate jets have a club-four configuration somewhere in the cabin. A club-four configuration is a group of 4 seats which face each other to form a meeting or family style atmosphere. There is usually a pull-out tray table between both sides. Most private jets are quieter than commercial jets (not all). This allows for increased productivity.
3. Reach Rural Destinations
Flying privately gives you access to 5,000 more airports than commercial does. With exception to Colorado and other mountainous areas, there is almost always a private airport within 30 minutes of your location. This maximizes your time spent in meetings or with family.
4. Create Your Own Schedule
When you fly privately, you don't need to abide by the schedule of the airline. You decide when you want to fly.
5. Enhanced Security
If you're high profile or just want to travel under the radar, then flying privately is your answer. With the ability to drive your vehicle right next to the airplane you can avoid paparazzi and anything else which can potentially make your journey less enjoyable.
Are you considering flying privately?
Email me: jordan@aircharterservice.com for quotes and questions.
