Private Jet Charter – Still the right thing to do!

So, we’re going through a period where private aviation is getting more press exposure than ever. Many say that “all press is good press” but I’m finding that I don’t necessarily agree at the moment. Users of private jets are receiving a lot of bad press and it seems that much of this has been due to the spin put on my much of the media for a story.  The Executives from General Motors probably have the highest profile and recently, Sarah Palin took a bit of a battering for using a jet during her book tour.

I haven’t been to Teterboro recently but I hear that the paps have been camping out there recently snapping the passengers arriving or departing on private jets.  Always looking for another name for another story.

Then there’s the “green” issues and the constant criticism of anything that uses fossil fuel. Now, these are real issues but what we read is often biased and rarely balanced and informed.

The whole “green” issue and the longevity of ours and our planet’s survival are far bigger and deeper issues than I can convey here, and if you were to address them all, properly and factually, you’d probably need the whole internet. This leads on quite nicely to allow me to share the following fact:

Globally, the use of I.T. equipment produces more carbon emissions than aviation.

Now, I’m not preaching here about what’s right or wrong, I’m just asking for a balanced and informed argument.  I see a whole lot more carbon offsetting for aviation than I do for I.T.  At Jet Booking Direct we will be carbon off setting all of our flights and by the end of this year we will be in “carbon credit”.

But, let’s put this all into perspective. There are many reasons for people to use private jets whether they are owned or chartered.  There’s the common short list: no queues, flexible departure times, reduced security threats and lower health risks.  There are also those that fly on private jets simply “because they can”, and let’s face it, if you had the means to do so you would too. You could drive to and park at a busy airport 3 hours before your flight, spend a lot of time queueing and then board a jet with a hundred or more strangers or you could get to your local airport, drive or walk straight to your waiting jet and be in the air ten minutes later.

Those that use private jet charters on a regular basis recognise the real benefits associated to these factors and how they contribute to the biggest of benefits – Time.

Particularly now that we’re in global recession, time is one of our most valuable commodities. In our global market place many people still need to travel for business and we need to look at what is most time and cost effective. Now, we’re not talking about the price of a flight ticket, it is very rare that a seat on a private jet will compare to a seat on a commercial jet but there’s a lot more to it than that.

I was recently speaking to a friend while he was at Manchester airport for a flight to Paris with two of his colleagues.  Their itinerary took them from Manchester to Charles de Gaulle where they had to take a train to Strasbourg then stay over night ahead of a meeting in Strasbourg the following morning.  After their meeting they took a flight back to Charles de Gaulle for a meeting in Paris the following morning. After their meeting in Paris they had a three hour wait ahead of the return flight to Manchester.

The total cost of travel was £3000 and they spent three days away from the office for around 3 hours of meetings.  Based on their current rates that put an overall cost of around £8500 on these two meetings. Had they have given us a call, they could have flown directly from Manchester to Strasbourg at 8.30am meaning they’d need to get there by 8.15.  They would be in Strasbourg for 11am and in their meeting by 11.30 – no queueing for bags or passport control. A nice lunch back on the jet at 2pm and they’d be in Paris for 3pm. Assuming some travel time from and to the airport and a 2 hour meeting and they’d all be safely back in Manchester by 7.30pm. All that would have cost around £8000 on a light jet and given them two more days in the office making money.

A hands down winner for productivity and a sensible decision in any business climate.

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