Airline charter services are not only for the rich and famous. Learn why it's the better choice for more these days!
Be it for pleasure or business, traveling can be a great experience. But it's hard to turn on the television or read a newspaper these days without finding a story on nightmare travel scenarios, including clogged airports, endless lines at the departure gate, and lost luggage. Just getting to your destination by the old methods is enough to make you want to stay home.
The new, stress-free way to arrive at your destination is executive air charter, and that's not just for executives.
Ready When You Are, Sir.
When you charter a private jet, that plane and its pilots become, effectively, yours. You determine departure times, passengers, and layovers, just about anything entailed in a regular trip. Instead of checking in an hour early, standing in endless lines at the gate for a boarding pass, you can drive up to the plane ten minutes before take-off, and relax while the crew handles your needs.
No More Bad Airline Food!
Part of the VIP treatment that goes hand-in-hand with air charter is food. Standard in any reputable charter business is an on-board pantry of bottled waters, sodas, snacks, and even high-end alcoholic beverages. You can also request catering, from the simplest of cheese trays to the more exotic, such as chicken cordon bleu. You will, most likely be serving yourself, but you needn't contemplate a stale, rubbery sandwich on this trip! Catering usually is provided at an extra charge, but you are guaranteed to feel you got real food, versus what comes on the standard commercial airline.
Safety is Our First Concern!
If you¡¦re one of the many people with a fear of flying, you may be interested to know that flying in an executive jet is considered by most pilots to be safer than even commercial aviation. Safety standards imposed by the FAA are far more stringent than those imposed on major airlines, and overall, the safety record of the charter industry is much better than in commercial air travel.
So You Have a Fear of Flying?
For some individuals, the fear of flying is almost overwhelming, and is not usually helped by traveling on a commercial airline, where pilots and flight attendants are too overwhelmed by the sheer number of passengers to address your needs. Chartering an aircraft can help alleviate anxiety, in that the pilots are there to make the trip as pleasant as possible. If this means taking a little extra time to explain the little bumps and noises of any aircraft, they are happy to do it.
Time is On Your Side.
When you fly charter, you will never run into time problems. Generally speaking, if there is the unlikely event of a mechanical problem, the charter firm will turn cartwheels to get another plane for you in a timely fashion, or significantly discount your trip.
In Case of Emergency.
Most charter companies will tell you that a fair amount of business comes from individuals with family or business emergencies who need to get somewhere fast, and often in the middle of the night. Major airlines are not available to you at three a.m., but a good charter company will answer your call and get you on a flight right away.
You Want to Go Where?
The airports used by charters tend to be smaller, and most areas have them, allowing you to get closer to your destination. If your ultimate destination is, for example, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, you must fly commercial into Spokane, about an hour and a half away. But a charter jet could land easily at the Coeur d'Alene airport, and within minutes, you could be at your hotel.
The Kids, the Dog, and Grandma, too.
Admittedly, chartering a plane can be pricey, especially when you get into the jet category. But remember, charter aviation charges by the hour, not the passenger, so it's basically the more, the merrier. This is an especially great way to fly for families with special needs.
What is Your Productivity?
Although executive charter is great for non-exucutives, I must stress the value that can be gained from corporations. It is a simple matter of time-utilization and productivity. Five executives flying business class on a commercial airline will find their time better spent flying charter, due primarily to issues of time. There is time traveling to the airport, time parking the car, time checking in luggage, time getting a boarding pass, and time waiting for the luggage at the other end. And if the old adage of time being money is true, then many individuals, executive and non-executive alike, are losing by traveling the old way.
Try something new. Try charter. You'll never go back!
