Taking a chartered flight is an excellent way for a business professional to travel in convenience and style, and it has only grown more popular ever since the industry started. Airplanes offer great advantages over other forms of travel, starting with the fact that jets are not slowed down by terrain such as mountains, rivers, or oceans, and jets offer a wide variety of amenities in flight, from Wi-Fi and onboard movie screens to drinks and refreshments, leather seats, and room for any traveling business professional to get some work done on the flight. A chartered flight in a private aircraft can offer many of these features for a traveler, and private jet owner can open up his or her craft for a chartered flight and get compensated in return. Who likes to fly, and where do they go? What advice should a private jet customer take when looking for a vehicle, and how can one go about offering chartered flights to interested customers?
The Business of Flight
Ever since aviation began in the turn of the century, it has emerged as one of the premiere forms of travel, for pleasure and business alike in the civilian sector. On the business side of aviation, traveling business professionals often take a chartered flight for company travel, and this means not only faster travel times, but sometimes, taking a plane is good for the mind. In 2009, a survey was carried out among business travelers, and the respondents generally said that they felt 20% more productive working on board a company aircraft than working in the office. Companies often send their workers on travel to attend meetings and make business deals, so sending them on board private jets for charter not only carries out that duty, but allows for productive work on the way there. And as of the year 2011, some 11,261 private jets in total were registered in the United States, and this number is bound to be even higher today.
Buying Jets
Private jets are popular both to fly on charter and to purchase for personal use, and these two arenas combine when a private jet owner opens his or her aircraft for chartered flights for customers, alone and in small groups. A jet owner should not expect to make a huge profit from offering their vehicle for charter, but doing so can help cover maintenance and fuel costs, as well as buying off the vehicle’s payments. Small groups of people going on vacation or business professionals may be common clients for this business, and any jet owner can offer his/her jet for chartered flights during times of the year when the owner does not need it for his/her own personal use.
Private jets can be purchases either new or used, and there are reasons to take both routes. A new jet will certainly be very expensive, even for those who have the budget for one, but there are definite advantages of one. To start with, a new jet will have its warranty in place in case something should go wrong, while a used jet probably will not. Newer jets also have the latest, most powerful and efficient tech in their engines, on board amenities, and safety features and radar. What is more, a new jet will have no wear and tear, and will be up to all standards of safety and function.
Used jets will have several potential issues for a buyer to handle in exchange for their significantly lower price tag. An older jet should be carefully inspected for any wear and tear or other damage, and the jet’s previous flights should be assessed in its flight logs. Even the jet’s previous storage area is relevant; a jet will be in better condition stored in a dry, warm place such as the Nevada or New Mexico desert, while a jet that had been stored in humid places may have issues, such as mildew or rust. The buyer should know exactly in what conditions the jet had been stored recently. Finally, the buyer must be aware that older, used jets will not live up to modern standards of safety and power, but they can still be a good buy for their price.
