I've flown on private jets over the years and it's a pretty awesome way to go. Of course, I was always a guest of the person who owned the jet or the my band at the time would lease them from time to time. No matter what...it's a great way to travel. So here's an interesting article from the good folks at msnbc.com and forbes.com written by Rebecca Ruiz.
Eight reasons you need to fly private
Charter a jet and you'll get your money's worth of added perks
By Rebecca Ruiz
Forbes
updated 7:37 p.m. CT, Mon., Feb. 25, 2008
For
those who fly privately, price is often no object. Take, for example, a
hedge fund manager who recently hired the Long Island, N.Y.-based Talon
Air to fly him and five guests to Las Vegas on a Gulfstream IV.
The
party began their four-day trip with a catered meal from the exclusive
Japanese restaurant Nobu. They relaxed in reclining leather seats and
sped toward Sin City at 570 miles per hour. On the return flight, they
again enjoyed a Nobu meal, this one prepared at the Las Vegas
restaurant.
The total cost? $86,000, which included a $5,000 bill for catering.
Not
all passengers on private planes spend so extravagantly, but the
industry is a lucrative one. There are 166 million people who use
general aviation annually, which includes private or corporate jets,
according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).
Two-thirds of total general aviation flight time is used for business
purposes. The business-jet market has also been steadily growing since
the mid-90s, when the North American fleet of jets topped 6,000. There
are now more than 10,000 business jets in North America and over 14,000
worldwide, according to Honeywell Aerospace.
Growing
demand is due partly to an increasingly globalized world in which sales
teams from New York meet clients in India or Russia regularly. The
interest in private travel has also correlated with the dismal
performances of domestic commercial airlines. Only 80% of flights were
on time in November 2007, according to the U.S. Department of
Transportation, a discouraging statistic for business travelers who
need reliable transportation.
Increased
market competitiveness has yielded a dizzying array of choices for both
luxury and business clients when it comes to flying solo. Pete Bunce,
CEO and president of GAMA, says that the spectrum of choices is
impressive.
"If you've got business in
Japan, you'll want a [plane] with tremendous long capability," Bunce
says. "If you're a big person, like a football player, you'll want
something that will fit your size. The choices allow virtually anyone
to tailor how they want to fly."
HT:MSNBC.COM
FEBRUARY 26, 2008 --
With the rumored 
