For Those of You Who Can Afford A Private Jet...
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
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
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