“Business Aviation” is Changing the Way Companies Do Business

In a competitive global market, business leaders must ask themselves some tough questions that only business aviation can answer. What value do you place on time? What’s the value in retaining the best people? What price tag do you put on the productivity lost sitting around airline terminals and the opportunity lost while waiting for the next day’s departure? The answers help measure the true value of a business aircraft. In fact, the vast number of companies that use them realize the true cost of a business aircraft is not having one at all.

Sure, commercial airlines will move you efficiently between major hubs like Atlanta, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, but for the nation that put man on the moon, our airline industry certainly has a hard time getting him from Asheville to Albuquerque. Longer lines, more delays and scaled back service mean the disparity in speed and convenience with airline travel will only continue to grow. That makes the need for a company plane stronger than ever.

“When you have to be in places like Ponca City, Oklahoma; Bentonville, Arkansas; Morrisville, North Carolina and Woonsocket, Rhode Island, you had better not depend on the airlines,” says Phillip Swan, CEO of Bellevue, Washington-based EZ Grill. “If it’s a matter of getting the contract or losing it, then the higher cost of business aviation represents tremendous value.”

The tens of thousands of companies worldwide that own business aircraft, fractional shares and jet cards or that charter daily have come to a similar realization. These companies don’t want to wait for opportunity to knock; they want to go out to find it—and they can’t afford to wait for the next airline flight to do so. They use business aircraft and realize big dividends in time and opportunity.

The best part about business aviation today is that you don’t have to own a plane to gain the benefits. With charter, jet cards and fractional ownership, companies can travel where they want to with speed, convenience, economy and agility. What’s more, it’s not just large corporations or top-level executives that benefit. According to a Harris Interactive study, nearly 85% of the companies that rely on business aviation are small and mid-size firms, and a large majority operates to or from communities with limited airline service.

In addition, nearly three-quarters of all passengers on business aircraft are non-executives. These hardworking middle managers, researchers, technicians and marketing teams use a wide range of business aircraft to travel when and where they need to go. They gain direct access to otherwise hard-to-reach communities that are catalysts for business development. They compress long, wasted hours of commercial air travel to short, intensely productive time. They arrive rested and ready, not drained and debilitated.

Plus, with a business aircraft, they fly on their schedule, not an airline’s. That is a huge advantage in responding to critical needs and perishable opportunities.

A BRAVE NEW WORLD OF BUSINESS TRAVEL
It’s time to start seeing the world from a whole new perspective. Business aircraft are not just a reward for those who have achieved success; they are the means for creating it. The flexibility of having your own plane enables you to go wherever you to need on short notice to meet customers and investigate potential opportunities. The ability to land at more than 5,000 local airports, typically 15 to 20 minutes from virtually any destination, means you’ll have direct and unfettered access across the nation.

Keep in mind that airlines serve only about 500 locations, and about 70% of all airline flights route through only 30 hub airports. That means that unless you are traveling between major cities, you’ll likely need to change planes, which will boost travel time to five to eight hours for even the shortest distances. On the other hand, with a business aircraft, you can fly direct to 10 times as many places as the airlines, you’ll arrive within minutes of your ultimate destination, and you can land your next big deal even before your competitor boards a commercial flight.

Getting there faster is just the beginning. Time on board a business aircraft can actually be more productive than time spent in an office. Cabins equipped with sophisticated electronics, satellite communications and high-speed Internet allow aircraft passengers to stay continuously connected to the world below.

With complete privacy from door to door, you can use valuable transit time to freely discuss proprietary business plans, hold confidential negotiations or participate in impromptu brainstorming sessions en route. So, you don’t just get there faster, you get there ready.

Read more:

Sabin Metal Corporation: How Business Aviation Refines Sabin’s Quality of Life

Hannay Reels: Business Aviation Provides Better Access to Opportunities

LaBov: Business Aviation Gives Them a Tool for Talent