Category:Private Aviation
From Eurêka
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Private Aviation
Private aviation People flying for transport purposes in their own private aircraft, buying a time-share, booking a charter or sharing a ride in a private aircraft, the privilege of the very rich, an aspect of travel that expanded rapidly with the concentration of wealth in the late 20th cent.
- Corporate jet (Business jet) Planes owned by businesses for their top executives.
- Personal jet Planes owned by individual used for transport.
- Private jets Owner-operated, not for hire aircraft, FAA classification.
Business aviation
- See also Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation
Business aviation Air travel by executives on aircraft dedicated to business purposes.
Executive Jet International Corporate aircraft operator owned by Warren Buffet.
Citation V Ultra Small corporate jet.
Air Charters
Air Charter Guide Directory of the 20,000 commercially licensed charter aircraft in the US (2001)
Aircraft Timeshares
Shared-ownership programs (Aircraft timeshares) Several people take time shares for air travel.
Fractional ownership plan Official title for aircraft timeshares.
Marquis Jet Partners Buyers can purchase fractional ownership for one year, instead of the normal commitment of five years, used by celebrities such as profession golfers or pop musicians.
Net Jets Executive Jet International’s fractional ownership plan.
Air Taxi
Air taxi business Relatively new phenomenon. with about a dozen companies operating in various regions in the US. The companies promote convenience, filling the gap between commercial airline service and charter service, in which a customer pays for an entire plane. For the business travelers who make up the majority of air taxi customers. “Think of us, as a car service with wings.” The air taxi companies use small jets or propeller aircraft, usually on set routes. Most operate from uncrowded secondary airports and fly from one small city to another — avoiding the time-consuming connections at big hubs, typical of flights on major airlines.
Air taxi models Air taxis, whether they operate on a per-seat or per-plane model, present “an evolutionary step that will probably lead to a revolutionary change in how the rich travel, as big airlines are cutting service and leaving some markets altogether. There are a variety of models but they all center on one thing: putting the on-demand price-point within reach.
- On-demand, per-seat service
- Per-plane model Which is how ground taxicabs typically operate.
Air Taxi Association Founded to promote the growth of air taxis in the US and abroad, Joe Leader, president , 2007.
Air Taxi Companies
DayJet Based in Boca Raton, Fla., began flying 2007, is the biggest air taxi operator, the most aggressive and so far the hardest hit by the credit crisis. DayJet has a fleet of 28 Eclipse 500s, which are the best-selling model of very light jets. The company also uses sophisticated technology that efficiently positions aircraft and analyzes fares, making it the leading innovator in selling on-demand, per-seat fares. It currently flies to 45 community airports in Florida and nearby states.
Linear Air Operates in New England and nearby states, flies mostly eight-passenger Cessna Grand Caravan propeller planes, but plans to buy seven Eclipse 500s, which fly about twice as fast. Linear plans to acquire eight more Eclipse 500s by the end of the year to augment its growing business.
SATSair Based in Greenville, SC, expanded its air taxi service throughout the Southeast. SATSair flies four-passenger, short-haul Cirrus SR22 propeller planes that use a single pilot, and are equipped with a high-tech parachute intended to glide the plane down safely in case of emergencies. SATSair operated 16,000 flights in 27 states in 2007 — 60% more than the previous year.
Pogo Jet Management team is led by Robert Crandall, the former chief executive officer of American Airlines, said it plans to start an air taxi business with Eclipse 500 jets at several hundred general aviation airports within about 600 miles of New York City. It postponed an initial public offering originally set for March 2008. It now says it plans to begin operations in the second quarter of 2009.
JetSuite Air taxi business started by a group that is headed by Alex Wilcox, who was a founding executive at JetBlue. JetSuite, which plans to fly routes in Southern California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah, has ordered 50 of the Phenom 100 very light jets, which are being produced by the big Brazilian aircraft company Embraer.
European air taxts Several air taxi start-ups are flying the new Cessna Citation Mustang model, which at $2.65 million is at the high end of the very light jet market.
Air Taxi Manufacturers
Air taxi manufacturers Currently, the only jets used by air taxi businesses in thie US are $1.6 million Eclipse 500s, which were the first to market. Other firns include Cessna, Embraer and Honda.
- Eclipse Aviation Maker of over 2,600 orders for its Eclipse 500, but has not yet come close to the production level of 500 jets a year it says it needs to be profitable.
- Embraer Would open an assembly plant in Florida to produce some of its Phenom 100 very light jets.
Charter Jet Industry
On-demand air travel Sector of the flying public that choose to fly by private jet that became $8 billion-a-year US charter business.
Charter brokers Unlicensed, lightly regulated companies that do not fly the planes, much less own them. They make their money by arranging flights and charging as much as 20% of a trip's cost, which can soar to more than $9,000 an hour.
Charter flights Once limited to Wall Street executives and Hollywood celebrities, charter flights have become accessible to anyone with deep pockets and a computer mouse -- in no small part because of brokers. Individuals and corporations who can afford private aircraft supply the raw material for the burgeoning industry. In contrast to the luxury trappings of private jets, charter brokering is a bare-knuckle trade in which companies can scramble for profits and poach each other's clients and employees.
Note There are about 2,263 companies licensed by the FAA for charter flights in the US.
Air charter broker Anyone can put up a Web site, call themselves a charter broker and negotiate for flights on behalf of the public
(alphabetical listing)
Air Royale International Beverly Hills, California.
Blue Star Jets' Co-founded by Richard Sitomer and Todd Rome (1969-) president says his firm came up with the business model for charter brokers in 2000. Rome bet that wealthy passengers would prefer a wide selection of planes rather than being locked into a single model or a share of a fractional jet as with Warren Buffett's NetJets Inc. and similar firms. Rome and Sitomer decided to offer customers any plane they wanted by arranging flights with FAA- licensed charter companies.
Zoladz Jet Charter Depew, New York-based limo service that will book your "stag or stagette party" and arrange charter flights.
