When Does Private Travel Make Sense for Businesses and Executives?

General aviation, more commonly referred to as private aviation, is typically viewed as a lavish and costly mode of transportation; however, it’s an integral component of the success of many large companies with frequent business travel needs.

The benefits of privacy, security, convenience, efficiency, and risk mitigation are unmatched. In addition, private travel is more profitable in some scenarios than commercial travel—when every minute matters.

Understandably, business travelers turned to private charters in the early stages of the pandemic. It made social distancing easier and bypassed the congestion of a commercial airport. However, as society learns to co-exist with COVID-19, many executives continue to choose private travel exclusively.
This guide explains why.

Why Private Aviation Remains in High Demand, Despite Costs

Security & Safety

Security and safety are a priority for any traveler, and now more than ever, keeping healthy is at the top of everyone’s list. General aviation provides the utmost security and safety when traveling. 

• Minimized gatherings: the aircraft will solely consist of the captain, the flight crew, and your party - turboprops seating up to nine passengers and heavy jets up to nineteen. 
• Secure check-in: private travelers don’t wait hours at a check-in counter, security line, or at the gate. 
• Luggage handling: a single team member handles luggage from terminal to aircraft, reducing exposure and the risk of lost or damaged baggage.
• Staffing: pilots and staff members are typically paired to fly on the same shifts, limiting the risk of external exposure.

Privacy

Whether chartering a group of high-profile individuals or needing to remain on-call in the air, privacy is a luxury that companies simply can’t pay for on a commercial airline. A Boeing 737, for example, averages 175 passengers, which makes conducting a video call or reviewing a presentation nearly impossible. 

• Flying commercial leaves executives with no control over who may be seated in the adjacent chair. 
• Whether you fly solo or with your company, chartering a private jet allows you to dictate who else will be on board. 
• Privacy is crucial for highly-sensitive ventures and business deals, confidential mergers and acquisitions, and other endeavors that require remaining outside the public eye. 
• Keeping intellectual property or any confidential information protected. 

Convenience

Time is of the essence, and productivity heavily depends on how executives manage their time in the air and on the ground. General aviation has many benefits, but convenience, luxury, and excellent use of time are undeniable selling points. 

• Time

• Skip waiting in any check-in, TSA, or boarding gate lines 
• The flexibility to choose your departure time based on your schedule
• No wasted time during layovers or connections; all private charters are nonstop
• Utilize your flight time to conduct any work, take business calls, or review presentations or contracts before landing
• Get to your destination and back in a fraction of the time it takes via a commercial flight

• Luxury 

• High-speed WiFi
• Fully loaded entertainment system
• Customizable menu
• Door-to-door chauffeur service 
• Recliner massage chairs
• In-flight access to baggage
• Dual climate control system
• Access to over 5,000 national airports that do not service regular airlines 

When Private Travel Makes The Most Sense

A Justified Expense 

Risk mitigation is a priceless benefit of general aviation as CEOs and entrepreneurs operate on a strict schedule. Being on time for high-profile meetings, events, and conferences is critical to any company’s success. In addition, travel is draining to the mind and body; executives should arrive in their best shape to ensure profitability. 

Removing the risk of delayed flights, uncomfortable travel arrangements, and unpredictable mishaps with commercial flying is worth every penny for any company. 

Apart from risk mitigation, the larger the group of executives, the more it makes sense financially to utilize private travel - especially international trips. 

Inclement Local Weather

Attending a high-stakes business meeting is stressful as is, and inclement weather can easily delay or cancel commercial travel plans. Often, rescheduling simply isn't an option. While regular airlines are grounded, private planes can enable you to adjust your itinerary to fly around local storms, getting you to your final destination without the massive wait. 

Multi-City Itinerary 

Private travel is the most time-saving and cost-effective option for companies that often make stops in multiple locations. 

For example, a trip from NYC to Miami to Dallas commercially can span multiple days due to flight times and scheduling, which is physically exhausting for the traveler. However, a private jet can get you from NYC to Miami in about three hours and then to Dallas in about two hours. 

Multi-city private travel will save your executives the most valuable asset they have: their time, along with the other added costs of overnight trips. 

If you’re traveling solo—one of our partners, BLADE, allows you to purchase individual seats on regularly scheduled charter flights. EXEC Members receive up to 20% off BLADE flights. 

Empty Leg Flights

Empty legs occur when an aircraft is scheduled to go from Point A to Point B with no passengers on board. These flights are utilized by on-demand charter clients when a one-way route is booked or when a round-trip is booked that spans multiple days. 

One of our private jet charter partners, evoJets, features available empty legs on commonly taken routes and allows you to search for any upcoming empty legs. Their charter flight cost calculator also allows you to see pricing for a standard charter to get a sense of the cost savings.

EXEC Members receive $500 in Evo flight credits when booking private jet charters.