Photo Credit: SkyWriter012

Flying via ‘empty legs’ is the best way to continue the private jet experience while managing your limited travel budget.  When times are hard and the economy is not doing so well, it is only wise even to those who can really afford to spend more to check the various options on hand.

What is an empty leg?  An empty leg occurs when one-way flights are booked.  Naturally, the aircraft needs to go back to its point of origin and since it was only booked for a one-way flight, there are no passengers on the way back.

Private jet companies definitely would not want to lose the opportunity to make money and so they offer those empty leg flights with much lower fees. It is a sure way to lessen traveling expenses.  The only drawback here is that the availability of these kinds of flights is always to the last minute and can be cancelled.

The whole empty leg details depend so much on the person who booked the one-way flight.  If they changed their departure time, naturally your schedule will get affected and you won’t get notified at once. The good thing is that you can change the itinerary of your empty leg booking but the bad side of it is that there is an additional fee for the aircraft repositioning.

However, the empty leg scheme is more appropriate for those whose schedule is more flexible and would not mind if there are last minute changes.

 
Photo Credit: nickgraywfu

The key to have the best possible information about empty legs is subscribing to email alerts from the different aircraft charter companies you have on your area.  That way you are constantly given a list on what flights you can get hold off.

You can save around 50% or more if you get to fly via the empty leg program.  You can continue enjoying the perks of private aviation while limiting your travel expenditure.

If fractional ownership and membership cards are not suited for your travel needs then charter an aircraft with an efficient aviation-booking firm or air charter companies.

Photo Credit: pm.raymon

There are several things you need to consider when chartering a private jet. Try to find the nearest airports to your place of origin and destination. There are few airports that are not very welcoming to speedy aircrafts or are not equipped to received them although most of them do accept private jets but it is still better to have that information with you.

Before booking, make sure you list down the reasons you want private aviation so that when you pick a certain aircraft or time or package you can easily choose from different travel options that those aviation companies will surely offer you.

First, the space you need. How many people will be going with you? Do you want more leg room? Do you want to be able to stand up in the cabin? A bigger luggage space?

Second, the range or distance. How far is your destination? There are certain jets that are for short distance travel and some are better equipped for a longer one.

Photo Credit: FlightManagement

Third, check the amenities. Is there a rest room or a portable toilet? Is there any entertainment system or Internet portal? How about food?

Fourth, the speed. Is speed a priority? There are some types of jets that are certainly faster than the others.

Fifth, funds to spare. Do you want to use the whole aircraft to yourself or you want to defray costs and just share the jet with a couple of strangers who also want to somehow save some money and still enjoy private aviation?

After doing your checklist, go and find aviation companies that offer jet charters. Most of them are available online. Check the following companies and compare the prices, services and perks: Avion Private Jet Club, JET Demands, Netjets, OneSky Jets, Bluestar Jets, TalonAir, RSVPAir, Elitejets, Virgin.

These days it is not that hard to have a private jet waiting for you at the runway. Gone are the days when you think it is so difficult to gain access to the exclusive toys of the rich and famous.

While it is true that jet fuel price are very unstable these days and it is quite expensive to fly private but the fact remains that there is no better way to fly than using a private jet. The airport security and baggage protocol not to mention the delays would not exempt you even you choose to fly first class.

 
Photo Credit: Cubbie_n_Vegas

Buying your own aircraft is definitely the surest way to have a jet waiting for you on any airport you want but that is if you have millions of dollars to spare. I am not talking here only of the amount of the aircraft but the maintenance costs that comes with it such as parking space, cleaning crew, pilot and attendant staff to name a few. If you have the money then I do suggest that you buy one. The freedom that it will give you is quite phenomenal.

However, using a private aircraft does not mean that you need to purchase the aircraft itself. There are plenty of other ways in enjoying private aviation. 

Photo Credit: Netjets

Have you heard of fractional ownership? It is quite similar to buying time-shares. You just purchase a fraction share of a jet and you can have access to an aircraft whenever you need it provided you give the aircraft company a couple of hours to arrange it. It also means that you get to share the aircraft with other owners but you need not worry because most of these companies offer a large fleet of private jets so there are plenty to choose from. Enjoy the perks of owning one while avoiding the operational responsibilities. This is advisable to those fly a lot and in short notice.

To those who do not travel that much, but still fly on a regular basis, I highly recommend get a fractional card or the Marquis Jet Card. It works just like a debit card. Check the Netjets site, they are the leading aviation company that offers fractional programs.

Photo Credit: Sentient

While Netjets offer those types of program, Sentient on the other hand offers card membership. It works just like a credit card. 365 days guaranteed access to an aircraft of your own choice provided you give them a window of 10 hours to arrange it. They have different types of membership depending on your needs.

If you want just a one-time deal, just prepare the money and charter one with no strings attached. You can do it by either calling the company or charter online. It can be arranged for just one-way or round-trip. There are plenty of aviation companies that you can find online. Everything is just within your fingertips.

A new trend has been going on recently in marketing luxurious real estate properties, the developers added an exciting benefit: private jet membership cards and discounts.

Photo Credit: CayeChapel

The developers of high end condo units, apartments, resort villas and vacation houses have seen much improvement on their sales by establishing partnerships with leading private aviation companies. It proved to be an effective way also of increasing private jet card memberships as more of the affluent communities are enticed by the additional perks they will be receiving when buying properties either by fractional or full ownership.

An example would be the partnership of Villas Del Mar with Sentinent. Real estate buyers are offered a lesser amount of joining fee of USD$100,000 for Sentinent Gold Membership Card instead of asking for the usual joining fee of USD$250,000.

Photo Credit: Plano Light

It is quite an enticing offer since these would-be owners would only use these properties for just a few days and most of them prefer to fly over in the comfort of private jets. These people always want a hassle free weekend getaways.

Some air charter companies are offering discounts on real estate buyers of luxurious residences on island resorts. They know for a fact that these people will keep on coming back to their properties and it is a sure way to gain regular clients.

It is one of the best marketing strategies for these industries, the real estate and the private aviation.

One of the leading private aviation companies, XOJET has made the business of flying private easier for transcontinental flights. XOJET simplified everything by offering an “all-in” one-way rate starting on USD$25,000.00

citation x

Photo Credit: michaelwhays

The All-In Rate is their answer to the confusing computation of every single fee that may occur when booking a private jet.  One of the usual problems in acquiring private jet services is the complicated way in adding up so many types of fees that are being added up aside from the per hourly basis rate. There is the surcharge, some hidden charges and the like which XOJET wanted to avoid.

XOJET made sure that the fixed price they are charging includes everything like the catering, ground transportation in and of the airports, unlimited worldwide calls, repositioning fees, fuel surcharges, etc. This way, private flying can fully boast to the flying public that it is truly hassle free from the moment a client call in for a reservation or booking.

bombardier challenger300

 Photo Credit: Wiki

The private aviation company brought additional jets like the Citation X to make the passengers get to their destination faster as these jets are known to be the fastest civilian jet in the industry today.

XOJET was established in 2006 and is quickly building a reputation as one of the most reliable and affordable private aviation companies around. They are much known for their in house maintenance/safety program that can surely rival any leading airliner in the United States today and by 2012 they are expected to have reach a total of 127 aircrafts in their fleet.

More details can be found here.

Luxury Beach Resort owners now does not only guarantee pampering when a guest reach their shores, their service starts the moment a guest booked a reservation. They immediately offer the coolest and stylish way to fly over to the resort.

One of these resorts is the Royal Lahaina Resort in Maui. They created a private jet charter program called POSH Private Jet Holidays with Pleasant Aircraft Leasing Inc. They transport prominent and high profile people to different destinations around the globe.

The POSH program offers to the passengers what other first class commercial flights cannot. They boast of a concierge service like no other and they give their passengers a royal treatment, which makes their clients not wanting to go back to flying commercial.

They have a fleet of 14-seater Gulfstream G450 Jets to take them over the resort. The operators promised that their clients would have a very POSH, relaxed flight filled with chef prepared meals served in the finest china, using Baccarat crystal with matching Cristofle silverware. The Bar is accessible the whole flight which the guests can ask for their favorite beverages from a very attentive and professional cabin crew.

And it does not stop there, a passenger can also ask for beauty services such as manicure, hair and make-up styling from a professional beauty consultant while others who are more inclined to play games such as XBOX, Playstation or Wii may do so aside from the in-flight DVD/CD entertainment that they provide.

With POSH, the vacation starts the moment you take seat on the Gulfstream Private Jet. For more details on their services, go here.

Photo Credit: PAL

The very light jets and personal jets are often being talked about these days especially the very controversial Eclipse 500. Most often than not, air taxi companies offer their services by using these aircrafts. It is quite an interesting fact that there is another aircraft that is being noticed by a number of aircraft operators.

Photo Credit: CirrusDesign

Cirrus SR22 is already a popular aircraft and has hold the record for having been the best selling single engine aircraft in the last five years but it never reached the kind of publicity that Eclipse 500 has. It is about to change now.

The demand for fuel-efficient aircrafts is high. Aircraft operators want an aircraft that can be maintained with lesser cost. Cirrus SR22 offers a lower average cost and a safety record that encourages operators to use them. Some charter broker can offer prices as low as USD$400 per hour and that low price immediately attracts flying enthusiasts to consider them.

Photo Credit: Cubbie_n_Vegas Photo Credit: FlyGuy92586

These low prices are possible for a Cirrus SR22 since it burns less fuel. If a usual single engine aircraft burns around 50 gallons an hour, the Cirrus SR22 only uses 15-17 an hour. The manufacturer, Cirrus Design Corp. made sure that this aircraft will be more fuel-efficient than the other aircrafts in its class.

Aside from the lower rates, this aircraft can fly direct to destinations that are quite not on the usual travel routes. Although all charter planes are offering this benefit, however, Cirrus SR22 does it in a much, much lower cost than the others.

Who has not dreamt of having one’s own aircraft?  As children, our love for it had been manifested by what seems to be like hundreds of paper airplanes littering our rooms not to mention the entire house, which as we grew older became more intricate and more precise in folding design to achieve as they say the “perfect flight.”

Photo Credit: Cubbie_n_Vegas

To some it has remained a dream forever cherished, but for some it has become an integral part of their lives both personal and professional.  While that may be a painstaking endeavor in and of itself, the actual operation of the aircraft can be an entirely different headache if one is not adequately prepared.  It is not as simple as folds and cuts anymore nor is it just a matter of having enough money (though some could not care less).  From crew selection and aircraft maintenance to additional revenue, if one wants true value for one’s money, a little more knowledge and a dash or two of hands-on experience are needed.

However, for a truly stress-free ownership, there are, thankfully, aircraft management companies who provide such service to an aircraft owner.

Charter revenue is one of the biggest reasons an aircraft owner seek the services of a management company.  To give the owner the chance to balance the costs associated with aircraft operation, management companies place the acquired aircraft on a Part 135 Certificate.  This is one of the most cost-efficient ways for an owner to finance his or her own flights.  By chartering flights 51% or more in the first year of acquisition, aircraft owners can enjoy the benefit of avoiding paying the sales tax and using the tax on the aircraft. The savings can add up very quickly for the aircraft investment.

It’s all a matter of choice really–hands-on or professional management.  Whatever the choice is, the end result should always be for one’s enjoyment of having an aircraft to call your own.

Photo Credit: jay.tong

Another new dimension in the world of private flying is in-flight catering.

It is not enough that passengers are served with hot entrees during their flight. They are now given a wide variety of choices that are very global. The menu provided for the discriminating taste of the passengers comprised of a large selection of local and international dishes. Some of them, you never thought that you can order during the flight.

It has been a running joke in every airplane scene in movies or TV that airline food is horrendous. This scene will never have the chance of happening in a private jet whose in-flight catering are handled by experts in that field. There are companies out there who specialize in providing catering services to those who are in the move. Try and take a peek on the menu of the following sites:

                                                                            Photo Credit: jay.tong

http://www.corporate-catering-zurich.com/en/index.php

http://www.airfarecatering.com/menus.html

http://www.121inflight.com/

The food either Gourmet or traditional home-cooked like meals are prepared by professionals who has so many years of jet plane food experience under their belt. You may even arrange for a favorite famous chef to prepare the meals you want.

With private jets sky is really the only limit.

Despite the economy slump and some airline cuts that the aviation industry has been experiencing these days due to the fuel price increase. The rich are still on a spending mood.

Luxury vacation programs are still up for grabs. American Express exclusive card members were offered of a one-of-a-kind vacation getaway. It cost each cardholder two thousand short of a USD$100T.

Photo Credit: Ingy The Wingy

It has been one of luxurious adventure to different exotic and beautiful places in the different continents in the world via a VIP-configured Boeing Business Jet that can carry 52 passengers in very comfortable surroundings. This unique travel journey was offered last year by travel connoisseur Abercrombie and Kent, Inc. It was such a hit so that this year they added more similar luxurious travel package.

Recently, a 16-day travel package is being offered by the agency called Our Personal Guest in New York. This was designed for an avid photographer philanthropist. The itinerary will need private flying via turboprop but the greatest come on for the trip was it will be accompanied by one of the top National Georgraphic photographer when they go to a private safari. This experience will cost the traveler a USD$100,000.00