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.

Rather interesting question as it is not really obvious from the Marquis Jet Pricing page. But Justin from the Private Jet Blog has figured it out:

Below the Marquis Jet Pricing Chart as of April 2008

Citation V Ultra: Card plus tax = $131,000 plus $1,100 fuel surcharge = $6,340/hr
Hawker 400XP: Card plus tax = $135,500 plus $1,075 fuel surcharge = $6,495/hr
Citation Excel / XLS: Card plus tax = $184,500 plus $1,360 fuel surcharge = $8,740/hr
Hawker 800XP: Card plus tax = $199,000 plus $1,350 fuel surcharge = $9,310/hr
Citation Sovereign: Card plus tax = $228,000 plus $1,400 fuel surcharge =$10,520/hr
Citation X: Card plus tax = $245,000 plus $2,100 fuel surcharge = $11,900/hr
Gulfstream G-200: Card plus tax = $275,000 plus $1,700 fuel surcharge = $12,700/hr
Falcon 2000 EX: Card plus tax = $315,000 plus $1,700 fuel surcharge = $14,300/hr
Gulfstream G450: Card plus tax = $360,000 plus $2,600 fuel surcharge = $17,000/hr

I hope Justin did the math right. Please quote him on it.

To give you an idea where an hour will lead you, here a chart from Marquis Jet, based on the Citation V Ultra:

Photo Credit: Cubbie_n_Vegas

Estimated Regional Flight Time Examples

From: Chicago, IL to: Teteboro, NJ (TEB) ………………….. 1.8 hours to: Boca Raton, FL (BCT) ……………… 2.8 hours to: Salt Lake City, UT (SLC)…………… 3.4 hours From: Houston, TX to: Austin, TX (AUS) ……………………… 1.0 hours to: Aspen, CO (ASED) ………………….. 2.8 hours to: Las Vegas, NV (LAS) ………………. 3.4 hours From: Los Angeles, CA to: San Francisco, CA (SFO) ………… 1.1 hours to: Aspen, CO (ASE) …………………….. 1.8 hours to: Omaha, NE (OMA) …………………… 3.0 hours

From: New York, NY to: Nantucket, MA (ACK) …………………… 1.0 hours to: Atlanta, GA (PDK) ………………………… 2.2 hours to: West Palm, FL (PBI) ……………………. 2.8 hours From: San Francisco, CA to: Las Vegas, NV (LAS) …………………… 1.2 hours to: Tuscon, AZ (TUS) ………………………… 1.9 hours to: Dallas, TX (DAL) ………………………….. 3.3 hours From: Seattle, WA to: Jackson Hole, WY (JAC) ……………… 1.6 hours to: San Francisco, Monterey (SFO) …… 1.8 hours to: Palm Springs, CA (PSP) ……………… 2.5 hours