|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jet-Alliance In The News |
 |
|
 |
On Chaotic Day, Private Planes Fly Calm Skiesby Betsy McKay & Corey Dade. On a day of chaos and worry at commercial airports throughout the country, DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in Atlanta was an oasis of calm. Passengers, mostly businessmen talking on their cell phones, relaxed Thursday inside one of the general-aviation airport's terminals in a waiting room devoid of any burdensome security checkpoints and long lines. Exiting the terminal and wearing a crisply pressed white shirt and blue tie, Lou Plasencia, chief executive of Plasencia Group Inc., a Tampa, Fla.-based hospitality transaction and consulting firm, said a company-owned Beechjet was taking him on a business trip from his home in Tampa to Atlanta, St. Louis, Chicago, and back to Tampa. Mr. Plasencia started flying private aircraft shortly after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and Thursday's events were another reminder for him of how difficult it is to rely on commercial flights. "Time is money," Mr. Plasencia said. "I can do three to four cities in a day, and flying commercially I could only do one or two." The growing inconvenience of commercial air travel has prodded many executives and wealthy travelers to move to private aircraft instead, despite the costs. Some own their own planes. Others who want to avoid anteing up for an entire jet but still enjoy the concierge service and lavish accommodations of private luxury air travel have purchased fractional ownerships. And others charter planes for limited periods. At Jets International, a Quincy, Mass., charter reservations broker, traffic on its Web site soared 400% Thursday morning in the wake of the foiled terror plot. "We're getting lot of one-way requests Friday from people who need to get out wherever they are," said Nathan W. McKelvey, chief executive of the company. Growth in the fractional-jet business has leveled off since the late 1990s. Similar to a time-share getaway, owners buy a fraction of a plane and share it with other buyers. Each owner has rights to use a plane up to a time limit, while a fleet manager handles scheduling details and maintenance. There are about 5,000 shareowners in the fractional-jet business, and NetJets, a unit of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., is the clear leader with about half the market. However, rising costs, service issues and heightened competition contributed to an $80 million loss for NetJets last year. Michael Riegel, who owns Fractional Insider, a consulting firm for travelers who fly on private jets, says in the short term, he sees a significant switch from commercial air travel to fractional carriers, providing a jolt to that industry's flat revenues. "If airport security remains at a high level of alert for weeks instead of days, then I think you'll see much more long-term transfer of business," Mr. Riegel says. Private planes typically fly out of general-aviation airports where security-screening procedures are minimal due to the significantly lower volume of travelers and thus the lower overall risk. "Instead of taking up to three hours to get through to the gate, it will take 10 minutes with us, and you're flying," said Katie Lien, who handles member relations at Jet-Alliance Inc., a small fractional-jet company in Westlake Village, Calif., awaiting delivery of its first jet next month. Buying into a private-jet fleet can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to several million dollars for higher-end planes. As growth has slowed, companies have begun offering packages at lower prices. Jet-Alliance's lowest-priced plan offers customers a one-sixteenth share of a five-seat jet for $93,750 with 50 hours of flying time a year. There is a monthly maintenance fee of $2,500 and an operating fee of $892 an hour.
|
|
|
||
|
Jet-Alliance is not a Flight Services Provider. All transportation services are provided by a federally licensed direct air carrier. |
Jet-Alliance, Inc. 3390 Auto Mall Dr., Westlake
Village, Ca. 91362 |
website by: Dianella.com |
