Private jet travel. It conjures up images of impeccably-dressed CEO’s clinching deals while enjoying a glass of expensive wine 40,000 feet above the Atlantic, or billionaire playboys jetting to the Cayman Islands for an afternoon on a private beach. You could never picture yourself in these scenes - or can you? Much has changed in aviation in the past few years, and you might be surprised at how accessible private air travel has become.

The best argument for private air travel is, not surprisingly, commercial air travel. A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to experience both on a trip between San Antonio and Atlanta. Here’s how the door-to-door journey went: I left the house at 8:30 am, bound for the airport for a 10:45am departure - carry-on luggage only, so I wouldn’t have to deal with checking my bags. After spending 25 minutes in the security check line, I made it to the gate as the first passengers were boarding. I took a short, 50 minute flight to Houston, where I hustled to make it to my connection, leaving 25 minutes after my arrival. Once on board, we spent 1 hour and 45 minutes sitting on the tarmac, waiting for clearance to take off. We finally made it into the air a little after 2:00 pm, and I had a chance to eat “lunch” - 2 tiny bags of peanuts and a soft drink. We landed in Atlanta at 5:00 pm and, after a long walk and a 30 minute shuttle ride, I made it to the hotel - hungry, exhausted and annoyed - at 6:00 pm. Elapsed time: 8.5 hours - home to hotel.

For the return trip, I hitched a ride on a private Citation jet. On departure, I strolled from the small general aviation terminal straight to the plane - perhaps 50 yards - stowed my suitcase in the luggage compartment and sank back into a luxurious leather seat. 15 minutes later, at cruising altitude, I spent a few minutes up front visiting with our pilot, and then settled back in my seat for a nap. We landed a couple of hours later at a small airport only a few minutes from my house. Elapsed time: 3 hours - hotel to home. For frequent travelers, time savings like that can easily add up to hundreds of hours a year - and the travel hours themselves are far more relaxing and enjoyable.

Private air travel combines the ultimate in convenience, luxury and safety with superb customer service and unparalleled flexibility. Roughly 500 airports in the U.S. are served by commercial carriers, with about 30 major hubs through which nearly all connecting flights are routed. Private jet-capable general aviation airports number over 5,000, putting smaller destinations such as Santa Fe, Telluride or the Virgin Islands within easy reach. Though still expensive, advancing technology and a highly competitive private aviation market now offer more affordable travel options than ever before. Here is a brief overview of the various options, in increasing order of affordability:

Full Ownership
Purchasing orleasing your own plane outright, of course, gives you maximum control. You’ll be responsible for a flight crew, maintenance and scheduling, or you can outsource these functions to an aircraft management firm. Such firms can also help defray much of the cost of ownership by making the plane available for charter. Fast, comfortable entry-level light jets (such as the Citation I flew home in) are available starting in the $2 to $3 million range, or some $40K to $60K per month for leasing, maintenance and operating costs.

Fractional Ownership
You buy a “share” of a plane, with the price pro-rated from the market price of a full aircraft. As an owner, you have guaranteed access (50-400 hours annually, depending on your share size) to the plane with as little as four hours notice. Depending on the company, the plane may be split into 1/16 or even 1/32 of a fractional share. Fractional owners pay a monthly maintenance fee and an “occupied” hourly operating fee.

Fractional Card and Membership Programs
Prepaid plans offer the turnkey service of fractional ownership programs, but with a much smaller commitment. Typically, you purchase a 20 or 25-hour block of hours on a specific plane, with guaranteed access similar to fractional ownership. Funds are deducted per-flight based on a fee schedule of plane size, time-offlight (busy vs slow periods), and 1-way/round-trip travel.

Charter Card
Similar to the fractional card format, you establish a debit balance which you draw against per a pre-defined fee schedule. In exchange for your prepayment, you are guaranteed access within a “call-out” period (4-12 hours), and pay only for “occupied” flight hours. Charter cards are generally less expensive and more flexible than the fractional format.

On-Demand Charter
The traditional charter format where you bid each trip separately. There are no guarantees on pricing or availability until you actually book the plane. You are also charged explicitly for all aspects of the flight (including unoccupied “deadhead” flights to position the plane before and after your trip). Among the formats outlined above, charter offers a price that is closest to the true operational cost of your flight. Charter can be the least or most expensive option, depending on how efficiently you fly. In some cases, a charter provider is also the owner and operator of the plane, and the full-time employer of the crew. In other cases, they’re simply a broker who matches client leads (you) with thirdparty charter operators or aircraft management firms who handle charter use for the aircraft’s owner.

Exploring Your Options
Only youcan decide how much your time - and your security, patience, comfort and dignity - are worth. Even full owners often employ other formats to provide greater fleet selection and redundant availability, and the complexity of the choices can be intimidating. To explore the pros and cons of the options in more detail, contact San Antonio-based FLIGHTIME Business Jets at 210-930-3613 or visit their website at http://www.flightime.com.