Question: What is a better way to fly than First Class on the airlines?
Answer: Jet Charter!

In this article we will explore the advantages of the jet charter experience, get an idea of the cost and get some insight directly from one of the charter pilots. Briefly, here are some of the advantages of flying on a private charter over the airlines, even when flying First Class:

• Privacy
• Fly on your schedule, not the airlines
• Depart and arrive at more convenient airports
• Get better routing than the airlines (by flying above most commercial routes - 41,000 feet Eastbound and 43,000 feet Westbound)
• Higher altitudes avoid most weather
• Your bags are guaranteed not to get lost
• You have 100% control over who you travel with
• Skip the long security lines
• Skip the long baggage check-in lines
• You can take your dog

One popular jet charter service here in the San Francisco Bay Area is CTP Aviation operating out of Hayward Executive Airport.  CTP uses Cessna Citation jets that carry up to 7 passengers at speeds up to 500 mph.  I asked CTP Chief Pilot, John Fulton, how some of his business clients leverage their service:

 “Flying in the private jet saves a lot of time.  Business people find that they can often do 2 or 3 meetings in a day whereas on the airlines, they may require 2-3 days per meeting!  With the private jet, a customer can leave on their own schedule, fly more direct routes and land at airports closer to the meeting.  With the airlines, a whole day is often necessary to accommodate the airlines’ schedule, hub and spoke connections, and inconvenient airports.  So, sometimes a day on each end of the meeting is necessary for travel, where the private jet can quickly hop from meeting to meeting.”

This is what great customer service is all about and there are clearly numerous advantages of charter services over the airlines for business travel. Now, the obvious question: what is the cost?  I created my own hypothetical business trip and asked CTP for a quote.  Here are the specifics for this business trip:

• Seven (7) business people need to attend two meetings in two cities and return home the same day.
• Depart Hayward Executive Airport in the San Francisco Bay Area at 8:00 AM.  Team review of meeting goals during the flight.
• Land in Santa Monica, CA at 9:06 AM.
• Attend business meeting in Santa Monica.
• Depart Santa Monica, CA at 12:30 PM  for San Diego, CA arriving at 1:06 PM.
• Attend business meeting in San Diego, CA
• Depart San Diego, CA at 4:30 PM. Team discusses next steps on return flight.
• Arrive at home airport (Hayward) at 5:54 PM.

Total flight time: 3.1 hours.
Total distance: 764 nautical miles
Total cost: $10,333.57   (Includes landing fees, ramp fees, taxes, fuel surcharge).

Return on Investment Numbers:
The $10K cost might seem a bit high at first but if your business people are valuable resources (let’s hope they are!) then the numbers can actually work in your favor.  Let’s say that the average compensation for the 7 business passengers is $150,000.  (This conservative average could easily be the case when averaging the compensation of 1 executive, a couple of sales people and a few members of the technical staff.) The hourly average then for this hypothetical group is about $72/hour. If this customized trip saves a day on each end then we are saving 16 hours times 7 people or 112 man-hours or about $8,000.  Think of that $8,000 as coming directly off the top of the price of the trip, that is, it is $8,000 cheaper than spending the two extra days of overhead. If you were taking the airlines and spending the two extra days you would still need the usual airfare and hotel fees.  Hotels and airfare could easily amount to more than $5,000 for the 7 person team.  You have now exceeded the cost of this jet charter!

This jet charter case study is a great example of above and beyond customer service, minimizing hassles of business travel, return on investment, teamwork, high performance and adapting to the needs of your customers.

In the previous article, Air Travel Series (#2), I created my own classification of annoying travelers. These are the people, because of Murphy’s Law, that will be sitting right next to you on the longest flight of your life. I’ll tell you exactly how to avoid some of them in this article and how you can avoid all of them in the next article!  In order to figure out how to improve your overall travel experience, let’s look at just a few of the key Touch Points of Travel.  The quality of the experience at each of these customer touch points can be improved via some kind of premium or third-party service.  What part of overall air travel process frustrates you the most?  Pick an area and upgrade on your next trip:

Dealing with Bags

• Bravo to United Air Lines for offering a convenient way to ship your bags directly and avoid the whole baggage check-in hassle! This is a model for other airlines to follow.  Here is how it works: You go on-line here, set up your shipment, print your shipping label, provide your bags to FedEx and then receive your bags at your destination.
• BAGS (Baggage Airlines Guest Services) picks up your luggage from your home or office. They take your luggage to the airport. Your luggage will be waiting for you at the hotel or destination of your choice.
• If you happen to be flying out of Las Vegas, Nevada or Fort Lauderdale, Florida you should consider  Bags To Go . This service allows customers to check their baggage and receive their boarding pass at hotels, convention centers, cruise ports, rental car centers, and other locations. It is like checking in for your flight at the airport, but without the airport.

Getting through Security

Do you ever get that sinking feeling when you see 300 people in the security line ahead of you? Did you ever notice anyone going straight to the head of the line?  That could be you.  Sign up for a biometric ID card and service known as Clear.  I have been using Clear for over a year and I highly recommend it.

Getting a Good Seat

Have you ever booked a seat only to find that there was something about it that you didn’t like? Seatguru can help you find a better seat. For each airline and aircraft type they will tell you details you might want to know about each seat including dimensions, arm rest details, power, proximity to lavatories, etc.

Finding Privacy at the Airport

Would you like to get the airport early to avoid the rush but dread being stuck at the gate? Have you ever had your flight delayed 4 hours? Most airports have clubs or lounges that you can escape to even if you are not a member. For example, the Admirals Club at American Airlines and the Red Carpet Club at United Air Lines offer day passes for $50.

Flying First Class

Finally, just flying first class eliminates much of the pain. If you have already used up your miles on upgrades but still want to fly in front, there are several great tips inside First Class Flyer for cost effective upgrade strategies.

In the next article we will explore a level of air travel even better than First Class!

In the previous article I mentioned that the airlines and airports are only partially to blame for a miserable travel experience.  The quality of the airport and flight experience, perhaps more than any other service, can be affected by not only by the service providers, but also by the customers themselves (the traveling public).  Granted, you can meet some great people while traveling. But, it only takes one to spoil the flight and given Murphy’s law, that will be the one that will be sitting right next to you on a full 5-hour flight. The British have a great all-purpose word for this person you are involuntarily glued to: arsehole. Wikipedia says arsehole “can be used to describe an unpleasant person”.  Jolly good, works for me.  Now, building on this robust base, I will now scientifically classify each of these traveling sphincters :

• Loud motor-mouth
• It’s all about me
• Seat kicker
• Armrest pig
• Rude dude
• Diseased cougher
• Walking ashtray
• Chewing gum smacker
• Seat hog
• Know it all
• Perfumed assault weapon
• Drunk since Monday
• What’s a shower?
• Always late
• Fidget maniac
• Nail clipper
• Cheese cutter
• Screaming child of Satan

I have concluded that the above sphincters are breeding prolifically and are increasingly impacting the quality of travel. I will show you in this series of articles how you can take partial, if not complete, control of this aspect of your travel.