The 21st Century has brought with it many changes to how businesses operate. Thanks to the internet, companies that would have focused almost entirely on local and domestic operations can partner with businesses around the world for everything from marketing to cybersecurity to web design.
Thanks to the advent of easy-to-use and secure video conferencing, travel for business is not as necessary as it once was — but when travel is needed, those trips are extremely important.
What may surprise you is that one of the most cost-effective methods of travel for business is aboard private jets. Taking advantage of private air travel benefits your business on several fronts — including increased efficiency, productivity, security, and privacy.
The big misconception put to rest
There is a common misconception that private air travel is somehow an unaffordable luxury for most companies. That is simply untrue. According to industry analysts, around 70 percent of businesses that charter private jets have fewer than 500 employees.
If private jets were so unaffordable, the majority of private flights wouldn’t be chartered by small businesses. However, that does not mean the misconception of the cost of air travel cannot be used to your benefit.
Finding cost-effective methods of travel is imperative and can improve everything from productivity to freight shipping.
After all, if people assume that only extremely successful companies can charter their own private flights, any private travel undertaken by representatives of your business will be seen as a sign of your success and business savvy. And it never hurts when your business is seen as a powerhouse before you even start your first meeting.
The benefits of private flights
Beyond the image boost that comes with chartering a private jet, how exactly does a private flight benefit your business? A better question to ask might be how doesn’t it benefit you?
Productivity
Time is money. Time spent waiting to board a commercial flight is time that could have been put to better use.
Even if you are signed up for every pre-check option and digital service offered by a commercial flight company, you are still looking at long processing times and extensive boarding times.
And if anything is wrong with the plane or if there was a weather delay at the city from which it departed. That is more time wasted and more money flushed away.
With a chartered flight, you can avoid security lines and you don’t need to wait for every passenger to board. You also don’t have to worry about your plane arriving from another city before you board it.
By taking a private jet, you allow your team members more time to work before getting to the airport and much less time wasted at the airport. They will also be able to get more work done on their private flight without the chatty neighbors and loud, rambunctious children that populate a commercial flight.
The final way a private flight can ensure your team members are making the most of their time is that they can fly to smaller airports that could not accommodate a large, commercial jet if they tried. These smaller airports allow you to fly closer to your destination, reducing the time it takes to travel from your plane to your meeting.
For all these reasons, chartering private jets helps your team members maximize their time and keep their productivity high, even while traveling.
Efficiency
When you consider how much time taking a commercial flight adds to business travel, any business trip becomes a multi-day affair. Even if the business being conducted can be resolved in a few hours, your team members will almost certainly need to stay overnight before going through the hassle of flying commercial all over again.
Because private flights eliminate so much time from the air travel experience, those overnight stays can be eliminated unless they are necessary. So much time can be saved by using private flights that your team members could conceivably travel to multiple cities to conduct business in one day and still end the day falling asleep in their own beds.
Privacy and Security
How many times have you heard someone waiting to board a flight speaking loudly into a cell phone? How many times has that person been discussing privileged information about their business or finances?
What if that person was waiting for the same flight as their competitor? How much information did they just drop into the worst lap imaginable?
By eliminating the wait to board in a crowded terminal, private jets take that risk to privacy away. They also increase security around your proprietary information because no one on your private jet will be listening to planning sessions during your flight. No one will be there but your team members.
Flying your freight
People aren’t the only cargo you can move around on private jets. You can also use them to transport important freight and equipment.
From dangerous materials to heavy equipment to entire automobiles, private jets can serve as a great way to transport items that would be extremely difficult to move otherwise.
Because your cargo is the only cargo on a private flight, check to make sure everything complies with regulations for domestic or international travel goes much faster than it would on a commercial flight. And it’s less expensive. Think of the charges commercial airline levees on a person with a suitcase that’s over 50 pounds — then imagine the charges for the equipment needed for a major presentation at a trade show.
And again, you get the benefit of using smaller, more localized airports. Flying your freight closer to its final destination saves you time and money in overland delivery.
The best and only way to travel
Whether you want to improve your company’s image while maximizing the productivity and time management of your team or you want an efficient and affordable means for shipping, chartering a private jet makes sense.
Don’t let misconceptions of cost get in the way of taking advantage of the benefits of private air travel. The benefits to productivity and efficiency alongside the unparalleled privacy and security of private flights cannot be denied.
