The cost of owning and maintaining a corporate jet is quite significant, and that is why there are now fractional jets where a company or individual can own a piece of several jet aircraft, and one fractional jet company can own them all, selling pieces to each of their members, and then operating and charging the direct operational costs such as fuel when it is time to go somewhere. This means you can own a corporate jet without paying all of the costs incurred in purchasing the aircraft, maintaining the aircraft, hiring the pilots, insuring the jet, and a host of other rather expensive charges.
Chartering an aircraft is another option to owning, and that means taking an aircraft and renting it with a pilot, and although it is quite a bit more expensive to charter a private jet than to fly on an airliner, you get the peace and privacy without all the hassles at the airport, which can be too numerous to mention in this article. By chartering an aircraft you can designate the time you want the airplane to leave provided the weather is good, and you don’t have to wait in line for hours checking in, or hassling with all the traffic getting to the airport terminal.
There was an interesting article on May 31, 2011 in “SpringWise – Your Essential Fix of Entrepreneurial News” which was titled “Ride-sharing network reduces costs of flights on private jets” recently talking about a new U.S. based firm which allows folks to get online and bid on chartering, and if they get enough people it’s automatically booked. Now these jets are now Airliner Configured aircraft, these are luxury type private aircraft.
Okay so, here is another entrepreneur who came up with a great business idea which provides yet another option. In other words you can fly like a wealthy individual, or corporate executive without investing in fractional jet ownership, buying a corporate airplane, or paying the high price for charter. This is because you are splitting the cost with many other people in a giant rideshare program. This is often done with bus charters as well.
Will this new business model work? It seems it has some evolving to do, but the idea appears to be sound, especially in this day and age of social networking, and also considering how online bidding has evolved in the travel industry and sector. Nevertheless, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on this new online social networking jet setting scheme in the future, in case you have somewhere important to go, and you’d like to go in style. Please consider all this and think on it.
