ARTICLE ALERT!
Private Jets vs. First- or Business-Class Commercial Aircraft
Premier service on many airlines is often fabulous, so you may wonder if paying exponentially more for private is that much better.
"A lot of airlines are doing an amazing job to increase service of what you’re getting on board,” says Ashley Les, a luxury travel advisor and founder of Postcards From, a travel-planning firm. "You’ll get great cocktails and amenities. That said, nothing will be to the extent of private, where anything you want is available.”
Les says that private jets are a necessity for some of her clients that require very specific flight routes and times. They may have meetings in multiple locations in one day and wouldn’t be able to accommodate them flying commercial, no matter what the class.
There are other benefits to flying private, says Sean McClenahan, chief operating officer for Rair Aviation in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, which handles aircraft acquisition, management and charters.
“If you’re traveling internationally, there is also a separate customs area for most private terminals,” McClenahan says. “Sometimes the customs agents will even come right onto the charter to do it.”
Additional perks of flying private:
No downtime, since it’s door-to-door service.
Not at the mercy of the airline’s flight schedule, so you can pick and choose exactly what time you want to fly.
If you live in smaller cities, you can fly into the private airport and avoid a long ground commute.
Many chartered planes have seats that turn into full-, queen- or king-size beds, and some cabins can be separated to resemble individual bedrooms.
Flying with pets is less stressful. Both you and your animal can be at ease, as you won’t have to worry about keeping them in their carrier for the duration of the flight.
Only you know if the price to travel privately – no matter how you arrange it – is worth the money.
But once you start, be careful. Returning to commercial flying can be a tough step down. “There simply is no comparison to a private jet,” von Weise says. “It’s an almost indescribable difference.”