Private Jet Charter News

from NBAA - No Plane No Gain campaign:

The people and companies that rely on Private Air Charter know that utilizing a private jet is a valuable strategic choice, particularly in an unforgiving economic and political climate.  However, those outside of the business aviation community are often unaware of the benefits that chartering a private jet can provide.  When reviewing your air travel choices, use this checklist to see why using private jet charter is the best option for your mission.

 This flight absolutely cannot be canceled or delayed significantly.
 The destination is not easily served by commercial airline service.
 Need the ability to work and communicate aboard the flight.
 Proprietary information will be discussed aboard the flight.
 Need the ability to visit several cities in one day.
 Need the flexibility to allow for changes in the itinerary.
 Carrying specialized parts/equipment

If you’ve found yourself agreeing with these statements, you will want to investigate chartering a private jet for your travel needs.  In many cases, particularly with several passengers going to the same destination, a private aircraft can be as cost-effective as utilizing commercial airlines.

[caption id=“attachment_378” align=“aligncenter” width=“500” caption=“New Terminal, Nantucket Airport”][/caption]Just in time for the summer travel season, Nantucket Memorial Airport (KACK) has opened the newly renovated and expanded passenger terminal. The building includes advanced environmentally responsible, or “Green”, technologies such as a geothermal heating and cooling system, tank-less water heaters, and low-flow fixtures in the lavatories.  Interestingly, the new deck chairs were stored outside for a year to achieve that weathered look so indigenous to Nantucket.

Regardless of whether you arrive by charter jet, or commercial airline, the new terminal at Nantucket Memorial Airport is ready to welcome you to your favorite New England summer escape.

The following jets are available as one-way charter flights. Many can be combined to create complete round-trip travel. With over 10 years of experience as a private charter agency, Executive Charter Services has the reputation for excellence and safety that you demand. For pricing and other company information, please visit http://www.execcharter.com or feel free to contact me personally at 866.359.3932.

CLICK HERE FOR ONE-WAY LISTING

Kevin W. Godlewski
President, Executive Charter Services

[caption id=“attachment_363” align=“alignright” width=“150” caption=“Construction Planned at Teterboro Airport”][/caption]Recently, I talked about potential hiccups to your jet charter travel this summer.  One issue we heard about several months ago, but is rapidly approaching is the pending runway construction at Teterboro Airport. 

Teterboro Airport is planning a major reconstruction of runway 6/24 in the next few weeks..  The rehabilitation will require airport closures for all private jets and turboprops for three weekends, as well as five nighttime closures from 11:00pm to 6:00am.  The scheduled dates are currently July 10-12, and July 17-19, as well as a 24 hour closure to be announced.

Fortunately, there are other options for New Yorkers.  Westchester Airport, Morristown Airport, Essex County Airport, Ridgefield Park Airport are all within a 45 minute drive of New York City.  Don’t forget, private jets are also welcome to use Newark, LaGuardia, and JFK airports as well.  Executive Charter Services will be watching the situation closely and will provide updates as necessary, so before you plan your next trip to Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, or the Hamptons, check back for news.

[caption id=“attachment_345” align=“alignright” width=“115” caption=“Regatta Racing Off Martha\‘s Vineyard”][/caption]Memorial Day Weekend, traditionally signifes the start of summer travel for the Jet-Set.  The weekly exodus from to Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, West Hampton,  Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas, and the Mexican Riviera begins as elite travellers exchange the heat and congestion of their respective cities for quiet, comfort, and luxury.  While travelling via private jet charter is usually quick, convenient, and easy, the summer months bring some additional challenges of which to be aware:

Weather - Summer thunderstorms can really shake up the best laid travel plans.  When the heat of a long day of summer sun combines with increased humidity and unstable air, thuderstorms are likely to pop up.  Typically, the storms start to build in the mid to late after - or right when your Gulfstreams and Lear Jets are scheduled to depart to whisk you to your weekend getaway.  By moving your departure time up a few hours to late morning or very early afternoon, you can typically avoid the delays associated with the weather.

Congestion - it’s no surprise that Thursday and Friday afternoons are the most heavily travelled days at your local executive airport.  Analysis at Teterboro Airport, serving the NYC metro area, shows a 20% increase in the amount of jet traffic on a typical Friday afternoon as compared to Wednesday.  Again, plannning your flights to miss the heavy traffic periods will help shorten your potential wait for takeoff.

Special Events - From the Indianapolis 500 at the beginning of the summer, through all the special events such as MLB ALL Star Game, US Open, and Wimbledon, to the World Series at the end, attendance will be high.  Jet arrivals into these host cites can sometimes be chaotic, so plan accordingly.

While these challenges can be detrimental to your schedule and impact your time away, remember that you are travelling by private jet and that it’s really not all that bad to be you.  Have a great summer!

As Reported By The Associated Press

 
Two officials of a Florida-based charter jet company charged in connection with a 2005 crash at Teterboro Airport pleaded not guilty in federal court on March 4.

Joseph Singh and Brien McKenzie were the first of six former officials of Fort Lauderdale-based Platinum Jet Management to make court appearances in New Jersey since being indicted last month. The remaining four are scheduled to be arraigned later this month.

Platinum is accused of repeatedly violating federal aviation rules and lying to federal investigators.Singh, who served as Platinum’s director of charters, and McKenzie, the company’s director of maintenance, each face one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Singh also faces four counts of making false statements.

U.S. Magistrate Patty Shwartz set bail for McKenzie at $350,000 and for Singh at $100,000, both secured by property. In a separate proceeding in front of U.S. District Judge Joseph A. Greenaway Jr., attorneys for both men entered not guilty pleas.

“My client is looking forward to being exonerated,” Mark Berman, representing McKenzie, said. Singh’s attorney, Mark Douglas, declined to comment.

[caption id=“attachment_339” align=“alignright” width=“300” caption=“No Dough, No Go”][/caption]JetDirect Aviation, the company that went on a wild acquisition spree in 2007 - snapping up big league companies such as Sentient Jet and Jet Corp - has filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware on Friday 5/8. 

Recently, JetDriect Aviation has sold all of its assets to the JetDirect Aviation Acquisition Company now known as Wayfarer Aviation.  The new company has hired roughly half of the former employees back on, but the remainder of those left jobless are still owed unpaid salaries and benefits.

For many months after the acquisition of Sentient Jet, there were internal industry rumblings from charter operators who had flown charters for Sentient but were having a hard time getting paid.  The problem, as JetDirect/Sentient put it, was in reconciling several accouting systems causing delays in processing payments.  While the era of a JetDirect controlled Sentient Jet has ended, it serves to underscore that explosive growth for its own sake (espeically in a volitile and unsteady economic climate) can often lead to this kind of “house of cards” collapse. 

As an industry veteran and firsthand witness to a similar collapse in 2002 of a substantial charter agent, I am always cautions when dealing with a company that grows very rapidly in compressed period of time.  Flashy marketing and good PR, do not, a solid company, make.  In every industry, but particularly in Aviation, a strong foundation comprised of forward-looking leadership, smart management, loyal employees, and a steady but not-rushed expansion plan is essential to corporate survival.  There is an old phrase about the aviation industry - “If you want to wind up with one million bucks in this job, you’d better start with two.”

Until recently, getting a great deal on a private charter meant flying during off-peak days, generally in the opposite direction of the crowd - or in short, using an Empty Leg. 

All of that has changed.  With the advent of Point to Point Pricing and Floating Fleets, nearly every charter can take advantage of special reduced pricing.  With round trip prices better than what local operators can supply and “One-Way” prices consistently 60-70% of full round trip rates, the Floating Fleet is quickly gaining traction.  A quick look at a comparison between Marquis Jets, Sentient, and our Point to Point pricing using the same charter flight shows that Executive Charter Services is the clear choice each time!
[caption id=“attachment_326” align=“alignright” width=“417” caption=“One-Way Charter, New York to Miami”][/caption]

[caption id=“attachment_312” align=“alignright” width=“300” caption=“Delta Flight 86 Enroute to Tel Aviv diverted to Boston Logan Airport Yesterday”][/caption]A Boeing 767 on a flight from New York to Tel Aviv was diverted to Logan International Airport last night when a 22-year-old man began screaming, running through the aisles, and banging on the cockpit door, a MassPort official said.

The unruly passenger identified as Itay Atmor an Israeli citizen, was forced to the floor by members of the crew and a handful of the 206 passengers aboard. The group used seatbelts to bind his hands and keep him subdued until the plane could be diverted to Boston, said MassPort spokesman Phil Orlandela.

In a rush to report a story about the sinful wasting of American Taxpayers money, one local news station erroneously reported that several banks who are recipeients of bailout money flew their high priced toys to the Masters Tournament.  Shame on them for not getting the whole story before adding fuel to this already out of control fire.  Hopefully, the lesson has been learned; no matter how good the soundbite is, it means nothing unless it can be backed up by accurate facts.  Too bad News 12 wasn’t as public with their “apology” as with the damning story to begin with.

from http://www.wrdw.com (News12)
AUGUSTA—-Last week, News 12 brought you the story of several jets that flew into the Augusta area during Masters Week that are owned by some banks that have been in the headlines lately. News 12 has since learned that while the jets are owned by the Wachovia and Bank of America, they are not operated by them. We have been told the banks have no input on where the planes fly or when.

The banks provided loan money to private individuals to buy the planes, but they are not paid off yet and thus, they are still owned by the banks. It is not much different than a mortgage or car loan. You live in the house or drive the car, but the bank still technically is the owner until you pay off the balance.

Here is a listing of this week’s one-ways.  Notice that we have JetPool aircraft heading to NBA and NHL playoff cities.  Contact us today for more info!

According to a data recently released from ARG/US, March saw an 8 percent increase in General Aviation flight activity over the previous month.  This marks the second month-over-month increase in air traffic flight data from ARG/US and further strengthens hope that this is indeed a solid recovery sign for the business aviation industry.

ARG/US, the Cincinatti-based specialized aviation-services firm, estimates that flight activity has dropped an average of 1.76 percent per month over the last 12 months, with total flight activity declining 20.45 percent in that period. Compared with March last year, business jet and turboprop traffic was down 26.2 percent last month.  So, while still down as compared to a year ago, this increase in traffic shows that the industry is taking the first tentative steps to making a full comeback.

As reported on CNN.com

An armed man, described as “mentally challenged,” took six crew members hostage after he barged onto a passenger jet at a Jamaican airport Monday and demanded to be flown to Cuba.  [caption id=“attachment_278” align=“alignright” width=“219” caption=“Hostage-taker commandeered a CanJet flight in Montego Bay, Jamaica”][/caption]A hostage-taker commandeered a CanJet flight at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica.  The gunman, believed to be in his early 20s, released all passengers and two members of the crew from the CanJet plane but negotiations continued Monday morning at Sangster International Airport in the resort city of Montego Bay to secure the remaining crew members’ release.“The hijacking is that from a mentally challenged youngster and not anything that would be of concern in terms of an international incident,” said Jamaica’s Information Minister Daryl Vaz.

“His demand was to go to Cuba,” he said.  CanJet Airlines flight 918 was carrying 174 passengers and eight crew members, said Kent Woodside, the airline’s vice president. All the passengers are Canadian, he said.  The Boeing 737 flew in from Halifax, Canada, and had made a scheduled landing at Montego Bay, when the armed man boarded the plane late Sunday, the airline said. It was scheduled to continue on to Santa Clara, Cuba.  The gunman fired a shot in the boarding bridge to the plane as he entered, Woodside said.  He then took an undisclosed number of passengers and crew members hostage, said Elizabeth Scotton, a spokeswoman for the company that manages the airport.

***This episode, certainly unsettling to the passengers, serves as a reminder of a key advantage of flying privately.  Namely, the inherent security of knowing that everyone on board the aircraft has been checked against the TSA’s No-Fly list and that you will personally know each person with whom you are flying.  Additionally, when it comes to safely evacuating an area due to any political or social unrest or idustrial/natural disaster use of a Gulfstream or Hawker jet can become a case of life or death.  With emergency evacuation procedures in place, your employees or loved ones can be free from danger with as little as 4 hours notice. 

[caption id=“attachment_272” align=“aligncenter” width=“500” caption=“Full Route for 2009 \‘Speed Around the World\’ Attempt”][/caption]
As reported in CharterX Daily

Jared Isaacman and his co-pilot Doug Demko have taken off for their latest attempt at an around-the-world speed record in a light jet while raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Airport operations at Morristown Municipal Airport in New Jersey confirmed that Isaacman’s Cessna Citation took off about 6:30 p.m. Sunday, destined for St. Johns, Canada, the first leg of the flight.

Isaacman, 26, of Washington Township, New Jersey intends to fly around the globe, more than 22,000 miles, in about 65 hours. If all goes according to plan, the jet will return to Morristown Airport Wednesday. That would break the record of 82 hours set in 1991. Light jets weigh between 6,600 and 13,200 pounds.

Landings are planned in St. Johns, Canada; the Azores; Sardinia, Italy; Luxor, Egypt; Muscat; Oman; Thailand; Manila; and Seoul, among other stops.

Last year Isaacman raised $60,000 for the Make A-Wish Foundation, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses, but fell short in his attempt to break the speed record.

Isaacman is the founder and chief executive officer of United Bank Card Inc.

Donations can be made online at http://www.speedaroundtheworld.com.

Isaacman will use funds from his company’s account to match all donations on the Web site up to $20,000.

The Masters Golf Tournament is once again proving to be a major draw for golf fans around the country. 

A quick glimpse of the air traffic shows many Gulfstreams, Hawkers, and Learjets heading to Augusta this morning.  There is still time to organize your trip to the tourney - A Hawker 1000, 8 tickets to The Masters, VIP ground transportation, and special on-board catering from New York is still only $2900 per person*.  Imagine winging your way to Augusta tomorrow morning, where the temperature is going to be close to 80!  Spend a whole day watching your favorite players battle the bunkers, hazards, greens, and pressure of the worlds’ most famous golf course.  Then, jump in the limo for a quick ride back to your luxuriouos private jet for a short flight back to NYC and a full weekend with the family.  Hey the Jet Set do it, why not you?

*pricing for jet based upon 8 passengers