You’re on your way to an important meeting out of state, now pressed for time following a canceled commercial flight and out of breath from the dash to another terminal. Imagine discussing your pitch with your team, seated in some rather snug surroundings. Is your competition sitting behind you? Can you hear over the arguing siblings to your right? Or over your own growling stomach that standard issue peanuts and pretzels won’t silence? Are you wishing for your own private jet yet?

One major misconception about private jet travel is that such services are reserved for only the biggest corporations, according to Jamie Walker, President and CEO of Jet Linx. In fact, only about three percent of the approximately 15,000 business aircraft registered in the United States are flown by Fortune 500 companies. The remaining 97 percent are operated by a broad cross-section of organizations, including governments, universities, charitable organizations and businesses of all sizes.

“A variety of small, midsize and large organizations are leveraging the benefits of private jet travel,” Walker said. “The one thing they all have in common – growth.”

Rich Ropp, Jet Linx St. Louis President, added, “Time is critical. Companies need to visit multiple divisions, customers or vendors in sometimes hard-to- access locations within a single day, which is next to impossible via the airlines.” Setting your flight time with a private jet is important, and the saved time adds up. “These businesses typically wish to take key executives on these outings, so the weight of lost employee productivity due to airline flight delays, misaligned flight schedules, and hub airport logistics adds substantial payroll costs into the equation,” Ropp said.

For employees confined to commercial airlines, lost luggage, unsecure conversations and an overall higher stress level go hand-in- hand with business travel. Those subjected to cramped spaces and ever-shrinking legroom in economy cabins also face another hurdle – the limitations and inflexibility of airline schedules and the lost productivity time therein.

Private business aviation protects intellectual property and keeps businesses ahead of their competitors, literally and figuratively. With the flexibility and reach of private aviation, those who fly private can beat the competition to potential clients, landing closer to even remote locations, on their schedule – closing the deal while the competition is still waiting to catch a connecting flight.

“The biggest benefit to an employee is ‘optimized productivity’ – a secure cabin allows employees to work together and speak freely about new business ideas and customer topics,” Ropp said. “Business jet travel also offers an improved quality of life, allowing an employee to visit three cities in a day and still be home in time for dinner, a family activity or both.”

Ready to learn more about how private aviation can benefit your business? Contact your local Jet Linx Base for more information.