Posted by Rachel Dixon on Tue, May 25, 2010 @ 02:47 PM
The list of benefits to private jet travel is long and plentiful. The last three months have provided two examples that have caused unrelenting disruption to commercial airline passengers from March through May.
Iceland's volcano:
Eyjafjallajokul Volcano in Iceland erupted in March 2010, and, for most travelers, the consequences of that eruption are still being felt. The massive cloud of volcanic ash given off by the eruption clouded the skies and grounded all European commercial airlines for days, leading to weeks of disruptions for all commercial travelers.
Despite the inability of commercial airlines to fly, private jets were still able to fly without a problem. So, while travelers using commercial airlines were stranded, some for over a week, at the airport waiting for a flight, private jet travelers arrived at their destination on time, as expected.
Recent labor strikes:
Commercial airlines are often heavily unionized, which means that labor strikes can and do occur on a semi-regular basis. Right now, British Airways cabin crews are striking because of wage disagreements. They have selected to strike during the busiest travel season for Europe, and may jeopardize many people's plans to travel to South Africa for the World Cup. Spirit Airlines in the United States is also staging a similar strike this summer. Airline unions wait until the busiest seasons to go on strike because it has the biggest ramifications on travelers and the employing company. This means that all the innocent commercial airline travelers trying to make it to home for Christmas or to their long-planned summer vacation often are unable to get to their destination at all due to labor strikes.
Private jet charter clients know that the flight they booked is theirs and won't leave the runway without them. They know that they will arrive at the World Cup exactly as planned because the personalized service of private jet charter companies guarantees it. Business executives take comfort in the confidence that they will be home in time for dinner, without the long, grueling, uncertain journey that flying commercially has become.
Posted by Rachel Dixon on Tue, Apr 06, 2010 @ 12:10 AM
NBAA and businesses in the aviation industry are praising Scottsdale council members for a decision that allows more aircraft to fly in and out of the Scottsdale Airport. By increasing the weight limit for aircraft allowed to takeoff and land at the airport, they are helping grow the Scottsdale aviation industry. Allowing heavier planes will attract more aviation business to Scottsdale and hopefully create more jobs in Arizona in the aviation industry. The decision raised the weight limit from 75,000 to 100,000 pounds.
The decision was approved unanimously after a long campaign from Arizona-based aviation business, as well as multinational corporations wanting to do business through the Scottsdale Airport. The Arizona Business Aviation Association (AZBAA) spearheaded the campaign, using letter writing, community mobilization and advocating directly with Scottsdale city council members.
The decision to raise the aircraft weight limit at the Scottsdale Airport is expected to boost the Scottsdale economy. There are a number of businesses in the aviation industry that wanted this decision because they want to do business in Scottsdale but were unable to due to the restrictions of the previous weight limit. In addition to the expected increase in business, there will also be a increase in tax revenue. This decision comes at no cost to the city and will likely increase the number of jobs available, grow the aviation business presence in Scottsdale and make life much easier for the aviation businesses already present in Scottsdale.
It's a win-win for aviation businesses and for the city of Scottsdale. Scottsdale hopes that more businesses in the aviation industry will come to see Scottsdale, Arizona as a destination for international businesses. The NBAA has publicly praised the Scottsdale city council on its decision and JetHub is eagerly looking forward to helping develop the aviation industry presence in our hometown.
Posted by Kevin Lippert on Thu, Oct 22, 2009 @ 11:12 AM
Orlando, FL, October 22, 2009 - The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today announced that $168,000 was raised at the NBAA/CAN Charity Benefit at the 62nd Annual Meeting & Convention in Orlando, FL, with the proceeds going to Corporate Angel Network (CAN).
"We are truly delighted that we were able to help raise so much for such a worthy cause, and we are most appreciative to those who gave so generously," said Ed Bolen, NBAA president and CEO.
Based in White Plains, NY, CAN is the only charitable organization in the United States whose sole mission is to ease the emotional stress, physical discomfort and financial burden of travel for cancer patients by arranging free flights to treatment centers, using the empty seats on business aircraft.
Kathleen Blouin, NBAA senior vice president of conventions, seminars & forums, said the benefit would not have been possible without the efforts of Auction Committee members who organized the fund-raising Live and Silent Auctions for the event. Specifically, she pointed to the effective work done by CAN Executive Director Peter Fleiss, North American Communications President and NBAA Director Mike Herman, Flying Publisher Dick Koenig and Aviation International News Publisher Wilson Leach.
"We thank everyone involved with the benefit, and we are pleased that we were able to support the life-saving missions CAN provides," Bolen added. "We look forward to continuing to support CAN's work through our NBAA/CAN Charity Benefit and other initiatives."
For more information about CAN, or to make a direct donation, visit www.corpangelnetwork.org.
Posted by Kevin Lippert on Thu, Oct 22, 2009 @ 11:11 AM
Golf Icon, Esteemed Businessman Featured in New Video, Print Ads
Contacts: Dan Hubbard, (202) 783-9360, dhubbard@nbaa.org
Katie Pribyl, GAMA, (202) 393-1500, kpribyl@gama.aero
Orlando, FL, October 20, 2009 -Golf legend and accomplished businessman Arnold Palmer is lending his voice to support the value of business aviation to citizens, companies and communities in a new video and print advertising campaign for No Plane No Gain, the advocacy program jointly sponsored by the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).
"Arnold Palmer has always been an advocate for business aviation, because he has a first-hand understanding of its essential role in serving towns and communities across the country," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. "For his entire career, business aviation has made it possible for him to succeed in golf and business - all from his hometown of Latrobe, PA, which doesn't have airline service."
GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce added: "Through these new ads, we will be able to draw even more attention to the messages No Plane No Gain has been communicating: that business aviation supports over a million jobs, represents a lifeline for small- and medium-sized U.S. towns, enables companies to compete and succeed, and helps provide relief to people and communities in times of crisis."
The new advertising, rolled out during the Opening General Session of NBAA's 62nd Annual Meeting & Convention, includes three print ads and three 30-second video ads. The print and video ads complement one another, and build upon the efforts already undertaken through the No Plane No Gain program to educate policymakers and opinion leaders about the value of business aviation to citizens, companies and communities across the U.S.
With a simple, yet powerful delivery, Palmer speaks to the benefits of business aviation in the ads and responds to those who would devalue the use of an airplane for business. For example, in one print ad, Palmer states: "People who build business airplanes make things fly. People who use them make things happen. A few others make things up." In one of the video spots, Palmer states plainly: "For more than 50 years, using business airplanes is the single most productive thing I have done."
Addressing the large crowd gathered at the Opening General Session, Palmer explained why he felt compelled to lend his voice to the No Plane No Gain program. "I know the value of business airplanes," Palmer said. "I know what they have done for me and my companies. I know how important they are to my hometown. And I know how important they are to this country. So I wanted to speak out and help set the record straight."
To view the video ads, visit the No Plane No Gain web site:
http://www.noplanenogain.org/Video_Advertisements.htm?m=47&s=385
To view the print ads, visit the No Plane No Gain web site:
http://www.noplanenogain.org/Print_Advertisements.htm?m=47&s=416
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ABOUT GAMA
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association represents 67 of the world's leading manufacturers of fixed-wing general aviation airplanes, engines, avionics, and components. In addition to building nearly all of the general aviation airplanes flying today, GAMA member companies also operate aircraft fleets, airport fixed-based operations, pilot training, and maintenance facilities worldwide. To learn more, visit: www.gama.aero.
ABOUT NBAA
Founded in 1947 and based in Washington, DC, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is the leading organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive and successful. The Association represents more than 8,000 companies and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention, the world's largest civil aviation trade show. Learn more about NBAA at www.nbaa.org.
Posted by Kevin Lippert on Thu, Oct 01, 2009 @ 01:37 PM
Ms. Kornegay, who owns and operates two hotels in Mount Olive, N.C., drives to nearby Mount Olive Municipal Airport and flies her personal private plane across the state to an airport near Charlotte. The entire trip takes one and a half hours. "That adds up to an additional five hours each week that I can be doing something else," she says.
Self-piloting doesn't make sense for every business owner, but can be a rewarding experience. If you want to become a private pilot, flight instruction typically costs up to $9,000, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association in Frederick, Md., and there is the cost of the plane, the initial investment, plus annual fees for storage and maintenance.
The Federal Aviation Administration estimates the number of pilots with a private license has decreased by about 14% in the last 10 years.
Allowing some entrepreneurs who travel frequently the ability to travel when the time is right, makes sense when you consider the time savings from avoiding long drives and airport delays. "There's not necessarily a monetary case to be made for it," says AOPA spokesman Chris Dancy. "But when you start to add in lost productivity and the additional hotel and rental car expenses, aviation makes a much stronger case than trips using airlines."
The AOPA estimates that the cost of flying an aircraft provides the most return for flights that are less than 500 miles.
About 85% of companies that use personal aircraft are small or midsize companies, estimates Ed Bolen, president and chief executive of the National Business Aviation Association in Washington.
As CEO of McColla Enterprises Ltd. in Topeka, Kan., which owns the Street Corner mini-convenience store chain, Mr. La Colla flies to visit his 50 franchise locations in places such as Danbury, Conn., Bloomington, Minn., and Nashville. "I just wanted to swing through those cities but doing that commercially would be miserable," he says.
Mr. La Colla says his time in the air costs about $100 an hour, including the fuel, oil, repairs and engine wear. So flying time from Topeka to Chicago, which is just shy of 600 miles and takes more than two hours each way, costs almost $500 round trip. That trip on the commercial airlines averages about $150.
But that doesn't account for the extra five hours of agony Mr. La Colla would have to spend driving to/from a commercial airport, passing through security, and the inconvenience of traveling on the restricted schedule of the airlines.
Businesses also get the benefit of the expense write-off and depreciation of a company owned private plane. General aviation provides for thousand of jobs and creates greater efficiencies for all air travelers.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Posted by Kevin Lippert on Tue, Sep 08, 2009 @ 02:22 PM
There many articles circulating these days on how evil private jets and their owners are in this economy. Well, here is a report that shows how much of an impact corporate jets have on the local economy.
Here is a snapshot of one-year activity from Chicago Executive Airport (KPWK) in Wheeling. This report is from one FBO and the revenue generated over this period. Remember, this is just one airport and one FBO reporting these numbers.
Overall, these number are not huge. But when you look at the thousands of similar airports across the US, the impact is enormous.
Source: Chicago Executive Airport, 2007 report
Posted by Kevin Lippert on Mon, Jun 29, 2009 @ 01:31 PM
Washington, DC, June 29, 2009 - The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today welcomed a congressional proposal that would require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to work more closely with the general aviation industry on its controversial proposed Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP) and other security initiatives.
Representative Charlie Dent (R-15-PA) introduced legislation that would require TSA to create a rulemaking committee with general aviation (GA) industry stakeholders when developing security measures for the industry. H.R. 3093 was cosponsored by eight other House members.
"This legislation shows that Congress understands that we can accomplish more good if we work together rather than separately," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. In the time since the TSA introduced the LASP last October, Bolen has repeatedly called for a rulemaking committee like the one envisioned in the legislation introduced today.
"The business aviation community has a long and demonstrated history of partnership with government in developing effective yet workable security measures for the industry," Bolen added. "A rulemaking committee, like the one proposed by Rep. Dent and others, would provide a consistent forum for stakeholder information sharing and the development of measures that enhance security while recognizing the need for mobility and flexibility."
More than 7,000 comments were submitted to the TSA in February regarding the LASP proposal. Almost all of the comments suggested that the proposed changes would be onerous to the thousands of businesses that rely on GA aircraft.
# # #
Founded in 1947 and based in Washington, DC, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is the leading organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive and successful. The Association represents more than 8,000 companies and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention, the world's largest civil aviation trade show.
Posted by Kevin Lippert on Sat, May 23, 2009 @ 05:57 PM
The aviation industry has always cooperated and transformed itself to play an important role in making the atmosphere free from carbons and other chemicals. Researchers and scientists are now looking for ways how to make it happen.
The aviation industry has led the strike in getting new levels of fuel-efficiency, struggling to improve lighter plane bodies and prioritizing the invention of greenhouse gas-reducing engines. Despite these promises and commitments, the aviation industry would face a big challenge pursuing to invest in greener technologies under the government system called: cap-and-trade. At the annual Aviation Summit on April 29, top industry representatives met to discuss how aviation is leading the green technology advocacy, and how various cap-and-trade strategic plans would threaten to jeopardize all of what the aviation industry has worked so hard on.
For example, the cost of fuel already shows to be between 30 and 50 percent of private jet travel and the airlines operating expenses; this is already an overwhelming cost that airlines and other industry, including private jet charter, sectors single-handedly worked to decrease fuel-saving advancements and methods. Constituting a stern cap-and-trade system on aviation would force the industry to cut budgets in any way possible, meaning significantly decreased improvement of emissions-reducing technology, further loss of jobs, and higher costs to customers.
There are many ways to allow lower emissions and lessen greenhouse gas concentrations in the environment. We must look for energy policies that do not distract key industries, but advocating their ability to lead the way in the research and improvement of green, clean technology. This means the aviation industry must continue to invest in new planes, new equipment, innovative technology, and alternative fuels.
Posted by Kevin Lippert on Thu, Apr 23, 2009 @ 05:17 PM
General aviation is a target of further government mandates. Many of these would change the way people use general aviation for leisure, business and private jet charter. The entire general aviation industry is in a holding pattern, waiting to see if the proposed legislation regarding user fees will be pushed forward.
Fortunately for the industry, many companies and associations are fighting back. Many are contacting congress to vocalize the importance of general aviation in their communities. One association that is serious about its efforts is the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). They have produced a couple of television spots regarding the important value of protecting this industry. Harrison Ford is a spokesman for defending private aviation.