Executive aviation has a simple purpose: to maximize time and adapt to the needs of each passenger. These are also the expectations that every customer, new or experienced, has around the industry.
The Fort Lauderdale-based private jet provider shares how technological advances have transformed the industry in the last decade.
Executive aviation has a simple purpose: to maximize time and adapt to the needs of each passenger. These are also the expectations that every customer, new or experienced, has around the industry. And although the experience of flying in a private plane has changed thanks to more modern, fast, comfortable, and quiet aircraft, those expectations have been maintained over time.
How to access an executive flight? Well, that is something that has changed dramatically thanks to technology. The improvement in access to executive aviation has been possible to a large extent thanks to the technological players in the industry, who have digitally transformed the user experience while pairing supply with demand in near real-time.
That was the opportunity that Monarch Air Group perceived back in 2006, when most private aviation providers and operators had manual reservation processes and lacked the technology and knowledge to maximize the movements of their aircraft.
Through the company’s unique online reservation platform, users can charter all types of certified business aircraft and to any destination, in a transparent, agile, and safe way. It grants users access to thousands of aircraft positioned around the globe, whether booking from the US, Brazil, or Australia.
Step by step to charter a private jet
Charter flight or empty leg? Leading private jet companies offer the option of choosing a charter flight, in which each client adapts their travel needs to their reservation, and the booking of an empty leg, which is offered at the price of a commercial Premium Economy ticket because they are last minute opportunities that do not allow to choose a route, day or plane. These flights are usually presented during the replacement of a plane that was only hired for the outward journey.
Whatever the option, on the day of the flight, it is enough to arrive 25 minutes before the agreed time at the private terminal, where the staff and crew will assist in the entire boarding process until the passengers are seated in the aircraft, although the usual is to enjoy a complementary coffee or drink in the executive lounge before walking to the plane.
Prices, type of aircraft and trends
There are several factors that affect the final price of a charter flight. Those with the highest impact are the aircraft and the route, although they may vary according to the operator due to the estimated cost per hour or per mile traveled, the cost of using the private terminal and the crew, among other variables.
The type of aircraft that is chosen will greatly affect the final price. Turboprops, for example, a very comfortable aircraft where the Pilatus PC-12 and King Air 250 stand out, are perfect options for short trips to remote destinations even with gravel or grass runways. The hourly price of these planes is around US $ 2,500. A transatlantic jet, on the other hand, can cost more than $ 10,000 an hour.
Although they may sound like unattainable prices, lately there is a trend to charter an executive flight between a group of people, friends, or family, to some remote destination for an unforgettable holiday. Under this scenario, the price of the flight is shared among all passengers, lowering the cost considerably.
What is it like to fly an executive jet in a pandemic? One of the global trends has been the rapid rebound of this industry during the pandemic thanks to the flexibility it provides. At the beginning of the crisis, business jets were used for repatriation flights and, today, they are the engine of various economies at the domestic level since several borders are still closed or with restrictions in place.
This diversification of services, where it is also possible to book cargo and humanitarian flights, defines global executive aviation, with technology playing an instrumental role throughout the entire experience to allow access to all these unique and countless possibilities.
