Time is money; a saying that we all know and understand, and that is never more relevant than in today’s frenetic world when senior management time is perhaps the most precious resource of every business and corporation.

As the pace of life continues to accelerate, time spent getting to and from major scheduled airports – checking in, waiting in lounges and enduring tedious delays – represents a considerable drain on corporate resources. This schedule shuffle is seen as dead time for the travelling executive.

Private jet charter is a faster, easier, more customised way of getting to your destination

Air Partner is a world-leading air charter broker and the only private aviation company to hold a Royal Warrant by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The company was also named European CEO’s Private Aviation Company of the Year – Europe – 2013. Paul Richardson, Private Jet Director for the company, contends that budgets for regular airline travel can be justified as a business cost, while air charter on the other hand can be seen as an asset.

“Private jet charter is a faster, easier, more customised way of getting to your destination and one of the more convenient and luxurious ways to travel,” says Richardson. “Unlike commercial airlines, private jets can fly in and out of smaller suburban airports that are closer to departure and destination points and are not accompanied by long queues or delays that are a feature of large airports and scheduled flying.

“As a result, the use of private aircraft charter creates productive time, not downtime. Many of our executive and corporate clients use their productive time to plan strategy on the way to their meetings and hold debriefings on the way back. They decree their own flight schedule, departing when they want to and returning at their convenience. And if a meeting runs over, they don’t miss their connection.

“Furthermore, with Air Partner you can fly from 2,000 airports around Europe while scheduled carriers are restricted to only 200. This reduces transfer times enormously for our clients. Hence, the true cost of business travel should calculate the significant cost of the executive’s time spent travelling, not just the cost of the seat.”

Time matters
With the effective use of private air charter, Air Partner propounds that it is commonly possible to decrease time spent away from home and the office by more than 50 percent. For example, a trip from London to Berlin to Lyon and then back to London, with two 90-minute meetings, can be accomplished in less than 12 hours by a chartered jet, instead of two-and-a- half days using commercial airlines.

It is hardly surprising that an increasing number of private and corporate clients are choosing to travel this way. Private air charter affords cost-effective, stress-free executive travel with the benefits and cachet of ‘owning’ a plane but without the excessive costs and long-term commitment that ownership brings.

Even weighted against fractional ownership – considered to be the time-share of private aviation – charter can work out at half the cost. Unlike fractional ownership, financial commitments stop on completion of the trip.

“Executive travellers who want their own aircraft, but don’t want to own one outright, do not need to tie themselves to a five-year contract by joining a fractional scheme with costs working out at about €15,000 per hour for a Global Express. They can instead rent one by the day for €7,000 an hour. Our mantra is, it’s smarter to charter,” says Richardson.

Lucrative choice
When the founders formed Air Partner they built the unparalleled service based on choice, luxury and safety. Now, 51 years later, the company has not wavered from this delivery and leads a revolution in the skies that has changed the face of business and personal travel.

Air Partner’s desire to innovate and change is best illustrated by its successful JetCard programme, designed with leisure travel in mind. The JetCard has recently been identified by independent aviation consultants Conklin and de Decker as having lower prices and better service than similar schemes. It offers flexible, hassle-free convenience for relaxed and enjoyable personal travel and can be used to plan a trip in style or make a last-minute booking to go anywhere in the world at any time.

The new Corporate Card has been launched more recently in response to a growth in business users. It also offers 25 hours of pre-purchased jet time for users flying day-return flights from a regular base.

Superior fleet
“We only fly a superior fleet of new-generation private jets with experienced, trusted pilots. Choosing between very light, light, midsize, super-midsize, large or global cabin jets with guaranteed aircraft availability, our clients have the control and flexibility to fly on any day to almost anywhere in the world,” says Richardson. “Quite simply, they tell us where they need to be and we make it happen.”

With headquarters near Gatwick Airport and 20 offices worldwide – 10 of which are in Europe, the company is open for business 24 hours a day, every day of the year. A team of 200 aviation experts provide a friendly and efficient service for clients. This service involves paying close attention to detail and developing a strong rapport with clients to fully understand their needs, while selecting the optimal aircraft. This necessitates a full evaluation of the departure and arrival airports, schedules, range, itineraries, baggage load, in-flight comfort, catering and airport representation.

Air Partner believes that it is the care it takes over the smallest details in looking after the needs of its executive and corporate clients that has established it as the world’s largest listed aircraft charter company.

For further information visit airpartner.com