Private Flight Cost

What's it like to go private? Perhaps less than you think.

James Harris of Million Dollars Los Angeles Listings guides you through the Ultimate in Travelling Comforts. Understanding the excitement of private flight - showing up 15 min before your flight starts and avoiding the inconvenience of a business air base at the beginning - is simple. So, how much does it cost to go private?

Unfortunately for most of us the real flight experiences in a private plane remain persistently out of range. Mr Bob Seidel, Managing Director of private aircraft charters and airlines Alerion Aviation, says that "over the next five years we will see progress in the democratisation of private air travel.

" As a result of the growth of air club membership, the use of jetcards and the increase in generally more affordably priced charters, Seidel expected an even wider range of travellers using private air travel. "There has been a sharp increase in the number of planes available to the general public during the last 20 years," he went on.

"Much of this is due to the recession, and these planes were taken out of private use because of the commercial or visual nature of owning the assets. "Over the past 10 years, the number of businesses and programmes operating in the area has skyrocketed, from property with charters via fractions to direct chartering of jet tickets to flight club members.

" Seidel may possibly acknowledge the documentary tastes of Vanderpump Rules' Lala Kent for private trips by acknowledging real-life TV shows and musical video to "stimulate the public's desire for such luxury". "And of course, he continued, "the ever humiliating experiences of commercial aviation - TSA humiliations, killing the domestic animal or dragging kicks and screams out of an airplane due to duplicate bookings - have made private airfare much more defensible for the slightly wealthy.

" OK, but how much do you have to pay to get a foretaste of the life style of the jetballsetter? "According to Seidel, there are many possibilities to travel by private aircraft, based on your available income". "Alerion Aviation, you can rent a aircraft from a firm like mine and share the costs.

As a result, the cost is divided into hourly increments and you can then order a flight on call and share the cost between your friend and family. "Join a floating "club" like Surf Air or Jet Smarter for an annuity or month-fees. "So, essentially, the whole charm of private aviation.

Now, are we all gonna be private sooner or later? I think private transport will keep growing and becoming cheaper, but it will still be the provincial of the sensible good. "In other words, you may be able to check "flying private" from your mailing lists, but just don't count on it becoming your main means of transport.

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