Up, up and away

01-Apr-08

Airport hassles and security concerns mean more luxury travellers than ever are turning to bespoke air travel services.

Mix crowded airports with long security lines, flight delays and unreasonable check-in times and the result is an uncomfortable day's travel. But high-end jetsetters are fighting back with their wallets, opting to travel in style. Since 9/11, the European market for private jet travel has grown at least 20% per year.

The main reason for this is wealthy travellers' frustration with airlines. Advantages of flying by private jet charter include: little or no limitations on baggage allowance, no queuing, instant boarding, departures at convenient times and no anxieties about security. However, the number one draw is time saved.

Keith Campbell, director of Cloud 9 Aviation says: "We aim not to have clients in the FBO (fixed-base operation - an area where passengers can get off the plane and refresh). We ask them to turn up 20 minutes before the flight, or we send chauffeurs when possible." Jamie Martin, director of corporate development at charter broker Hunt&Palmer agrees: "The luxury and exclusivity of a private jet is a big pull, but the flexibility of flight schedules and access to remote airports are the main selling points for our time-poor clients."

And according to Wendy Courtenay of International Air Charter and Jonathan Townsend-Rose of luxury tour operator Loyd and Townsend-Rose, flying by private jet charter is not as expensive as people believe it to be. "For a party of eight to 10 people, it is sometimes just as cost-effective to hire a jet for about £1,000 each as it is to fly everyone business class," says Townsend-Rose.

Gavin Copus, passenger sales manager, Air Charter Service, London, says: "We have seen the number of private jet flights out of London increase exponentially in the past five years, with Luton, Farnborough and London City airport all showing high growth."

Other luxury travel companies, such as Abercrombie & Kent, are offering innovative products. In low season it charters a Boeing B757 from Icelandair for private touring, removing the regular seating and replacing it with leather seats and walnut veneer tables. The Private Jet Programme for 2008/09 uses a custom-fitted Boeing 757-200 ER aircraft, redesigned to accommodate up to 52 passengers in VIP seats. The portfolio includes insider access opportunities, such as private openings of Egypt's Museum of Antiquities and St Petersburg's Hermitage.

Airlines, however, are fighting back to try to reverse the trend of losing business to the burgeoning private air sector. Lufthansa introduced a bespoke private jets offering in 2005, providing point-to-point travel from its major hubs. This has been so successful that it has just placed a double-digit order for new business jets for the service.

And in direct response to the services offered by FBO providers (customs clearance in the lounge, private relaxation areas and door-to-door service) Virgin Atlantic is transforming Heathrow T3 - all Virgin upper class passengers can now check in from their chauffeur-driven cars.

But it is the emerging class of Very Light Jets (VLJs) that may cause the latest headache for airlines. In January, charter operator London Executive Aviation took delivery of the first of seven, four-passenger Cessna Citation Mustang jets. Patrick Margetson-Rushmore, chief executive, says that the group expects to be able to cut the entry price of jet chartering by up to 25%.

If demand for these new jets takes off, airport queues are set to shrink, as yet more first-class travellers defect to private travel.

CLOUD 9 AVIATION

Who are they: Cloud 9 is a flight booking service, run on a card scheme, with access to a network of cherry-picked brokers. Keith Campbell, Andrew Mason and Peter Villa set up the company in August 2007, along with Scottish footballer Graeme Souness. Tired of the hassles of using scheduled services, Souness realised that other regular flyers were likely to share his fustration with airlines, and has introduced several professional footballers to the service. England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is one such convert. His fiancee, Colleen McLoughlin, is also a regular user of private charter flights.

Client fit: Leisure travellers, many Premiership footballers, celebrities, families, blue-chip companies and luxury tour operators.

What's new: Cloud 9 is actively promoting its range of bespoke services. Campbell says: "Our female community is more proactive than our male community in this regard. They have more specific food and drinks requests. We encourage them to realise that they are entitled to that. We like them to use it."

Key destinations: Ski resorts and other popular leisure destinations such as Nice and Cannes.

What the jets offer: The company generally receives requests for shorter hops in light jets, such as Cessna Citation CJ2s (seats eight) and CJ3s (seats eight). The CJ1 and Citation Excel (each seat seven) are also popular. People flying globally want an aircraft such as a Gulfstream G550 (seats 14).

Sample price: Programmes start with a 15-hour card and a deposit of £43,000. This is converted to 18,000 points and each service has a set amount of points allocated to it. Clients are charged by the hour, which costs 1,200 points for a smaller jet. The company also offers tailored pricing packages for travel agents.

Contact: www.c9int.com; T: 0845 450 7199

GAMA AVIATION

Who are they: Gama Aviation, established by Marwan Khalek and Stephen Wright, has been in business for more than 20 years. In 1997, the company took over Heathrow Jet Charter, an established business jet operator. In 2006, it was the official provider of aviation services to the Live 8 concert against poverty.

Client fit: Government officials, film stars, families, blue-chips, corporate flight departments, private individuals and high-end tour operators.

What's new: In addition to personalised catering and other services, the company recently added bespoke medical services to its private charter offering, hiring TheFirstCall, an advanced telemedicine service provider.

Key destinations: All over Europe, but Nice, Moscow, Rome, Barcelona and Paris are popular.

What the jets offer: There are several aircraft available for both short- and long-haul hops. The Challenger 604 (seats ten), Challenger 601 (seats nine), Hawker 800 (seats nine), Hawker 1000 (nine seats), Learjet 45 (seats eight), King Air B200 (seats up to nine)

Sample price: A day return trip to Nice from Farnborough in a Lear 45 would cost £8,800.

Contact: www.gamagroup.com; T: 01252 553000

HUNT&PALMER

Who are they: One of the world's largest aviation charter companies, Hunt&Palmer celebrated 21 years in the business last year. With offices in 15 countries, including recent expansion in India and Hong Kong, Hunt&Palmer is continuing to develop its Asian markets.

Client fit: Beyond the world of corporate travel, Hunt&Palmer is increasingly involved in aircraft charter for the sports, film and media and leisure industries.

What's new: The company is about to launch special golf and other sporting trips. Last year it won a Martiz Premier Partner Award for organising air charter solutions for multi-centre product launches, as well as global meetings, conferences and incentives.

Key destinations: For long-haul travel, Dubai, the Maldives, South-East Asia and the Caribbean are popular. Typical summer destinations are: Olbia, Nice, Florence, Naples, Palma, Faro and Dubrovnik. The company also offers US internal flights. Winter resorts include St Moritz, Geneva and Chambery.

What the jets offer: Hunt&Palmer can offer virtually any jet. Popular types would provide on-board catering, such as the Hawker 800XP (seats eight people) - a mid-size jet with stand-up cabin and hostess service, hot, first-class catering, good luggage space and washroom - and the Challenger 604, the company's most popular large-cabin jet (typical seating is for 10-12 people).

Sample price: To take a Hawker 800XP on a return trip to Nice from London would cost £13,000.

Contact: www.huntpalmer.com; T: 01293 558000

LONDON EXECUTIVE AVIATION (LEA)

Who are they: Established a decade ago with one aircraft, London Executive Aviation is now one of the largest charter operators in Europe and regularly works with travel agents as well as individuals. It has a fleet of 15 aircraft with further expansion planned. LEA has a family-run ethos and offers ad-hoc charter as well as block charter cards, starting at 25 hours, across its entire fleet.

Client fit: From the private individual, small- and medium-sized companies through to government departments, major financial institutions and plcs.

What's new: LEA is the first UK charter operator to own and operate a VLJ, a Cessna Citation Mustang.

Key destinations: Destinations reflect both a business and leisure clientele, with prices for Manchester, Paris, Nice, Madrid and Frankfurt quoted on LEA's website.

What the jets offer: Citation Mustang (seats four), Challenger 300 (seats nine), Citation Excel (seats nine), Citation II (seats eight), King Air 200 (turboprop - seats up to 15).

Sample price: Weekend return trip in a Mustang Farnborough to Chambery £8,600; 25hrs card Citation II £30,000; Citation Bravo £35,000; Citation Excel: £47,500.

Contact: www.flylea.com; T: 01708 688 420

INTERNATIONAL AIR CHARTER

Who are they: One of the largest independent aircraft charter brokers in the world, with a global network of offices. It uses its in-house proprietary software system to monitor and arrange availability of private jet charter for customers, along with experienced aircrews and in-cabin service from specialists dedicated to the industry.

Client fit: Across the board, from global corporations, governments, celebrities and VIPs, to business travel agents and private individuals. The company is actively promoting weekend trips to leisure travellers.

What's new: The company has just introduced weekend getaway destination ideas, including suggestions for what to do during the break, such as entering the World Amateur Golf Festival in Lisbon in April.

Key destinations: Sardinia, Madeira, Lisbon, Morocco

What the jets offer: The largest is the Boeing Business Jet (16 - 50 seats), ranging through Premier 1 (six to seven passengers), Lear 60 (seats seven to eight), Citation Excel (seats nine), Hawker 800 XP (seats eight), and Gulfstream V/550 (seats 14).

Sample price: London - Olbia (Sardinia) two-night stop for seven people £8,000; London - Funchal (Madeira) two-night stop for eight people £20,000.

Contact: www.privatejetcharter.com; T: 01795 590888

NETJETS EUROPE

Who are they: NetJets, formerly Executive Jet, opened for business in the US in 1964 and was the first private jet charter and aircraft management company in the world. Its European counterpart, NetJets Europe, started in 1996 and is today the largest operator of business jets in the region. Customers buy shares in a jet if they think they may need more than 50 hours of jet time per year. The company also offers a jet card scheme, giving 25 hours of flight time over 12 months.

Client fit: High Net Worth individuals and Fortune 500 companies. More than 1,000 of Europe's top companies are NetJets customers.

What's new: NetJets has brought forward delivery of 39 business aircraft to 2008 to keep pace with growing demand. This will boost its fleet to 174 jets and is adding four business jet types to its portfolio - the Hawker 750, Hawker 4000, Dassault Falcon 2000LX and Falcon 7X.

Key destinations: NetJets offers a global service, but in Europe, it can access more than 1,000 airports. France, Switzerland and the UK are its biggest markets. However, there has been rapid growth in territories including Central & Eastern Europe, Germany and Russia.

What the jets offer: There are several aircraft types available - Citation Bravo (seven passengers), Hawker 400XP (seats seven), Citation Excel/XS (seats seven), Hawker 800 XP (seats eight), Falcon 2000 (seats up to 18), Gulfstream V/550 (seats 14) and Boeing Business Jet (seats 19) and, from spring onwards, Dassault's flagship jet, the Falcon 7X (seats 12).

Sample price: NetJets Private Jet Card prices start at £98,950 for 25 hours per year in a seven-seater Hawker 400XP.

Contact: www.netjetseurope.com; T: 020 7361 9620

TWINJET

Twinjet was formed in 1982 by John Keeble and Paula Downes and is based at Luton Airport. The company is the only UK-based private jet operator to have a CAA Type A operating licence, meaning it is certified to the same operating standards as commercial airlines. It operates larger, long-haul jets and in 2006 became the UK's first operator of an Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ) and the first to offer the Embraer Legacy for general charter.

Client fit: Royal families, major celebrities, Fortune 500 companies. Like all the operators, the company stresses the need to be discreet about its clients.

What's new: In February the company announced that it is expanding its operations to the Middle East. It will open a base in Bahrain, where it will initially operate a Challenger 604. In March, it joined forces with re-formed Goodwood Travel to offer a series of 'flights of fantasy' holidays, starting in September with a tour to Egypt, India and Jordan. From £14,950pp.

Key destinations: Since its jets all are capable of flights of seven to 12 hours, TwinJet offers long-haul destinations: the Middle East is its core market, but it also travels regularly to the Far East, Caribbean and the US.

What the jets offer: Airbus Corporate Jet (up to 34 passengers with sleeping for 28), Challenger 604 (10 passengers with sleeping for four), Legacy 600 (13 passengers with sleeping for six).

Sample price: ACJ: flight time 7hrs 20 mins London/Abu Dhabi, 34 passengers, £192,850

Contact: www.twinjet.co.uk; T: 01582 452888

AIR CHARTER SERVICE (ACS)

Who are they: The company arranges aircraft to and from any airport in the world. Founded in the UK in 1990, ACS has established offices in London, Dubai, New York and Moscow. An office in Hong Kong opens in June.

Client fit: Clients include travel agents, airlines, companies of all sizes, as well as private individuals.

What's new: The VLJs are just entering the market. They are small, four-seater 'air taxis' with a two-hour range.

Key destinations: The most popular destinations for leisure remain Nice and Palma during the summer months and Geneva, Zurich and Chambery in the winter.

What the jets offer: A team of 65 brokers monitors more than 50,000 aircrafts and arranges over 3,200 flights annually.

Sample price: £7,000 for Luton-Paris return on a Citation II Executive jet carrying seven to eight passengers.

Contact: www.aircharterservice.com; T: 0208 614 6299.