LET THE CHARTER TAKE THE SMARTER

Why suffer the slings and arrows of standing inline at Heathrow Airport when one might be winging through the heavens in the comfort of a private charter jet?

This is the increasingly practical and affordable option not just for the idle rich and richly employed but for lesser mortals who have sussed out the economics.

“Take, for example, an aircraft that has brought someone over from America and is due to go back empty,” says Hugh Courtney, chief executive of Private Jet Charter. “We may be able to offer a very attractive rate for a seat on that.”

His company is one of the most established in what has become quite a crowded market place.  Look online for a private charter company and there is an abundance from which to choose. Selecting a good one is on a par with choosing a good bespoke tailor.

Above, arriving by charter, in style. Below, chief executive of Private Jet Charter, Hugh Courtney.

“You should look at how long a company has been in business,” he advises, “and whether it has a genuine office. Some may just work from a telephone in their bedroom, so check from where they operate.  Check how many staff there are, how many overseas offices.”

His company is just about to open an office in America, at Fort Lauderdale, which joins others in Nice and Dubai as well as the UK to give a 24 hour service.

“I think many of our customers would also be Savile Row customers,” he says. “I can’t think that many of them would shop at Debenhams for a suit!”

Private Jet Charter is the new name for a company that started operating 20 years ago this year, then called International Air Charter. The rebranding is to reflect the fact that the company now concentrates upon luxury private jet charter, not commercial aircraft or the holiday trade.

“No, that can give big problems. We deal with corporate customers, lots of royalty, especially in the Middle East and Asia, conference delegates, bankers, musicians. We have recently organized a full tour of Europe for a band, in effect being the Roadie, getting musicians and instruments to their venues.

“But we also do plenty of wealthy individuals, some of whom may have their own aircraft but it is simply more convenient to use us. For example, Bill Gates would fly with us if his wife had taken his jet for a trip.”

The company has literally hundreds and hundreds of aircraft and helicopters on its system. “You can always get an aircraft,” says Courteney, “it’s the cost that may be a factor.”

Above, the Citation Excel, which can take up to 9 people. Below, the Eurocopter EC120, a five seater

Many are privately owned. “People buy them and then give them to a management company so that they may be hired out. Very few are for sole use. And this way it helps cover the overheads of running one – which have gone up considerably.”

Not surprisingly, many of them are currently for sale. “It is said that all the private aircraft in the world are up for sale,” he says with a smile. How that might be substantiated is hard to tell but in the present climate it is certainly true that there are a lot of private owners out there keen to sell their aircraft, as costs soar and economic pressures rise.

That said,  Private Jet Charter is back to business levels of before the 2008 blip. It has grown steadily, mainly by personal recommendations and quite a lot of publicity in the Middle East. It is essentially a broker, bringing those with aircraft together with those who want one – now.  Its own high tech system tracks the  available craft and provides a costing and a booking instantly. And in the unlikely event that there should be a hiccup, they will replace an aircraft free of charge.

It’s a  bespoke service, from beginning to end. You want beds on board?  No problem. Food from a particular restaurant in Paris? Fine. The latest films? Natch. Conference facilities? Done. Champagne and caviar? Of course.

It’s as far removed from the standard flight experience as a Savile Row suit is from  an Indian dhoti.

For many, this is the major attraction in taking a private aircraft. With scheduled flights ever more crowded and major airports disagreeable, trains and ships taking longer and often just as expensive, the private jet is the up-market travelers boon. What was once only for the privileged few is now becoming more widely experienced.

No strain in this plane, with comfy armchairs, the latest in-flight screens and fine dining.

‘It’s a myth that private jet charter is only affordable by tycoons and movie stars. If several people are flying together, the cost of private jet charter can often only represent a relatively modest premium compared with the aggregate price of first-class fares on a scheduled flight,” says Courtney.

“It’s also essential to factor into the cost the enormous benefits of being able to fly from and to the airports that are absolutely the most convenient for your journey at the time you choose.”

Chartering a private jet may not yet be as easy as hailing a taxi. But in these tough economic times, it is somewhat ironic to find that the rich man's plaything is enjoying something of a popular boom.