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Missed connections, missed opportunitiesBY Chris MillerCommercial business travel has encountered a downpour of difficulties, recently, and meeting clients in a timely manner has become increasingly troublesome. According to statistics by the Official Air Guide, 22,900 flights were cut in May, with commercial carriers canceling up to 15 percent of their routes. Businesses have been left stranded and the Air Transport Association (ATA) recently predicted that by year’s end nearly one hundred U.S. communities will be left without regular commercial air service. The report stated that more than four hundred airports across the country have seen a serious reduction in services, in total. The ATA expects that the number of canceled flights will double next year. Both Delta and United Airlines have suffered huge losses in their revenue and have reduced their number of flights, significantly. Many of the increased commercial flight prices and flight cancellations are due the recent surge in oil prices and the state of the American economy. The small, regional airports have seen the greatest number of reduced commercial flights but even large international airports such as LaGuardia in NYC have seen cuts due to the airlines’ financial difficulties. “Another hundred airports, by next year, will see a huge reduction in their flights,” said Ryan Wells, Assistant Account Executive of Public New York City. “The reason this is timely is because the private jet charters continue to get you to those smaller locations.” Private charters have increasingly become a realistic option for businesses and corporations needing to travel regionally and remotely to meet a deadline. The United State’s largest air charter broker, Blue Star Jets, as seen a sudden increase for their business travel accommodations. The charter broker finds itself in the spot to respond to the objections that many business leaders have in continually relying on the troubled operations of commercial airlines. Private jet charters have seen an increase of flights at the smaller regional airports while bookings at the larger U.S. international airports have remained the same. Wells said that European international airports have seen a great deal more of interest in private charters. “In Europe, they have seen a great deal more of interest because of the fact that a lot of those jets are transient jets that stay put until they get another customer, so they discount those flights,” explained Wells. “Also,
the American currency has been a huge boon for Britain and Europe as well.
Over there there’s been a huge gain, in terms of revenue, for the
private jet charter industries.” “With the ease of flying
privately and its relative affordability, we know we are providing a much
needed resource for these companies,” said Ricky Sitomer, Blue Star
Jets CEO. According to the air charter broker, a $4,700 chartered New
York to Boston flight for seven people is almost equivalent to the price
of seven last minute commercial tickets. Blue Star Jets said the private
charter also comes without the hassles of airport traffic, security, additional
fees and baggage costs, and the general harassment of a major airport
on a weekday. More business travelers are taking advantage of point-to-point
travel of a private charter by maximizing their time and production. Sitomer
noted that a great benefit of flying privately is the greater range of
destinations. He said that private jet charters offer 5,000 destinations
as opposed to the limited 500 domestic destinations accessed by commercial
carriers.
Blue
Star Jets
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