Will Business Aviation Benefit From This Disaster?

[LAVDUMPER]

Yes, I know it is a morbid question, but will business/general aviation considerably benefit from the airline terror witnessed last week? Will corporate charters and fractional flights increase in demand by a considerable margin as a result of the pervasive fear currently spreading?

Is the answer intuitive? A number of high-ranking executives lost their lives on the hijacked aircraft. Couldn't corporate executives now "justify" the acquisition of corporate aircraft or fractional pieces given the lack of security found on airliners, etc.?

With all of the airline jobs being lost in the States and elsewhere, would jumping to a fractional or other corporate job be a safe bet?

I am sorry for the morbid line of questioning, but I think these questions are fair considering the circumstances (and I bet a lot of jobless airline pilots will be considering fractionals like Netjets, etc.)...

Cheers

[185 Lbs of Ballast!!]

My heart goes out to all the VS and BA employees who are to lose their jobs. :( Lets hope that most of the redundancies can be taken up on a voluntary basis. To be honest, I cannot see how this situation is going to benefit anyone very much, however, I'm glad that I'm working for a biz jet operation and not a major.

Best of luck.

Ballast.

[fokkerjet]

I think the bizjet industry will survive after a few weeks of regrouping. What my concern is that will government realize the benifit of corporate aviation and not think of us as a threat :(

I look at the way Chicago government is treating our industry as a bad sign. Here Daly is banning us from ORD and MDW for no reason except to ban general aviation. Are we really a threat to people? Maybe I'm mistaken but I thought the terrorist used commercial airliners from United and American (both of whom have major hubs located in Chicago), not Learjets and Citations from corporations. With Meigs, it's his way of getting the park that Chicago really needs :mad: without the court battle that was coming soon from the General Aviation interest groups.

As for our company, I see changes coming as people sly away from commercial airliners and onto secure bizjets. I'd have to say it's also very comforting to know everyone onboard the plane with you and not having to wonder if that person sitting in front of you is up to no good. :eek:

Everyone. Stay safe ;)

[Dockjock]

I think fractionals will benefit immensely in the long term. Not really for the security reasons, although that is a nice benefit for the real high ranking execs.

The time saving will be the biggest factor as 2-3 hr checkins and inconvenience is virtually eliminated by chartering an aircraft.

[fcit]

I have to agree with fokkerjet and his guess that bizjets will probably be on the safer side on the long run.

I would also estimate that cargo carriers won't be hit as bad (pending on impending security measures).

It does surprise me that biz jets are being banned from some major airports, especially since your appear to know your clients that do fly with you a little closer than on the comercial airliners.

Cheers
fcit

[OFBSLF]

The concern over private jets is that there is generally little or no security screening. Anyone with enough cash can charter a private jet and there's nothing to prevent him from bringing weapons on board and hijacking the aircraft.

[fokkerjet]

I can understand the security issues but the way I'm reading it, only Part 91 operations have restrictions at certain airports. You can still take that Learjet that's Part 135 and do with it as you will, but that Part 91 Lear is restricted from entering within 25 nm from JFK and DCA. :mad:

[rick1128]

Mayor Daley still has Meigs closed. Period. He has ordered O'Hare and Midway closed to all but Part 121 Scheduled carriers. Daley wants to turn Meigs into a park, come hell or high water. I believe he would like to turn Midway into a housing project. As if Chicago doesn't have enough of those. Daley keeps pushing down the successful people in Chicago, except when he needs money to get re-elected. Our industry is about to get screwed over by this piece of garbage politican. He states it is only for public safety. The truth is more like personal greed and ambition. Like his dad, he is an opportunist who will any tragedy to his personal advantage. He knows that in the present climate, no one will sue him or the city over this.

Richard

[fcit]

Talking about security measures. I have been to the U.S. a couple of times and wasn't impressed at all by the security measures in place in the domestic and international terminals.

No checks at all after passing the terminal gates, this was just a joke! Look at Phoenix, where thos NWA employees passed the gates with weapons even after this tragedy happened.

Even now, I feel that more emphasis is placed on putting more stringent measures on international flights, rather than focusing on the domestic sector. E.g. International airlines were allowed to take up service only a couple of days after U.S. airlines were.

On the other hand, in the biz charter you almost always have an idea about who is flying with you (at least you can trace the them on the bank account). There is a reason, why those crimes weren't committed with charter aircraft.

Cheers
fcit

[gaunty]

Unequivocally yes.

[Chris Lock]

Just how much advantage business execs will
see in chartering in the near future is hard
to guess. I have noticed how busy we are seems to be directly tied to the stock market more than anything. The farther down
the market goes, the less buying, dealing,
etc. and hence the less exec travel. Dont
know about you guys, but our business has
been steadily slowing for the last year and
a half, coinciding with the slowing economy.
Since the WTC, we have had no trips at all.
We have a private owner who still uses the
airplane a bit when it is not being chartered
and luckily,it sounds like he wont get rid of it anytime soon, no matter how bad the
charter revenue gets. (whew!)
I feel bad for the guys working at the airlines right now (or soon to be not) but this is one time that I'm glad I'm not in that sector. I have a friend who always says
"why do you want to work corporate, one
economic downturn and the first thing to go
is the airplane, You're much more secure with
an airline". Guess that might not be true
anymore.

[fcit]

The increase in insurance premiums hit everybody in the business quite hard. Passing the increased premius on towards the customer will result in less business, not passing it on will result in less revenue.

Tough times....