For many real estate investors and company CEOs, time is a resource that’s even more important than money. Investors are focused on building something of real value, and the clock is ticking. 

These busy investors and business owners don’t have hours to waste standing in long security lines or being trapped in an airport because their flight has been delayed several hours. 

Saving time is the primary reason why more and more real estate moguls have abandoned commercial airlines in favor of chartering private jets, or purchasing a small aircraft.

More Airports

The quest to save time begins with which airport travelers take off from. Commercial jets need long runways, which are only offered by major airports. 

Private jets, on the other hand, can be accommodated perfectly well by the shorter airstrips found in smaller airports.

The internet’s leading aviation resource, Global Air, reports that there are many more small airports in the U.S. than there are major airports. It’s very likely that most business travelers and investors live closer to a small airport than they do to a major airport. 

By flying privately, travelers can get to the airport faster, and  won’t have to make allowances for standing in long TSA lines, which means it will be okay to arrive at the airport just a few minutes before the flight is scheduled to take off.

Less Time In the Air

The 12 major American passenger airlines fly heavily trafficked routes out of hub cities in an effort to consolidate flight operations and save expenditures on fuel. Private charter airlines aren’t tied to the same hub and spoke networks. 

Often, charter aircraft will be able to fly directly into an airport that is very close to the traveler’s end destination. 

Since private planes fly above the 35,000-foot cruising altitude that large commercial jet craft must use, they don’t compete with those larger planes for airspace.

 Flying at higher altitudes also allows smaller aircraft to avoid many adverse weather conditions.

What does less time in the air mean for investors and business travelers? A quicker route to their destination, and more time to get business done.

Optimizing Time in Flight

On private flights, investors and business travelers are more than just a ticket number in an aisle seat. Rather, private air travelers are valued customers, and the onboard staff will treat them accordingly. 

This gives CEOs and investors plenty of room to spread out and turn their seat into a private workspace, without the worries of confidentiality being breached by the person sitting too close next to them.

In 2009, the National Business Aviation Association conducted a survey in which respondents rated themselves as 40 percent less productive on commercial flights and 20 percent more productive on private charter flights. And, chances are that last statistic has increased in the ensuing 10-plus years.

Saving Money

In the long run, of course, time is money. Travelers and everyday investors might be surprised to learn that cost is also an area where flying a private jet charter can offer an advantage.

The cost paid to fly commercial is a ticket price that’s predetermined by the airline. The cost paid when flying private, on the other hand, is determined by the cost of renting the plane. 

When people share the plane, the cost of each seat will come down. Do the math, and it’s easy to see how CEOs and investors could end up paying less for a seat on a private charter than they would if they opted for business-class pricing on a commercial aircraft.

Private jet charter companies also look for ways to optimize their earnings. If a company has booked business executives on a one-way flight, that company may look for ways to monetize the empty-leg portion of its flight back to its home airport, saving savvy travelers as much as 75 percent of the price of a trip.

At the end of the day, private aviation offers real estate investors and business travelers the luxury, time savings, and financial advantages that commercial airlines can’t compete with.