Q: Why fly privately?

With the sudden downturn in the economy, more and more airlines have been forced to cancel flights or shut down entirely, leaving millions of travelers stranded and/or abandoned each day. Flight delays, long waits in airport security lines and crowded flights all have people turning toward private travel.

Here are some recent statistics:

• The airlines have abandoned nearly 100 mid-sized cities in just the last year and only serve 70 major hubs. (NBAA, Louis Harris Study)
• Recent studies indicate that over 20 percent of travel time is spent in delays at the gate, in taxi lines and circling the airport, at an annual cost of $41 billion.
• According to Elite Traveler, over 15 percent of travel in the United States is done by private jet, with 25,000 private jets operating worldwide, more than twice the number of commercial airlines.

As more and more individuals come to realize how valuable their time is and how much time is wasted in commercial travel, flying privately is becoming more of a necessity rather than a matter of convenience or luxury.