subject: Aircraft Charter Leasing: Wasteful Or Essential Hassle Saver? [print this page] Travel expenses can be a huge drain on the budget of any company that trades internationally. While the sticker price of the average flight may seem quite affordable, there are many hidden costs in terms of taxes, credit card surcharges, baggage fees and other gotchas. A growing number of business owners are turning to aircraft charter leasing as the solution for their travel needs?
Chartering an aircraft can be an effective way for companies with mobile teams to save money. The hassle of airport security, queuing, and baggage handling can make travelling on commercial airlines a pain for groups. In addition, your employees will be able to work on the plane if required, or simply stretch out and relax without having to worry about seat back kicking children, snoring seatmates or intoxicated passengers. For people that spend 70% or more of their work time on the road, every little benefit helps.
Companies that spend a lot of money on commercial air travel are the ones that are most likely to benefit from going private. You can still benefit if you have a smaller travel budget if you lease an aircraft for a fixed number of hours per year. In general, the more you use the plane, the more you stand to save.
Most companies, especially when taking out a charter for the first time, opt for the ACMI lease for their aircraft. Under this lease, your lease fee covers the aircraft as well as a crew to operate it, and any required insurance and maintenance. Other expenses, such as parking, landing, storage and fuel, as well as incidentals such as airport baggage fees, will come out of your pocket. The ACMI lease is the easiest way to charter an aircraft for the medium term, because the charter company will take care of most major expenses and issues for you.
An increasingly popular way of accessing a private aircraft is the concept of fractional ownership. As a fractional owner, you will need to co-ordinate your usage of the aircraft with the other owners, so it is only a good idea to do this if you are flexible with your schedule.
Aircraft charter leasing can be a good way to save money, but it should not be entered into lightly. The time savings and increased comfort and convenience make it a tempting option for well-off executives, and the economies of scale make it a cost-effective for teams that do a lot of flying.
