| Copyright (c) 2008 Dan Pimentel | | | | one charter network is now flying business and |
| Without your own aircraft and an expensive pilot's | | | | pleasure flights for under $500 per flight hour for the |
| license, the only way to avoid the airlines and still travel | | | | whole plane. |
| by air has been private aircraft charter. And today, | | | | Stratus Alliance is a network of independent, |
| nobody needs to be reminded how frustrating it can | | | | FAA-certified charter operators strategically placed |
| be to fly by commercial scheduled airlines. The | | | | around the country that is capitalizing on the efficiency |
| check-in delays, security hassles and overbooking | | | | of the SR-22. Stratus Alliance is able to book |
| have caused customer complaints to spike in recent | | | | "destination direct" charter flights for up to three |
| years, causing more passengers to search for an | | | | passengers per flight to small municipal airports within |
| alternative to air travel. | | | | their service area, which includes the East Coast and |
| When we think of chartering our own aircraft | | | | Texas. |
| however, what comes to mind are busy executives, | | | | The new secret weapon of these new charter |
| Hollywood stars and politicians jaunting around the | | | | travelers is the use of the smaller airfields surrounding |
| globe in multi-million dollar business jets that can cost | | | | every city in the land. When the competition is stuck at |
| as much as $6,000 or more per flight hour to rent. | | | | the gate while the airline tries to decide if they should |
| There are less expensive fractional aircraft ownership | | | | cancel their flight, a traveler on a chartered SR-22 will |
| alternatives available on luxury turboprop aircraft such | | | | have already launched for a flight to a small airport just |
| as the Pilatus PC-12, but the cost of these shares is | | | | a few miles from where they need to be. When other |
| still out of reach of many middle income travelers and | | | | travelers are trapped on the tarmac awaiting |
| small business owners. | | | | departure, the people who arrived on a chartered |
| Recent advances in today's composite general | | | | SR-22 will have already finished negotiating a couple |
| aviation aircraft like Cirrus Design's slick SR-22 Turbo | | | | of morning deals. |
| G3 have pushed the performance envelope of smaller | | | | More people are discovering the affordability that |
| four passenger aircraft far beyond what was | | | | comes when flying single-engine air charter, and |
| imaginable just a few years ago. The SR-22 has a | | | | industry experts predict this new single-engine charter |
| maximum cruise speed of 219 knots true airspeed | | | | model to blossom into a nationwide powerhouse. Right |
| (252 miles per hour), but is usually operated more | | | | now, medium-sized corporations can only afford to fly |
| closer to 220 miles per hour. Compared to your | | | | their upper management via private air charter, while |
| Grandfather's old plane that lumbered along at 125 | | | | their sales, technical, engineering and support personnel |
| miles per hour, modern luxury four-seat aircraft can | | | | must roll the dice and put up with the undependable |
| seriously shorten trip legs and make multi-city day trips | | | | schedules that comes with flying commercial. As more |
| possible. | | | | of these companies realize they can now get their key |
| Realistically, very few people afford to fly by | | | | personnel on site quickly with a "moment's notice" flight, |
| expensive aircraft charter. But what if the fares for | | | | we'll begin to see a whole new level of |
| private air charter ever dropped to a price point that | | | | competitiveness evolve. |
| was affordable to all of us? By flying the Cirrus SR-22, | | | | |