Private travel
 

have people had good experiences travelling on priavat jets - I agree with the study that came out yesterday - traditional airlines haven't shown me much - I'm considering setting up a private flight through flightserv.com, but want some feedback on private travel before I do

I have heard good things about Executive Jet.

Private travel is definitely more convenient. Be warned, however, that you may be travelling out of smaller airports that you have never heard of. Private jets tend to avoid large commercial airports unless there is no alternative. These smaller airports are often more convenient, but make sure you have transportation to get to and from their locations.

A freind's husband is a pilot & has flown for private jets & small commercial airlines too. The cost for private jets may be very competitive, depending on how many will be sharing cost. I was surprised when I found out ballpark of leasing the plane for a trip can be less than 2 or 3 tickets on commercial flight. Let us know your experience!

I haven't tried flightserv but I like the idea. I've traveled with my boss on private chartres and loved it. Another case of the rich living well. Chartre services are a lot more convenient -- no lost lugguge, no lines. I have heard about these online services where the price can be competitve. If the price is right, I would like to try it.

What about the safety of those small planes?

I am a pilot for a charter company and it is quite safe. We are regulated by the FAA just like the big guys. <BR> <BR>And Noah, don't you ever give up preaching?? I think it's time to take your medication again.

I asked a perfectly legitimate question. I won't dignify your gratuitous insults by replying to them. <BR> <BR>I will ask more specifically: How do the fatal-crash statistics compare to those of full-size commercial aircraft? <BR>

As you must be aware, Noah, no matter how much higher the odds of dying while on a small craft are compared to that of large aircraft; the odds of dying on ANY flight pale in comparision to the odds of dying while taking a car to the airport. I admit it's not "glamorous" to die in a car crash (you won't get on CNN, for instance), but you're just as dead. So why create inappropriate fears of flying (the same way AMS does for crime while visiting Florida), when the very fact one is traveling in a car is more dangerous than either? <BR> <BR>BTW, AMS never did answer this question about relative risk levels; he just went on ranting about dangers of crime in Florida. Will you be different from AMS and just admit that the dangers of travel by car dwarf the dangers of travel in a private plane; and, thus, creating fear of traveling in a private plane is ridiculous?

I know that full-size airplane travel is considred to be much safer than automobile travel and I have often pointed this out to people who are afraid of flying. However, I simply did not know the statistics for the different type of small aircraft and it was my impression (although I never claimed it as fact) that they were far-less safe. <BR> <BR>You may recall that after the fatal crash of John F. Kennedy Jr.'s small plane last summer, there was much discussion in the media about the FAA licensing requirements for that type of small, private aircraft and many people claimed that they were too lax. <BR> <BR>I am not responsible for what AMS says and if you have an issue with him you should bring it up with him. As I have already said, I am certainly not the same person as AMS, I do not know him and I certainly do not agree with everything he has said. I even challenged one of the things he said on the 'FL is Still Unsafe' thread before I stopped following it. <BR> <BR>I then skimmed-through that thread last week and found AMS's post about Disney which I agreed with and re-posted to start a separate discussion about Disney. <BR>

Private jets are actually, in some senses, safer than some commercial planes. When you travel by private jet through a sharing program, you are rarely (if ever) going to travel in a plane as small as the one JFK crashed in. Planes I have travelled on have sometimes been more equipped with technology than commercial planes flying into the same airport.

Hey, get off Noah's case. It's a legit question. FAA stats do show that smaller planes have higher accident rates. <BR> <BR>And as for that crap about being more likely to die in car crashes than air disasters is the typical smokescreen thrown up by the you're-not-the-boss-of-me general aviation pilots who want to fly around like rogue stallions without supervision or regulations to keep them from bumping into each other, big jets, or neighborhoods on the ground. Let's see 'em quote stats on mortality per hours in the air vs. hours behind the wheel. And almost nobody walks away from a plane crash. <BR> <BR>Flying charters puts you at the pleasure or mercy of pilots who may be excellent, average, or someone with a bad hangover -- but all of 'em with a strong streak of independence, for better or worse. Most will be professional -- they don't want to crash any more than you do -- but there's a reason their life insurance is a whole lot more expensive than yours is. Obviously, I won't fly on private jets, and that's my own choice. <BR> <BR>But it's absolutely your choice, and it's absolutely fair to ASK the question about safety without being subjected to derision for asking.

Again Noah, you have taken the original question and totally turned it around. Go back and read what the original poster said. He asked if anyone had ANY EXPERIENCE flying on a chartered aircraft. I did not see him mention air safety at all!!! You jump in and start rambling on about air safety when that was not even asked. This is why everyone gets so upset with you. Please stick to the original post. If you have flown on a charter or private plane feel free to offer your opinions. But if you haven't, please don't post.

Back to the original question, has anyone ever used flightserv or the ilk and how was the experience? How do the reservations work and what happens if you need to cancel at the last minute? <BR> <BR>I'm comfortable with the safety, I'm more interested in whether it really is convenient and are there companies doing cost effectively?

Thank you very much Joey.

Doc; <BR>Executive Jet had an article in the business section of our Sunday paper. Apparently, they are doing quite well. They have a website, the url is: <BR> <BR>http://www.sunjetaviation.com/sunjet...charters.shtml <BR> <BR>They will give you a free charter flight quote on their site.