CommercialAircraft

Free Yourself from Flying with the Rabble

With economic conditions beginning to turn, the elite are finally being freed from the prison of commercial air travel. After a severe 2008 and 2009, it looks like the private aviation business is getting ready to come back, with research firm Argus showing 5.3 percent growth from January last year to January this year. According to Flexjet president Fred Reid, there was a "very distinct, small, consistent upturn in demand" that began late in 2009.

Late-model business jets aren't as cheap as they used to be, and the surplus on the market has dropped a bit, but new aircraft deliveries haven't returned to earlier levels. Flying hours have fallen, and constraints in the credit markets make it difficult for people to put the requisite cash together to buy and operate a private jet. Following five years of record growth, the NY Times reports, last year was dismal. In the second half of 2009, business jet shipments plunged 33.7 percent year-over-year to 870. High-end propeller plane sales fell 17.6 percent to 441 for the same period.

But, that's all in the past.

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Tags: air travel, AirTravel, commercial aircraft, CommercialAircraft, private jet, private jets, private plane, PrivateJet, PrivateJets, PrivatePlane