In a landmark article, The New York Times reported on the value of the business and private aviation by looking at history and how it contributes to business success. 

The History of Private Planes is Less High Life and More Daily Grind, the publication describes why it pays to fly private including all the airline/airport related hassles like security, long waits at the gate and the boarding scrum, which have only grown worse since the days covered in the article. It also noted that delays have a cascading impact on business travel schedules especially, as they often do when overbooked flights mean taking three days to get to your destination. 

These are hassles private aviation travelers know only too well and are the primary reason they invest in efficiency and time by flying private. So, it was refreshing that the paper of record acknowledged private aviation’s role in not only efficiency but also in enabling visits to far-flung subsidiaries so they can maintain their importance to local economies. 

Reporter Jennifer Harlan also noted that despite private aviation’s image as the preserve of the rich and famous, most trips were flown by mid-level executives. 

“For many businesspeople, the decision to fly privately is one of pure practicality,” she wrote. “If a factory is half a state away from a commercial airport, sometimes the only way to get there without sacrificing a whole day to layovers and transfers is to chart your own course…A corporate jet is typically a vessel for work, not play…A plane increases one’s most valuable asset – time.”

The history of private aviation its current value is becoming more and more apparent as businesses compete in a global world where harboring time, flexibility and instant responsiveness to customers drives right to the bottom line.