Excerpts from Fortune Magazine article, April 17, 2006 issue.  Copyright 2006 Time, Inc.

READY FOR TAKEOFF

• "With surly attendants, schedules imposed from above, security frisks, and countless hours of dead time, the modern airliner seems more like a prison. As a result the airline industry has seen nothing but turbulence of late, with sky-high fuel prices, $45 billion of accumulated losses over the last five years, and several major carriers in bankruptcy. While commercial aviation continues its tailspin, private aviation is taking off."

• "It's no secret that commercial airlines ignore much of the country. The majority of schedules flights going to just 30 aviation centers, bypassing thousands of smaller airports. Chances are that wherever your day takes you there's a small airport that's closer to where you're going than one of the major hubs."

• "Unlike the commercial airlines' take-it-or-leave-it schedules, private aviation lets you create your own route and timetable. In fact, you can take in a few close cities in one day - an unheard of feat in commercial aviation. The streamlined business travel is the top reason that business people polled by the NBAA (National Business Aviation Association) gave for using private aircraft, followed by the ability to reach remote locations and the lack of problems making airline connections."

• "No wonder that a Louis Harris & Associates survey found that business people get 20% more work done in a private plane as in the office, and twice as much as on a commercial airliner. A private flight focuses attention and brings key people together in the right setting for serious work en route. In addition to being able to hold private discussions and do individual work, respondents cherished the opportunity to actually get some rest while traveling."

• "Regardless of whether you invest in your own airplane, a fractional program, a jet card plan, or an on-demand charter, scheduling a private trip is easier than booking a commercial trip. Because of the focus on service, you can forget about 21-day advance purchases or waiting to talk to a travel agent. Just call the operating company or your flight department a few hours in advance with an itinerary of your stops, and the aircraft, fueled and ready to go, will be waiting on the tarmac."