Business Jet Traveler » June 2007

Eight Charter Operators Earn High Marks
August 1, 2007
Jets.com-an online charter broker that allows customers to bid on flights-has bestowed its latest Circle of Excellence awards on eight charter operators, based solely on surveys its customers complete after each flight. Survey criteria included condition and cleanliness of the aircraft, amenities, crew performance, luggage handling and flight readiness.
Airplane food of a different sort
June 1, 2007
The Meadows Restaurant
No knock on onboard catering, but your flights likely bring you near some of the nation's premier on-the-ground dining spots. Why not try some of them? The 10 restaurants discussed here have been critically acclaimed for their food, service and ambiance. Plus, they're all close to general aviation airports-most within one mile.
Your gray-haired pilot
June 1, 2007
Everyone agrees that age, and the experience that goes with it, are good thin
Alone, in their 50-seat commercial jet, the two young pilots decided to see what [the Bombardier CRJ200] could do," reported The New York Times in an article titled, "Just Before Dying, a Thrill at 41,000 Feet." The article described how the pilots took the aircraft up to its altitude limit of 41,000 feet.
The open and shut case for "smart" windows
June 1, 2007
Hawker Beechcraft offers the SPD SmartGlass window as a retrofit for its King
The so-called "smart" window isn't really smart, but it may well offer a smart alternative to cabin windows with manually or electrically operated shades. With the touch of a button, the "smart" window goes from clear to opaque and back-or anywhere in between.
The best classic golf courses in the southeast U.S.
June 1, 2007
Cascades Hole No. 15 and Clubhouse
Our series on America's best golf courses continues with a look at three of the best classic fairways in the southeast U.S., as determined by Golfweek magazine's handpicked panel of 385 course raters. The raters, who are students of architecture, attend national workshops and each evaluate 15 to 20 courses per year.
An end to luggage lugging
June 1, 2007
Want to avoid the time and trouble of packing for trips and carrying suitcases to and from airports? For a fee, Reston, Va.-based Flylite will take the job-and bags-off your hands.
Making an early exit
June 1, 2007
Fractional owners opt out of their contracts early for many reasons. You may have sold an out-of-town business and so charter or a jet card may better serve your reduced needs. Maybe you're flying  more than you expected and it makes sense for you to purchase a whole aircraft. Perhaps you want to share flights with business associates or friends, but they all belong to a different program.
Warren Buffett
June 1, 2007
-Warren Buffett, in his typically folksy annual letter to stockholders of Berkshire Hathaway, which owns NetJets
On deals and deadheads
June 1, 2007
What this means for you is that you have a reasonable chance of getting a dea
When I founded The Air Charter Guide in 1985, almost all charter companies expressed prices in dollars and cents per statute mile to the destination, with the operator's cost to return included. Operators found it easy to present prices that way. And passengers could look at any map, see the distance to their destination and calculate the cost.
A business jet traveler's guide to Eastern European airports
June 1, 2007
Once upon a time, "Go west, young man!" was good advice for opportunity seekers. These days, though, you might be better off headed in the opposite direction. Here's what you need to know to fly into some fast-growing Eastern and Southern European nations.

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Quote/Unquote

“When you get into the larger aircraft it becomes like a hotel, with dozens of staff supporting the plane based in a galley area down below. You have very comprehensive cooking facilities, and on larger aircraft we have looked at theatres, with spiral staircases and a Steinway grand piano. The limitations for what you can put inside a plane are pretty much the limits of physics, and even money cannot always overcome that. Even so, people are still always trying to push [the limits]. ”

-Howard Guy of Design Q, a UK-based consultancy