And it does indeed feel exclusive; the stylish black-and-white terminal lounge looks more like a chic boutique hotel than an airport (of course, if you want a chic boutique hotel, as private jetsters sometimes do, the TAG-owned Aviator is just across the runway). Gleaming Gulfstreams, Learjets and Falcons roll up to the plate-glass windows, disgorging their VIP passengers. More expensive hardware shelters in 240,000sq ft of spotless hangars.

The airport boasts heritage and glamour: Samuel Cody piloted the first powered flight in Britain here in 1908, and more recently it starred as a location for James Bond in Quantum of Solace. TAG has invested more than £100 million in the airport in the last 10 years, opening the award-winning Reid-designed terminal in 2006, and buying the freehold from the MoD in 2008.

PAYING THE PRICE

But let’s cut to the chase: while most corporates are haggling over maximum hours in economy, switching to no-frills and generally tightening travel purse-strings, who on earth is using private jets – and why?

I put the question to TAG Aviation area director Ashley Namihas. He says: “An IPO [initial public offering] is a good example of where a senior leadership team needs to do a roadshow, flying into sometimes three cities in one day. It’s a cost-to-value ratio that really works. The price is a miniscule part of the overall costs of an IPO – the fees for auditors, underwriters and so on have gone up 17 per cent since 2005. Then try and measure the importance of the team using the jet as a conference room, ready to be at their best when they hit the ground. It’s a huge step in a company’s life. Also, the schedule can change by the hour, and you simply couldn’t achieve that timetable using commercial flights.”

A travel buyer for an international investment bank cites similar advantages for a hectic itinerary of meetings when the stakes are high. He says: “One of the biggest advantages is avoidance of all the unnecessary delays at commercial airports, leaving schedules undisrupted. These jet services are available 24/7, 365 days a year. You don’t have to follow a time schedule – the jet will take off as per your requirements.”

So if the finance sector is a mainstay of private aviation, is everyone in the business struggling to survive after the 2008 financial crash? Another travel manager in the banking sector tells me they now only keep a relationship with a jet provider for any emergency contingencies that might arise.

Read the full story by Paul Revel here.

JetOptions Private Jets flies their chartered private jets in and out of Farnborough Airport or any other aiport in the UK.

The left-wing leader – who has promised massive tax hikes for the rich – was whisked into Paris in the luxurious Falcon 900 aircraft within hours of winning the election on Sunday night.

He made the 45-minute flight to address supporters at an open-air concert in the capital after spending the evening in his home town of Tulle, in central France.

His lavish choice of transport came despite his insistence just a month ago that if he was elected, he would ‘travel by train’.

Even socialists know that chartering a private jet makes business sense (although maybe not political sense). You can charter a luxurious Falcon 900 like the one Hollande chartered with JetOptions Private Jets.

Read more of the story by Ian Sparks: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2141281/Champagne-socialist-Francois-Hollande-makes-trip-French-president–12-000-hour-private-jet.html#ixzz1uNfqJjPb

 When asked about today’s flight, she said:  “Cancer can make a person feel singled out in a negative way.  Being the 40,000^th passenger makes me feel singled out in a wonderful way.  It’s my first trip with CAN and my first corporate flight for treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering after being diagnosed with Stage IV cancer in January.  I’m proud to be a milestone passenger.”

This 40,000^th flight was provided by one of the more than 500 corporations that fly cancer patients to treatment as part of Corporate Angel Network.  Often a patient’s best treatment option is located hundreds of miles from home.  CAN gives patients access to specialized treatment that would not otherwise be available.  The organization arranges free air transportation for cancer patients traveling to recognized cancer treatment centers throughout theUnited States by using the empty seats on corporate aircraft who are already flying to those destinations.  A staff of six, with the help of 35 volunteers, works to match patient requests with the flight schedules of more than 500 participating CAN corporations.

JetOptions is a member of the Corporate Angel Network. For information on how to donate or help, go here.

Hawker 400 XP   $2,903                   $2,953                   $2,980

Learjet 35           $2,210                   $2,127                   $2,140

Citation II           $2,197                   $2,115                   $2,210

The above chart shows average price per hour (taxi rate + fuel surcharges) for 3 popular jets in the Avinode marketplace. The reference group consists of 44 Hawker 400 XPs, 26 Citation IIs and 23 Learjet 35s. JetOptions charters all of these jets. For more information call 888-5FLY-JET (888-535-9538), email info@jetoptionsjetcharter.com or fill out a quote request here.

Please Note: All prices are in US Dollars