JEDDAH, 28 November 2006 — All air travelers acknowledge the difficulties they encounter. Long queues at airports, limited flights to important destinations, cramped cabins, security issues, and a general lack of freedom and comfort have combined to make flying an unwelcome prospect. But owning a private jet is rarely an ideal solution, as it is a costly affair. So companies offering private jet charters are growing in numbers and providing a cost-efficient alternative for all types of travelers.
“Private jet companies are coming up with new ways to attract passengers who are unhappy with airline cutbacks, delays at airports and other inconveniences of scheduled commercial flying,” a top aviation executive said yesterday.
Business travelers are the group most inconvenienced. There are fewer direct flights and longer layovers, more delays, and more hassles getting through the airport than a busy executive should have to deal with. For those who travel frequently, the lack of space and comfort on a commercial aircraft makes working in the air practically impossible, and trying to relax on a busy flight is something not easy.
A private jet charter eliminates all these issues and offers several advantages over traditional airlines. There are business jet services provided by aircraft makers such as Boeing, “but Lufthansa is the only European airline in the Kingdom to offer a private jet service,” said Jamal A. Siddiqui, in charge of Lufthansa German Airlines Private Jet Service (LPJ) for the Western Province.
LPJ allows passengers to fly from and to more than 1,000 airports around Europe and other destinations. “And I see a big potential for our premium service (Lufthansa Private Jet) in Saudi Arabia”, Siddiqui told Arab News in an interview.
“We’re targeting Saudi businessmen and families heading for any European destination and then planning their visits from there to other destinations, whether in Europe or North America.
The carrier began to offer the service with NetJets, a worldwide leader in private aviation, in March 2005. It is operating some 10 jets per day, a huge development from three per month when it started the business. Lufthansa now has access to 90 NetJets.
In the Saudi market, Lufthansa targets CEOs and businessmen investing in Europe, especially Eastern Europe. On commercial carriers, although flights from the Kingdom to major Western European cities are well arranged, sometimes you may waste a day in getting further connecting flights from Western to Eastern Europe.