"No plane, no gain" is the motto adopted by one sector of the aviation industry that's been hit hard by the economic collapse and souring public perception of corporate aviation. And contrary to the stereotype, corporate jets aren't used only to ferry fat cats who think flying coach with the rest of us is beneath them.

A new study shows the use of business jets and other small aircraft is more about companies trying to gain efficiency and improve the bottom line than about providing a luxurious perk to those at the top of the corporate ladder. The industry wants to dispel many misconceptions about how and why companies use general aviation.

While cases of corporate bigwigs using corporate planes to jet off to exotic locales tend to make the headlines, the reality is very different, according to the survey of passengers and flight crews. The study found just 22 percent of passengers on business aircraft (.pdf) were top-level executives, while 70 percent included mid-level managers, sales, technical and service staff. The average number of employees per company who flew on business aircraft during a six-month period before the survey was 85.

In addition to aircraft usage, another key point highlighted in the report follows the old real estate motto of location, location, location. Almost half of the flights made by business aircraft in the survey are to airports with little or no scheduled airline service. One-third were to smaller, secondary airports.

In other words, taking the corporate jet was the most efficient, if not the only, way to get there.

There are more than 5,000 public airports in the United States, but only about 600 have any kind of scheduled service. What's more, most of the airlines fly in and out of just 70 major hub airports. The ability to utilize more of the airports not served by airlines benefits companies trying to save time by flying closer to their destinations. And it benefits the rest of us by reducing traffic – and therefore delays – at hub airports.

The study was prepared by Harris Interactive for the National Business Aviation Association and the General Aviation Manufacturing Association ahead of this week's NBAA annual meeting in Orlando, Florida.

While the numbers presented in the report may support the industry’s claim that business aviation is a tool used by companies trying to make, not waste, money, public perception has been hard to sway. It's been almost a year since corporate aviation took a giant PR hit when CEOs of the Big Three automakers flew company jets to Washington, D.C., to ask for financial help from the government. Since that time several corporate flight departments and the broader general aviation industry have been hit hard by the public outcry.

But the uproar is misplaced, aviation consultant Peter V. Agur, Jr. says in an editorial posted at AviationWeek. Agur writes that for many businesses, it makes no more sense for employees to fly on commercial airlines than it does for a fireman use a city bus to arrive at a fire. While such modes of transport might appear cheaper in the short term, they are less likely to achieve the desired goals in the long term.

As for the often mentioned high cost of corporate jets, Agur says in these lean times, companies won't waste money on anything that doesn't bolster the bottom line. He points out business aircraft use is a tiny fraction of the budget for most of the companies that use them and says cars comprise a much larger percentage of most people's personal budgets.

Whether public perception will be shifted on the topic remains to be seen. But the industry, like the economy, is starting to show signs of recovery. The number of used aircraft on the market is dropping, and companies at this week's NBAA meeting are seeing some trickles of light at the end of the very long tunnel. Though after plane makers like Cessna slashed half its workforce, the road (flight) to recovery is likely to be a long one.

Photo: Cessna

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