November 2009

Bombardier lays off 715 employees

(November 26, 2009)

Bombardier Inc. will be cutting 715 employees at its facilities in Montreal as the company plans to reduce its regional production rate due to difficult economic conditions. Last Thursday, the company said that it plans to implement cutbacks in January and that severance costs will be on the order of $10 million. This will be the latest work for reduction for the company, which has been hit hard by the recession. For this year, the airplane manufacturer has laid off more than 4,000 people globally. On a good note, the difficulties of Bombardier’s aerospace division have been somewhat offset by a series of train orders from Europe, China, and other locations, as well. CRJ, Bombardier’s regional jet, has been a mainstay of the aerospace unit, but the company says that orders for the model have decreased over the past quarters. “There are not enough projected CRJ aircraft sales to maintain the current production rate,” commented Guy Hachey, Bombardier Aerospace’s president and chief operating officer. “Although we are in discussions with several airlines, we had to finalize our aircraft delivery schedule for the next fiscal year. We fully recognize the impact the additional work force reduction will have on our affected workers and their families.” The company says that it will continue to invest in new aircraft programs and it will be recruiting 500 jobs to run all these programs. The announcement of the layoffs do not come as a surprise as management has warned of these cutbacks for the past months.  

GAMA and IBAC partner to reduce private jet industry emissions

(November 26, 2009)

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) has agreed to a plan that will minimize emissions from the private jet sector. The participating organizations aim to reduce carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2050, using 2005 as the base year of comparison. The plan also coincides with the plan of the International Air Transport Association. GAMA and IBAC have also set a target to improve fuel efficiency by 2 percent until 2020, at which point the sector says that it will have attained neutral growth. “Business aviation manufacturers and operators will put forth a sustained effort to meet these targets,” said Pete Bunce, GAMA President and CEO. “But a strong partnership between industry and government is also absolutely necessary to achieve these goals.”  The two associations represent manufacturers and operators of the private jet industry. Larger commercial airlines have also put forth efforts to reduce carbon emissions. The Air Transport Association has recently opposed a global tax on aviation emissions. Source: Environmental Leader  

Airbus sees promise in the private jet industry in the Middle East

(November 26, 2009)

Airbus forecasts more revenue from the Middle Eastern private jet market in the next year, even with the economic downturn. Since 2004, Airbus has sold 160 corporate jets to governments, billionaires, and companies—and 50 percent of these clients were purchased by buyers from the region.  In the region, Saudi Arabia has the majority share with 20 orders, closely followed by UAE and Qatar with 10 orders each. Airbus hopes that there will be a few more orders from the region before December. “The Middle East is a traditional market that has sustained its growth despite the global economic downturn,” explained Francois Chazelle, Vice-President of Executive and Private Aviation Airbus Middle East. “Overall, we agree that 2009 has been a slower year for Airbus, but we are confident the markets should rebound by the second quarter of 2010.”  Chazelle also noted that private jet sales are showing promise in China, a region that has already purchased 20 aircrafts. Source: Emirates Business  

John And Edward get private jet?

(November 25, 2009)

John And Edward have reportedly been given their own private jet to meet soaring demand for the pair. The X Factor rejects have been inundated with requests for personal appearances since they were booted off the hit show on Sunday. They will appear on The Late Show in Dublin on Friday, and on Sunday they have T4’s Stars Of 2009 in London and a gig in Glasgow just hours after. Clean-cut John and Edward Grimes, both 18, have been tipped to become multi-millionaires from their sudden popularity, despite their limited singing skills. The Irish teenagers have also set their sights on becoming the new Ant and Dec after being voted out of ITV’s talent show on Sunday night. A source told The Mirror: "The boys don’t want to let anyone down." Lloyd Daniels, 16, is favourite to be voted off The X Factor this week.

Private jets will thrive in the Middle East

(November 25, 2009)

The private jet industry in the Middle East is forecasted to grow by around 11 percent by this year; and experts say that it will have an annual growth rate of 6.2 percent until 2018 as more and more millionaires continue to rise in the region. Despite the unfavorable economic conditions, the private jet market in the Middle East is expected to see high numbers. “In 2005, the number of high net worth individuals (HNWIs) was around 0.25 million in the Middle East, accounting for nearly 3 percent of the global HNWI population,” explained John Siddharth, an analyst from Frost & Sullivan. “This is anticipated to become 5 percent or approximately 0.7 million by 2012, positively impacting the market’s prospects.” The consultancy firm estimated that the Middle Eastern taxi sector reeled in over $490 million last year. The firm also said that the region continues to display wonderful potential, particularly private jets. Based on research statistics, Frost & Sullivan said that Saudi Arabia holds about 37 percent of the market in the Middle East, while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) holds around 24 percent. Source: Maktoob business  

Sentient Jet relaunches website

(November 23, 2009)

Sentient Jet, the US-based private jet company, has relaunched PrivateJets.com. The site is dedicated to on-demand private jet charter services and provides online access to quotes and other information about the private jet market. “With the complexities of the jet charter market, private fliers are increasingly using the internet to conduct research on various product offerings, different jet models, and explore pricing options,” explained Steven Hankin, CEO of Sentient Jet. “PrivateJets.com offers a robust resource with relevant information about chartering jets as well as easy access to quotes for specific itineraries.” Using the site, customers can request for quotes on any one of the company’s jets. The site also allows customers to compare quotes and view articles about private jet models.  

Noble Jets Announces One-of-a-Kind Card to Its Clients

(November 23, 2009)

Noble Jets, a premiere private air charter service, offers clients a unique card that makes their travels more pleasant and less time consuming. The new Noble Jets Card allows business travelers to enjoy a customized experience when traveling on their chartered jets. The card serves the purpose of making traveling easier by allowing clients to access Noble Jets’ premiere fleet of private charter jets at any time of the day. With the Noble Jets card, clients can arrange last minute flights with only a three hour notice. Alex Volis, CEO of Noble Jets, said "Providing this kind of service to our clients is what Noble Jets is all about – providing unparalleled luxury and safety at an unbeatable price. This card changes the way people think about making traveling arrangements. No longer does it need to be an aggravating experience; the Noble Jets Card takes care of all of your travel concerns so that you can have more productive and stress-free trips.” Unlike other private air charter services, Noble Jets delivers this innovative system as a way to expedite travel and provide a pleasant flying experience. Whether clients are travelling for business meetings or for vacations, the Noble Jets Card allows them to enjoy their excursions while providing the luxury that private jets are renowned for. Joshua Just, COO of Noble Jets, said “Our Noble Jets Card is easy to use and makes traveling much more satisfying. With the card, our clients are able to save time and enjoy the free time they acquire by foregoing traditional private jet charter services. We are delighted to provide a simple solution that changes the way private jet travelers experience their trips worldwide.” The card is unique in the private air charter service industry because it not only allows travelers to simplify their experience, but it also affords them several perks that have come to define the company. Some of the perks that the Noble Jets Card can bring to clients include in-flight catering, ground transportation from the airport to business meetings, and the flexibility of booking flights whenever they are needed. Simplicity is the driving factor behind the creation of the Noble Jets Card; the company sought to design a system that makes traveling a less hectic and more enjoyable experience. It allows clients to purchase blocks of time that are used on its private charter jets worldwide, making it an effortless and straightforward process instead of a time consuming and irritating one. The Noble Jets Card offers a revolutionary organizational tool for private air travelers that reduces the amount of time spent booking private air flights and waiting for those flights to take off. For more information on the Noble Jets Card, call 1-877-653-8738, or, if outside of the United States, call 1-212-921-5387. More information can also be found on the Noble Jets site at www.noblejets.com.

PRIVATE FLIGHT CONTINUES TO BUILD GLOBAL NETWORK

(November 23, 2009)

Private Flight Global Limited today announced that three new partners have joined its rapidly-growing global network of premium cuisine providers. Cuisine from each of the new providers is now available to passengers of VIP charters and managed aircraft via Private Flight’s pioneering online system for inflight catering management.The new providers expand and enhance Private Flight’s cuisine offering in some of the world’s most popular departure locations. Joining the network are Newrest Inflight  (servicing several major departure points in France), Food & Feel Italian Catering Deluxe (servicing departures from Rome) and Emily’s Inflight (servicing departures from London). Each company enters the partnership under Private Flight’s stringent quality and safety guidelines. Private Flight clients can now order individually priced menu items from each company, or make special requests, through the Private Flight online ordering system. Clients can also view the status of their delivery, and deliveries are monitored by Private Flight. Newrest Inflight is one of the world’s biggest inflight catering companies, and its agreement with Private Flight will see it provide cuisine for flights departing from Paris, where it joins a strong Private Flight provider network, as well as expanding the network to Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Perpignan, Strasbourg, Toulon and Toulouse. Newrest’s Two Stars Guide Michelin Chef Michel Sarran is involved in training and menu development to ensure its ‘haute cuisine’ offering is of the highest quality. Food & Feel Italian Catering Deluxe specialises in traditional and contemporary Italian cuisine. With a keen focus on seasonality and creativity, Food & Feel prides itself on delivering unique and exceptional ‘culinary moments’.Operating from Ciampino Airport, the company is Private Flight’s primary Rome provider, adding yet another European destination. Emily’s Inflight, operating out of London, will enhance Private Flight’s existing provider network by adding another dimension with its heavy emphasis on organic and locally-sourced products. The company provides high quality organic pork products, honey and homemade ice creams direct from its own 20-acre farm, along with sourcing from London’s markets such as Billingsgate and Smithfields,which are renowned for superior quality. Richard Pryor, CEO of Private Flight Global, says: ‘We’re delighted to be bringing a wider range of experienced inflight caterers to our online community which will further assist our clients in London, Rome and a large number of French departure points. All three new providers bring something new and exciting to the Private Flight network, and of equal importance, enable us to continue to provide our clients greater structure, cost transparency and technology integration when ordering, all of which are linked to organisational goals and passenger satisfaction requirements.’ Hugues Castagna, of Newrest Inflight, says: ‘By partnering with Private Flight, we can offer our cuisine to a much greater share of the VIP and charter flight passengers departing from France. Also, we’re now able to centralise our catering orders,invoices and payments for our France operation, and can easily manage our orders online.’ Notes to Editor: Private Flight Global Limited (New Zealand) Private Flight operates internationally and is recognised as the evolution of inflight cuisine. Its unique,systems-based software application for managing inflight catering assists managers of VIP charters and private aircraft to streamline catering services.  

InJet and Jet Republic offer offsetting programs for private jets

(November 21, 2009)

A new InJet program will allow companies and individuals to offset the emissions of their private jet flights. The program allows customers to choose from different carbon offsetting programs, which depend on the size of their chosen private jet. Jet Republic, a European private jet airline, also offers a similar offsetting program for their clients. The company’s offsetting program is based on a fee per hour flight. These new programs will allow private jet travellers to travel with luxury in an environment-friendly fashion.  

Cheaper private jet flights for senators

(November 21, 2009)

Government groups are blasting the Federal Election Commission for approving a new rule that allows US senators to travel via private jets at discounted prices. According to government watchdogs, the approval of the rule goes against the 2007 congressional ethics law, which sought to end the trend of lawmakers using private jets that are sponsored by donors and commercial companies. The law required that senators pay more expensive charter rates whenever they use corporate and private jets. However, the new rule contests this. Under the newly approved rule, senators can pay lower commercial fares whenever they are travelling in behalf of a political party or a political action committee controlled by the implicated senator. Representative from various government groups are lobbying against the rule, because it “floats” the current ethics law. As of press time, there has not been any published response from the Federal Election Commission.  

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