Five good reasons to say yes to a business aircraft

You don’t have to be a Fortune 500 company or multinational corporation to benefit from using a general aviation aircraft in pursuit of business. In fact, thousands of entrepreneurs and small companies currently use GA aircraft and gain a competitive advantage. Why not you? Buying an aircraft for your business makes sense. Here’s why:

• Eliminate the down time.  No matter how “connected” you are via smartphone and computer, you’re still wasting time sitting at airport gates, waiting to board a flight that’s no doubt delayed anyway. What’s more, your disposition will take a giant leap toward cheerfulness if you never again have to sit in a crowded gate at O’Hare.

• It’s not just LAX, ORD, and LGA. Sure, business takes you to major metropolitan areas, but it’s more than likely that you’re headed to a smaller city that is not regularly serviced by the airlines. That means two and sometimes three commercial legs of a flight to get you where you want to go. Today, if your business destination isn’t a major commercial airline hub, it takes you twice as long to reach it.
• Sleep in your own bed, and see your children when they’re actually awake. A GA airplane can leave Wichita, Kan., early in the morning, fly to Garden City, Kan., for meetings, over mountains for meetings in Grand Junction, Colo., back across the Continental Divide to Cheyenne, Wyo., and then to Denver, Colo.—all in a day. These executives then can arrive home in time to relax and prepare for a full day in the office the next day. On the airlines? No way.
• Consider the value of your time. Businesses are finally realizing it’s more cost-effective to have their employees working instead of waiting for delayed or canceled flights. You’d no doubt be appalled if you tallied the value of time that’s lost to you or your employees on a typical business trip. From the boardroom to the accounting department, GA is the most efficient business travel alternative available.
• Get ahead of your competition. A study of U.S. Standard & Poor’s 500 companies by NEXA Advisors concluded that companies that used business aviation during the economic downturn—from 2007 to 2011—outperformed competitors that did not. At times of economic pressure, companies need to be efficient and proactive.

In short, GA allows you to make your own schedule—you fly where you want, when you want, at times that are convenient for you. That’s just smart business, and AOPA Finance is here to help.

If you want to put the power of GA to work for your business, check out the information at the AOPA Aviation Finance website. There are links to frequently asked questions, a loan calculator to assist you in figuring out which loan fits into your budget, and more. Then reach out to one of the aviation finance specialists at 800/62-PLANE or 800/627-5263. In a rush? Email us to begin the application process today.