Trip Analysis Exercise

For this discussion, you will look into the tangible value of corporate aviation by comparing it to
commercial air transportation for executives traveling to a meeting.
Scenario
Your company, based in Waco, Texas, has been looking for an expansion opportunity on the
West Coast. A property has just come on the market in Oregon, and your company needs to
move fast. The company requires that you and three colleagues travel to Medford, Oregon, on
short notice. Two days from now, your group must be in Medford by 1:00 pm to inspect the property and then meet at 8:00 am the next day to discuss a deal. You expect to be complete by
2:00 pm that day. Per company policy, employees fly commercially in business class (or better).
A friend suggests that you might be able to save money if you charter a jet instead. This sounds
like a crazy idea, but you decide to explore it anyway. Here are some assumptions:
Origination (KACT) to destination (KMFR), one-way is 1,380 miles.
Flying time is about 3+00 each way (no wind).
A small jet (like a Lear 35) can make the trip non-stop and can seat 6. Charter cost is $3,500 per
hour.
Employees get $200 per day for travel expenses if they are away from home for any part of the
day. This covers all expenses except rooms, rental cars, and airfare.
Hotel rooms in Medford are $150 per night.
If traveling by commercial air, company policy requires business class (or better), with fully
refundable tickets.
Travelers are mid-level executives who each make about $800 per day in salary; however, when
they are gone from the business, it costs the company about twice that amount in reduced
productivity ($1,500 per day per employee).
The charter jet can fly in and out of KACT and KMFR so a rental car is not required.
If commercial air in or out of either airport is not available, the group will need to rent a car at
$100 per day to get to and from the closest available airport. Instructions
To determine if chartering is a better deal, you will need to compare costs for the trip using charter vs. using commercial air. Items that you will need to consider:
The charter can operate when you need them, but you might need extra travel days/overnights to
accommodate commercial air schedules. If so, the additional time that the employees are away
from home can be costly.
Look up actual airfares available for travel. Your meeting day is two days in advance.
Write a short essay describing your analysis, and make a recommendation for travel. Include
justification for your recommendation.
Post the essay so that others can see what you came up with. You are welcome and encouraged
to comment on your classmates’ posts, but additional comments are not required.
When you think about general aviation (GA), your first thought is probably recreational flying
conducted by private pilots in personally-owned aircraft. The International Council of Aircraft
Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA), however, reports that recreational GA accounts for only
about 25% of global GA operations. The other 75% of the approximately 40 million annual GA
flight hours are associated with flight instruction, business or corporate travel, agricultural
applications, emergency medical services, and other businesses. Module Objectives
Upon successful completion of this module, you will be able to:
Recall general aviation’s various roles in air transportation. (LO 5)
Estimate the value of general aviation as a corporate transportation option. (LO 5)