Travel by Private Plane.

Whether you are in a Cessna 152 or a Citation X, when you travel by private plane, you gain a lot of advantages. Of course, someone has to pay for all those advantages and it rarely makes sense for most people to spend the kind of money that gets you from one place to another so ridiculously simply and with so little hassle. Personally, I take advantage of the generosity of pilot friends and deep pocketed clients whenever I can.

My buddy's Pilatus is an amazing plane...
one of best on the market for a single pilot with multiple passengers.

Earlier this week, I was about a 4 hr drive or a 45 minute flight from a friend who recently bought a new plane... we hadn't hung out in awhile, had some business to discuss.... and most importantly to this blog, he wanted to pick me up in the new plane (okay, he wanted to show off his amazing new plane). I parked the rental at a small regional airport and, for the first time in several months, got the chance to fly without the painful process of commercial travel.

For your contemplation here, I thought it would be simplest to list some of the best things about General Aviation travel when compared to the standard process of flying:

1. No Gov't Security Process.
Now, don't take this as an indictment of the TSA or the security procedures at the commercial airport. We need them and I am perfectly happy to put up with them if they keep some whack with $199 and a Travelocity account from turning a crowded and possibly miserable 757 flight from Atlanta to LA into a cruise missile. I am usually the guy who can kick off the shoes, take off the belt and remove my laptop from my backpack within 5 sideways steps and make it look like a choreographed dance (I've certainly rehearsed it enough), so its not actually going through security that bothers me. I hate the line.ask anyone who travels with me... the only thing worse than a line is getting a table at a restaurant for an odd number of people). My biggest complaint about the security process lately? It is definitely people complaining about the security process. Shut up or Drive. Complaint Number Two (the complaint formerly known as complaint #1)? People who can't seem to get with the program... have your ID out, No Liquids, Laptop Out, Shoes Off... just do it.
General Aviation?  if you know the tail number of the plane when you pull up to the gate, most of the time, they buzz you in and you can drive right up to the plane, say "hi" to the pilot and get on. Done.

2. No Lugging the Luggage.
See that part in the last section about driving up to the plane? Sure, you might have to actually load your own luggage onto the plane (if the pilot isn't insisting on doing it for silly Weight & Balance reasons....), but you only have to move it 12 feet.

3. Pack what you want, carry what you want.
Liquids, Alcohol, Scissors, Glock 9mm... whatever. Big Boy & Girl Rules apply...  AND, no one is likely to rifle through your bags seeing what you packed anyway. There also aren't extra charges for bags being "overweight" (Don't get me started about getting charge $90 for a bag that was 8 lbs overweight (total me + bag < 250 lbs) while a 300lb guy with a 40lb bag lumbers away from the check in counter without pulling his credit card out...).

4. Virtually No Extra Airport Time.
5 minutes early is a pretty good time to be at the airport when you fly private. The truth is that the pilot and everyone else there would probably just as soon not have you poking around and/or needing to be told what to do. When you land, go do whatever it was you flew to your destination to do. You'll have your luggage in less than 5 minutes (and not have to play Watch & Hope at the carousel).

5. Direct Routes.
As much as the Air Traffic Controllers will allow, every General Aviation Route is going to be pretty straight. With no ground crew, terminal help, hub or popularity-of-destination issues to worry about, Fuel Cost and Travel Time become the prime motivators (as they should be!)... you aren't likely to go Tulsa to Dallas via Atlanta on a private plane.

More comfy than  coach and kids can't even reach
your seat back... if they're allowed on board.

Okay, so those are the highlights of private plane travel as far as I am concerned.  Of course there are downsides, including the cost, which I already covered. Significant. Really.
Other than that?  It might be a little more cramped than coach on a big jet... depending on the plane. It will almost certainly be bumpier. Now, I have had a couple of opportunities to travel on some ridiculously comfortable and large (including several flights on a Jetstar II that was only fairly described as decadent.), but for the most part, your pal's prop plane and the typical corporate jet are both going to have low ceilings and feel the air a bit more than the big Boeing that gets you frequent flyer points. For some people, there is also an emotional discomfort that comes from flying in a little plane, especially one flown by a "normal" person and not a professional looking person with epaulets. I guess you have to pick your friend pilots a bit carefully.

At the end of the day, it may not even be fair to compare General Aviation to traveling coach... but even if I was spending the $$$ for better seats and service in First Class, just about all the hassles of commercial flight are still there. For me, I can't afford the luxury or convenience of private plane travel on my own, but I'll keep taking the option whenever it comes up.

-RJP