Does flying private save time? Absolutely.

The short answer is yes, flying privately on chartered or owned aircraft provides significant time savings compared to flying commercially. For busy business leaders, executives and certain elite travelers, the convenience and productivity benefits of private jets can be well worth the higher costs. Let‘s take an in-depth look at the many ways flying privately can optimize your most precious resource – time.

Just how much time do private flights save?

• On short haul routes under 1,000 miles, private jets save 45 mins to 1.5 hours compared to flying commercially when you factor in airport processing, boarding, baggage, security, disembarking etc.

• On longer domestic routes like LA to New York, private jets save around 2 hours total versus commercial.

• For international long haul flights, total time savings of 3 hours or more is common with private travel.

According to leading private aviation operator NetJets, their customers collectively save thousands of hours per week flying privately rather than commercially. For time crunched business executives, those hours can literally equal millions in additional productivity.

Why private flying allows more direct routing

Unlike commercial airlines that fly predominantly hub-and-spoke patterns, private jets can fly direct routing that maximizes efficiency. For example, flying privately from Miami to Aspen, you would take a direct 3 hour flight. Flying commercially would require routing through a hub like Dallas or Chicago adding layovers and taking 5+ hours total.

Private jets also utilize smaller regional airports that minimize ground transportation time. Approximately 80% of private jet flights are into small regional airports, compared to just 0.5% for commercial planes. Flying into a private airport like Ft. Lauderdale Executive versus the major airport can easily save 30-60 minutes arriving/departing.

How onboard amenities save you time

One of the biggest advantages of flying privately from a productivity perspective is the ability to make use of your time in flight. Commercial airlines prohibit most voice calls, internet usage and meetings for safety purposes.

But onboard a private jet you can take full advantage of the flight time by working, making calls, video conferencing or holding productive meetings with staff. Aviation communications specialist Satcom Direct estimates that private jet passengers utilizing in flight connectivity increase productivity by an extra 2-4 hours per flight. For frequent business travelers that time really starts to add up.

Having amenities like private lavatories and the ability to move freely around the cabin can save significant time versus waiting in lines on an airliner. Some ultra long range business jets even offer private sleeping suites and full showers – allowing passengers to arrive well rested for important meetings.

Private aviation reliability

Another major benefit is private jets operate according to your schedule, unaffected by commercial delays and cancellations which are becoming increasingly common.

According to the DOT, approximately 20% of commercial flights are delayed and 1-2% cancelled altogether. For the most delay prone hubs like Chicago O‘Hare and Newark during busy seasons, the delay rate can approach 40-50% of flights.

Whereas with private jets you control the schedule, so your flight departs when you want it to. This prevents wasted hours waiting on the tarmac or scrambling to reschedule for cancelled connections.

Case Study: San Francisco to London roundtrip

Let‘s compare a real world transatlantic business trip from San Francisco to London and back flying privately compared to commercially:

Commercial:

• Depart SFO at 3pm on British Airways, connecting through London Heathrow arriving next morning at 8am.
• 3 hour layover at LHR then flight to LCY, arriving around noon.
• Meetings conclude 6pm next day. Overnight stay.
• Flight back departing LHR at noon, arriving SFO 6pm with connection.
• Total trip time: 60 hours

Private Jet:

• Depart Van Nuys private airport at 5pm on Cessna Citation X, arriving LCY 7am direct.
• Meetings conclude 6pm same day.
• Depart LCY at 8pm, arrive Van Nuys next morning at 10am.
• Total trip time: 40 hours

By avoiding airport hassles, connections and delays, over 20 hours was saved on this long haul business trip by flying privately. That‘s an extra workday of regained productivity – extremely valuable for any executive.

"Having the flexibility to depart on my schedule at a moment‘s notice and work uninterrupted has probably given me an extra 10 productive hours per week," said Jim Rogers, CEO of Duke Energy. "That‘s nearly 500 hours a year – or twelve and a half 40 hour work weeks. As any executive knows, time is our most precious commodity."

Private jet safety and turbulence myths

There is a common misconception that private planes are more turbulent and dangerous than flying commercially. In fact, modern private jets have extremely sophisticated avionics and are held to even more rigorous pilot training standards and maintenance requirements than commercial aircraft.

According to the FAA, the accident rate for charter jets and private aviation was just 0.72 per 100,000 flight hours over the past decade – comparable to the major airlines‘ rate of 0.61. Turbulence also tends to be less of an issue as private jets fly above 90% of weather.

While flying larger commercial aircraft is statistically safer overall, private jets operated by professional crews meet extremely high safety criteria. And unlike airliners, your schedule won‘t be affected by mechanics taking extra time to fix a minor issue.

Time is money

At the end of the day, private aviation provides the greatest available time savings tool for certain elite business travelers. While leisure flyers may not be able to justify the large expense, for frequent business flyers the time optimization benefits can be well worth the higher costs.

As an example, an executive valuing their time at $1,000 per hour flying New York to San Francisco monthly could justify spending an extra $8,000 on a private jet to save 8 hours roundtrip. For billionaires like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Oprah who rely on private jets, the time savings easily outweigh the tens of thousands spent per flight.

Flying privately may not be realistic or necessary for average travelers. But for top level executives and wealthy flyers willing to pay a premium, it provides an unmatched advantage. When your business hours are billed at thousands per hour, cutting out wasted time getting between meetings can easily justify private aviation‘s costs.