Concord, MA, October 22, 2008 – A recent survey of corporate travel managers found that ease of travel frequently drives corporations to choose private airlines for their business travel needs. Factors such as productivity and efficiency, proximity of destinations and minimizing travel time play an important role in this decision. Linear Air (www.linearair.com), a provider of point-to-point, on-demand air taxi service throughout the Northeast and eastern Canada, surveyed National Business Travel Association (NBTA) members from the corporate travel manager community to gauge the impact of recent airline troubles on the corporate travel industry.
Nearly 70 percent of respondents cited the current economic environment as having a strong effect on their budgets. Price remains the most important factor when choosing private air travel, though the survey reveals higher prices are acceptable if there is the opportunity for increased productivity for traveling executives and significant time savings. Approximately one-third of travel managers surveyed already have a portion of their budget allocated to private travel. The survey posed questions surrounding several areas of corporate travel, including private travel experiences, budgeting and cost, travel frequency and booking preferences. Questions also addressed commercial airports and airlines as well as recent commercial service cutbacks
From the responses of the more than 600 corporate travel managers surveyed, 75 percent noted that commercial airline cutbacks are having a strong affect on their corporate travelplans. These respondents also said they are receptive to utilizing small regional airports when booking travel. Additionally, 63 percent have travel needs in areas that are not easily accessible via commercial airports.
“Time is money and business travelers who fly private recognize that private air can be a far superior traveling choice for corporate travelers depending on the destination, purpose and importance of a trip,” said Linear Air CEO Bill Herp. “By flying private, travelers avoid commercial airport hassles such as parking, security lines and baggage claims. Linear Air flies in and out of conveniently located regional airports and flights are available when the traveler needs them, not when the commercial airline schedules them.”
About Linear Air
Linear Air provides point-to-point air taxi service with unprecedented access and affordability. Based in Concord, Mass., the Linear Air fleet includes Eclipse E500 business jets and Cessna Grand Caravan turboprops. Linear Air offers business and leisure travelers access to more than 500 cities in the Northeast and eastern Canada. Linear Air is a FAA-certified part 135 charter operator that maintains a Gold safety rating from ARG/US, the leading independent safety auditor in the aviation industry. For more information, please visit www.linearair.com or call 1-877-2-LINEAR.
