Travel and Vacations

An Overview of Fractional Jet Ownership

Story Published on August 14, 2008 ⋅  Email this Story ⋅  Print this Story ⋅ Post a comment ⋅

Fractional jet ownership can be an affordable way to own a private jet. Fractional Jet Ownership is sometimes referred to as Fractional Jet Leasing or Jet Time Sharing. The concept is also referred to as fractional ownership because it is not limited to jet aircraft

An individual person or company buys or leases a fractional share in an aircraft, this is similar to buying a timeshare. You buy a set number of days or hours each year that you can use that aircraft. Most fractional jet ownership programs allow you to use a similar jet

If the aircraft you have bought the fractional share in isn’t available at the time you request.You also pay an hourly fee for time spent in the air plus a monthly management fee that covers maintenance and administration. The number of hours you can use the aircraft depends on the fractional ownership that you buy. Most fractional jet ownership programs allow some room for negotiation. As a rule a 1/4 fractional ownership gives you 200 hours a year, 1/8th would give you 100 hours, and 1/16 th would give you 50 hours.

Look for fractional jet ownership companies that have a fleet of aircraft with a reputation for long life and reasonable maintenance costs. The Falcon 50 and Falcon 900 are two such examples. Also companies that don’t sell less than 1/4 shares bring the cost down by limiting the number of users per jet and a resulting reduction in charter costs as well as a lower incidence of scheduling conflicts with fewer numbers of fractional owners.

The investment size will vary with the plane. Typically, fractional ownership deals are split into eighths. Today, these deals are available on just about any type of aircraft-even smaller single-engine piston planes. Fractional ownership is a great first step into the private aircraft arena.

There are very few cons to flying through a fractional jet ownership program. One downside is the ever-changing wave of life, which may affect your company’s amount of travel time or your own personal use of a jet. This could result in a fairly significant financial loss, since you’re typically tied in to a 5 year contract for the ownership. Most of the jet businesses also charge you a pretty hefty monthly fee, whether or not you fly, and when you incorporate fuel costs, landing fees, and other miscellaneous charges, you will spend well over what you would pay for a commercial flight. However, most people are pleased with their fractional jet ownership program and its options of comfort, schedule flexibility, and large time saving compared to commercial flights..

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