Business travel solution is in the air
Executives take to the skies on their terms
By Anne Straub
Brevard Technical Journal
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To understand what prompted Scott Lewit to eschew commercial business travel, consider the name of the company he created to buy his plane: Atled. That's Delta, spelled backwards.
Lewit, president of Structural Composites and Compsys in West Melbourne, travels throughout the Southeast visiting the boat builders that buy his products. He estimates he takes two to three trips a month.
Travel became even more rigorous after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Security measures added to the time spent in airports, and economics led carriers to reduce their schedules. "I ended up having to spend hours in Atlanta," Lewit said.
He used Delta Air Lines, Melbourne International Airport's major carrier. If he missed the 8:30 p.m. flight from Atlanta to Melbourne, he had to wait until the next flight, at 11 p.m. "You don't get home till 1 a.m.," Lewit said.
He'd had enough, especially after the airline changed its frequent flier program to be less favorable to the way he flies. He called F.I.T. Aviation at Melbourne International to inquire about scheduling a charter for a business trip, and instead arrived at a different solution. He bought a Cessna 172S Skyhawk and is taking flying lessons from F.I.T.
The plane cost $200,000 equipped with auto pilot and the weather mapping and global positioning features he wanted. His research showed he would about break even on the cost of airfare vs. owning and operating his own plane. But the advantage tips heavily to ownership when he factors in time savings and flexibility.
His business trips often involve multiple stops, something that drives up the cost of a commercial ticket. He can change his plans without penalty, and he can take other employees with him with no increase in flying cost.
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Lewit did much of his ground school work over CD-ROM as part of a Cessna program that helps people become pilots. F.I.T. recently became a pilot training center for the aircraft manufacturer.
The program cuts about $1,000 off the cost of becoming a private pilot, said Mike Brandon, assistant chief flight instructor for F.I.T. Aviation. He estimates the cost of pilot training for the private license at $5,000 to $7,000, depending on how often the student flies.
F.I.T. is seeing an increase in its over-the-counter program, its term for students who want pilot's licenses but not a degree. "Some are doing it for recreation, some for business," Brandon said. The company recently restructured its operation so that more planes are available for non-degreed students to train on.
It also purchased a King Air plane to add to its charter business, another option for companies tired of the inconvenience of commercial air travel. "Charters are not always less expensive than commercial, but they're 100 times more convenient," said Bob Walsh, director of operations for F.I.T. Aviation.
A charter flight from Melbourne to Tallahassee might cost $1,000 and would allow a company to send several executives who could return the same day. "You could spend 12 hours doing commercial," Walsh said, "vs. the two-hour round trip on a charter."
Business travel alternatives make sense in the Southeast, said Drew Steketee, president and CEO of the national Be A Pilot program, a non-profit educational foundation based in Washington, D.C. "The Southeast is a sea of small- and medium-sized cities. To get to most of them (flying commercial), you will go to Atlanta and bounce back."
General aviation is particularly convenient in Florida, which contains 650 private airports. "You can get within 10 to 20 miles of where you're going," Steketee said.
The Be A Pilot program aims to help people become pilots in part by offering an introductory flying lesson for $49. F.I.T. Aviation is among the more than 1,800 U.S. flight schools that participate.
The group has seen an increase in interest in general aviation in recent years. Last year, for example, the number of student pilot certificates issued by the FAA rose 6 percent over the previous year.
Business use is on the rise, as well. An FAA survey of general aviation showed that 3.7 million hours of flight were for business purposes in 2000, up 19 percent from 1997. According to the National Business Aviation Association, the number of people flying themselves for business rose 6 percent in 2002 from the previous year.
That presents a market opportunity for general aircraft manufacturers. The New Piper Aircraft Inc. in Vero Beach markets to business people with the slogan, "Do business without doing the baggage check."
"We are recognizing that business travel isn't what it used to be," said company spokesman Mark Miller.
"One of the questions we ask is, 'How much is your time worth?'" Miller said. "Every extra minute driving to an airport, sitting in an airport or standing in an interminable line could be spent nailing down a deal."
The question applies to the value of time spent on a personal life, as well as doing business. "Everybody has an hourly rate, and some hourly rates are priceless. How much is it worth to make it home to see your little girl's recital?" Miller asked.
Piper's line of aircraft ranges in price from just under $200,000 to a high of $1.75 million. Some of the company's customers find they save money by flying themselves because they make many trips with multiple stops. Others decide to buy in part to satisfy a lifelong desire to fly.
"You're standing in line at LaGuardia for yet another full search, and you start to think, 'Maybe this is the time,'" Miller said.
On the Web: www.beapilot.com
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