Liftbrief / Comparisons
When does private travel beat premium commercial travel?
Compare feasible door-to-door itineraries before comparing aircraft. Our recommendation is to establish whether each option meets the actual meeting or event requirement, then calculate its cash cost and time implications separately.
NBAA’s aircraft-use policy guidance addresses access, personnel restrictions and pilot authority. Use those governance questions alongside—not instead of—a trip-specific business case. (nbaa.org)
What should the approval comparison contain?
| Test | Premium commercial option | Private option | Approval treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule feasibility | Dated flights, connections and meeting-compatible arrival | Proposed departure, arrival and any fuel stop | Reject an option that does not meet a mandatory deadline |
| Door-to-door time | Ground travel, airport allowance, flights and connections | Ground travel, reporting allowance, flight and stops | Use the same start and finish points |
| Cash expenditure | Tickets for all travellers, bags, transfers and necessary accommodation | Comparable charter total, transfers and necessary accommodation | Keep refundable deposits distinct from expenditure |
| Schedule changes | Applicable fare and change conditions | Charter or programme change conditions | Test the changes this executive office actually makes |
| Disruption | Available alternative itineraries and associated terms | Replacement obligations and fallback itinerary | Record both timing and who funds the alternative |
| Non-financial value | Workable privacy, comfort and coordination | Required cabin privacy, equipment or itinerary flexibility | State the requirement without inventing a monetary saving |
Suggested finance calculation:
Private-travel cash premium = private mission cash cost − feasible commercial mission cash cost
Then report traveller-hours saved separately. Any monetary value assigned to executive time should be an explicit management assumption, not presented as a reduction in cash expenditure.
Decision rule: if both itineraries meet the brief, explain precisely what the private premium buys. If commercial fails a mandatory requirement, preserve the dated itinerary showing the failure rather than asserting that commercial travel is generally unsuitable.