Liftbrief / Do-it-yourself game plans
Stage 1: How do you define the mission and justify private travel?
Write the arrival requirement before the departure preference. The useful question is not simply whether an aircraft can fly between two cities; it is whether the whole journey supports the required meeting, event or family itinerary.
Build a mission brief that suppliers can price without guessing
| Field | What to specify |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Business requirement, essential attendance or personal preference; distinguish them |
| Route | Metropolitan areas and acceptable airports—not just city names |
| Timing | Travel date, local time zone, departure window and latest acceptable arrival at the final destination |
| Passengers | Count on each leg, children and necessary boarding arrangements |
| Baggage | Number, approximate weight and dimensions of cases, golf bags, equipment or instruments |
| Cabin requirements | Usable passenger seats, lavatory, working space, catering and connectivity priorities |
| Stops | Whether a fuel stop is acceptable and the maximum total journey time |
| Trip structure | One-way, same-day return, overnight or multi-city |
| Flexibility | Acceptable airport, aircraft and schedule substitutions |
| Disruption | What happens if arrival is delayed by two hours or until the next day? |
| Commercial controls | Budget, authorised signatory and extra-cost approval contact |
| Confidentiality | Who may receive the itinerary and passenger details |
At the sourcing stage, use passenger counts and functional requirements. Send identity and other required passenger information through the selected provider’s approved process, rather than circulating passports across a speculative supplier list.
Compare private travel with a real alternative
Construct at least one feasible commercial-premium itinerary where relevant. Capture the fare and schedule with a date; add ground transfers, airport buffers and any necessary hotel night as explicit assumptions.
Compare:
- Cash expenditure: flights, transfers, hotels and other purchases.
- Door-to-door time: not just airborne time.
- Mission completion: which meetings or events remain achievable?
- Flexibility: what happens if the meeting runs late?
- Preference: comfort or privacy that the approver chooses to purchase.
Do not subtract a notional value of executive time from the invoice and call the result cash savings. Present time value as a separate management assumption.
NBAA recommends a board-approved aircraft-use policy with checks and balances. Its policy guide covers access, personnel restrictions and pilot authority, but expressly dates its legal content to July 2016; use it as a governance starting point, not current tax advice. (nbaa.org)
Stage gate: the organiser and approver agree on the mission, budget envelope and acceptable alternatives before suppliers are asked to compete.