Personal Travel Picks up at EAS

(to see the list of the Largest Air Charters, click here for a pdf.) 

Many of the business clients at Executive Aviation Services, based at Drake Field in Fayetteville, are in the real estate and construction industries.

That meant a huge drop in business charters as the economy slowed during 2007, but director of operations and pilot Mark Myers said the shortfall was nearly entirely made up by an increase in personal travel.

“The net to us, was we were down right in the area of 10 percent,” Myers said. “In tough times the first thing cut is travel expenses.

“Those two (industries) have been hit hard, but our amount of personal travel has more than doubled versus the previous year or two.”

Myers said the most popular destinations for leisure jaunts are Florida stops like Destin, Orlando and West Palm Beach. Trips to the Caribbean, Augusta, Ga., and Las Vegas are also common.

“Folks like the convenience and reliability,” Myers said. “Most people can’t afford to be stuck somewhere for an extra day or two, and they like to go where they want to go without making three connecting flights.”

EAS charges by the hour, and its rates have gone up by around $200 an hour this year, and 80 percent of that is because of fuel costs that swing from $3.70 per gallon to $7.60 at airports like Vegas, San Diego and Atlanta.

“It sounds obscene, and it is,” he said.

Myers said the increase in the flat rate has been an advantage over other charter companies who use fuel surcharges that can add an unexpected expense line at the end of a trip. Myers said fuel surcharges can add up to a third of the cost.