Featured Articles
The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show 27-31 October 2011
Private Jet Charter is thrilled to be taking part in the International Boat Show in Fort Lauderdale on October 27-31 2011.
Show exhibits range from yacht builders and designers to exotic cars, Private Jet companies, and brokerage yachts. A wide variety of boats and sea vessels will be on display including runabouts, sportfishers, high performance boats, center consoles, cabin cruisers, flats boats, skiffs, express cruisers, sailing yachts, motor yachts, bowriders, catamarans, ski boats, jet boats, trawlers, inflatables, canoes, and extraordinary superyachts.
Covering six locations and over 3 million square feet of space, the show’s transportation network of bus shuttles, water taxis, and riverboats ensures attendees can easily navigate the boat show and its expansive waterways system.Added attractions include The Blue Wild Dive Show, IGFA’s School of Sportfishing and Hook the Future’s Kids Fishing Clinics.
Buy your tickets from the show website and meet us on our stand number 681B in the US Superyacht Pavilion.
Our Party at the W Hotel after the show will be the place to be seen! Pick up your invitation from Wendy, Daniel or Joshua on the stand.
The Open Golf Championship in Sandwich, Kent – Helicopters and Local Knowledge!
From the 14th – 17 July the British Open 2011 came to Kent hosted once again by Royal St Georges Golf Club in Sandwich Kent.
This is particularly close to our hearts as our UK operations office is based in Kent nearby.
It is always a fantastic atmosphere when all the world class golfers converge on the tiny market town of Sandwich, which has single track roads, a one way system, and old toll bridge and an existing toll road for non-residents wishing to take a stroll along the bay! There is also a naturist beach – but we won’t shout about this!
As the town is not built for such an influx of visitors our helicopter transfers are very much in demand! Local knowledge is all in such situations.
We have flown in many of the leading names to the brilliantly situated Manston Airport, just 6 miles away from Sandwich, and provided Helicopters to and from accommodation daily.
The office has been buzzing with activity, and the golf enthusiasts have been particularly attentive and possessive of all of these trips, some going to extra lengths to make sure all goes to plan! Come to think of it where is Mark? I haven’t seen him for a few days…. Hmmm.
A few facts: The last time The British open was held in Kent was back in July 2003 and it will be the 14th time the open has come to Sandwich, the first was back in 1894.
Royal St Georges Golf Club was initially designed by Dr Laidlaw in 1887, it’s original design and use was for London golfers who generally played in overcrowded and unmanaged courses to come and relax and enjoy their round of golf.
If you are planning an event which may require a helicopter (or a golfing trip) feel free to call us for advice and costings. +44 (0)20 8897 8979
What’s Trending? The Isle of Capri
Capri was the favorite island retreat of the Roman Emperor Tiberius and this year it seems that it is the place to be seen! We’ve flown in Hollywood A-listers, Royalty and renowned musicians – all gracing the shores and bars of this Italian haven. It is easy to see why – this island is an elegant jewel in the most beautiful turquoise sea.
Tiberius’ Villa Jovis still stands proud at the summit of one of the island’s most picturesque uphill walks to the cliff tops. From the Villa there are breathtaking views of the whole of the Bay of Naples, the islands of Ischia and Procida, the Sorrentine Peninsula and the Bay of Salerno.
If you are not so taken with history and nature and people watching or shopping is more your thing Capri boasts what is monkered the most fashionable square in the world : Piazza Umberto I, better known as the Piazzetta, is a surprisingly small square enclosed within ancient edifices and dominated by the profile of the island’s Monte Solaro.
In the past, the Piazzetta was home to a lively fish and fruit market – that was until 1938 when the young islander, Raffaele Vuotto, opened a bar here and arranged a few small tables and chairs outside, where customers could relax over a cup of coffee or glass of wine. A number of his fellow citizens soon followed suit, and from that moment on, the Piazzetta became the heart of Capri’s social life, so much so that, in no time at all, the square earned itself the label of “salotto del mondo” (the world’s sitting room).
With a whole host of 5 star hotels and exclusive villas Capri really comes recommended!
If you haven’t planned your summer vacations this year you may want to join this exclusive crowd.
We can fly you into Naples from London on a Midsize jet for £11000.
Or Dubai to Naples on a heavy jet for $55,000 USD
A helicopter transfer would be around €4000 Euros for a round trip for 5 passengers.
Call us for more information +44 (0)20 8897 8979
Book Now to Avoid Disappointment!
Yes as proverbial as it may sound this statement sums up the July and August Private Jet market right now. It’s all about supply and demand!
If you have a trip in mind for July and August please call us or email us your requests this week if possible. We are finding that we are able to offer some excellent prices for our clients’ trips right now, but only if they are booked well in advance.
Unfortunately the demand for private jets is such that the best deals are being booked earlier than usual for this time of year, and if you come to the market late then prices being offered by the operators are considerably higher due to the lack of availability and huge demand.
We have had a very busy Spring coming into Summer and it is set to get even busier this year. If you have a trip coming up please do call us in advance and we will secure your aircraft now, and get you a super deal. There are some lovely new aircraft being added to fleets, which shows that the private jet market has found its feet again.
Call +44(0)20 8897 8979 today
Recruiting Brokers for our UK, French and Florida Offices
We have been very busy in our offices this year and have reached the point of needing to take on some new enthusiastic staff.
We are looking for 3 new brokers:
An experienced broker in our Fort Lauderdale office with at least 2 years experience,
A confident trainee broker in the UK office – a quick learner with a good telephone manner
An enthusiastic broker with sales experience and language skills – Spanish and German – for our Nice office.
If you are interested, or you know anyone who may be read on!
You would be joining a diverse and dynamic team of passionate professionals who love closing the deal. We would expect you to be competent negotiator and a confident communicator, with great attention to detail.
You will be a natural at maintaining and developing relationships with key clients and new business leads, maximising business opportunities and ensure client loyalty. Using your initiative you will identify new areas for potential business and be pro-active in calling clients and following up on leads.
This is a fantastic opportunity for the right individuals to establish themselves within a well known company. Salary is commensurate with experience, with a basic plus generous bonus.
If you are interested please email Careers@privatejetcharter.com
Luxury Real Estate on the French Riviera with Goldo International
We are partnering with Goldo International to bring you opportunities to purchase the most luxurious real estate available on the Cote d’Azur.
Many of our clients holiday in the south of France often buying their own holiday home in a preferred secluded spot.
Goldo are specialists in selling High Quality, Luxury, and Prestigious Properties on the French Riviera from Monaco to St Tropez. They have been in the market for 20 years and have far reaching contacts ensuring they secure the most luxurious properties available for their clients.
With agencies in towns such as Nice, St Tropez and Antibes and partners in Cannes, Monaco, Moscow, London and Paris they have an ideal set up to make your purchase run a smoothly as possible.
They are a truly international team employing natives of several European countries and in particular specialists in the Russian market who can deal with the exacting requirements of each client.
As well as finding your dream property Goldo International will deal with the A to Z of all the legal, financial and tax implications on your behalf, making what can be seen as a daunting French system a lot easier to deal with.
If you are interested in viewing a property or would like to discuss your dream home with Goldo call Suzanna or Maria on +33 (0)6 07 95 08 41 or email suzanna@goldo.fr or maria@goldo.fr
Private Jet Charter Florida Office a Great Success
We have been open in Florida for 3 months now – and what a whirlwind that has been! We have already taken on a third broker – our lovely Joshua Chubb. We realised pretty soon that our 2 experienced brokers simply couldn’t handle 30+ enquiries a day. The American market is clearly very lively!
Joshua is already a very valuable member of our team – a local boy with six years worth of knowledge and experience in the private jet industry. He knows the market inside out and has a little black book of contacts worth a lot more than its weight in gold!
Together the Florida team have grown the client base to a very respectable level and have exceeded their first 3 months’ targets in financial terms and in terms of client delivery.
We are getting excellent feedback from our new US clients about our service, efficiency and organisation.
We knew our American clients would be demanding, as they are so very used to excellent client service, and it seems we come up to scratch, and beyond. As they say in the Sunshine State – “Have a great day!”
Press Release – April 2011
Private Jet Charter, one of the world’s largest independent private jet charter brokers and consultants that recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of its founding in 1991, unveiled an aggressive expansion plan in North America by establishing its regional office in Fort Lauderdale to serve as its charter hub for the United States and Canada.
Private Jet Charter founder and Chief Executive Hugh Courtenay said that the Fort Lauderdale office will be the company’s fifth in its network, complementing locations in London, Nice, Dubai and Moscow.
Courtenay, who has overseen the company’s growth from inception in 1991, said: “After expanding our marketing activities in the US market, we are now in the perfect position to set up new offices staffed by a team of specialist aviation consultants, led by our experienced Operations Director Shaun Elliott. This is a very exciting project for Private Jet Charter, as the American market has grown significantly in the past year achieving an exponential growth.
“Our site selection process initially focused on Las Vegas or Chicago, but the presence of the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport – one of the nation’s busiest – and the assistance provided by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance CEO Council and City of Fort Lauderdale Economic Development officials motivated us that Fort Lauderdale was indeed the right choice to use as a platform for the entire North American market,” Courtenay added.
Private Jet Charter has selected office space at 401 East Las Olas Boulevard in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Stiles Realty assisted in the office search, Coldwell Banker provided residential relocation assistance and the Behar Law Group provided corporate and immigration legal counsel.
CEO Council Chairman Ray Ferrero, Jr. said, “We are delighted to welcome Private Jet Charter’s US/Canada regional headquarters and charter hub to Greater Fort Lauderdale. It joins over 150 other corporate and international regional headquarters that call Greater Fort Lauderdale home. In addition, they are part of The Charter Club – the world’s most prestigious yacht-charter members club backed by the International Yacht Register, and we see exciting synergies between Private Jet Charter and our world famous Fort Lauderdale yachting industry.”
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler added, “We are happy that leading companies in their fields like Private Jet Charter are choosing Fort Lauderdale as a platform to target the growing business potential occurring in the North American market. We believe that Private Jet Charter will provide value to their customers with transparent and reliable service which we are happy to see from Fort Lauderdale to the entire market.”
Florida Governor Rick Scott said, “We welcome Private Jet Charter’s choice to serve the entire North America region from Florida. This demonstrates the strategic location of Florida on the international map and speaks volumes for the significance of our efforts to reduce the burden of taxes and regulation on businesses.”
Specific benefits that the Private Jet Charter offers its customers include 24-hour service around the year, multilingual and expert staff, competitive free quotations and advice, unique CATS aircraft sourcing technology, and flight watch monitoring on all executive air charter flights. This involves keeping the traveler’s personal assistant or travel organizer informed of every stage of the journey, from limousine pick-up to take-off, flight progress and landing.
Commenting on the projected employment headcount and capital investment, Courtenay said: “Our current staff of two will be expanded to six employees over the next 18 months. This is sufficient in the first two years since our other international offices are supporting the North America office around the clock and most of the administration work will be provided by our international offices through effective systems we have in place.”
He added: “As we are a technology-led industry, we project a $2M turnover in the first year and double that in the second year of business, with our overall initial investment reaching $200,000, including consultancy fees from our management teams in other regions.”
Also, other benefits of Private Jet Charter include state-of-the-art new generation private jets, high-calibre pilots and cabin crew, use of private business and VIP terminals, check-in only 15 minutes before departure, rapid but secure immigration procedures, fly from an airport of your choice at your time, ‘meet and greet’ facilities, comprehensive airport information and limousine ground transportation, if required.
Courtenay concluded: “Our Florida office will guarantee a qualitative service at a closer proximity to our North American customers who represent a big chunk of our clientele. We are committed to servicing them with the highest degree of efficiency and professionalism, which have been the hallmarks of our relationship with our customers in general. We proudly claim that we offer an experience rather than a service.”
Private Jet Charter is an ISO 9002-certified company with 20 years of leadership in the aviation field. It is a respected provider of VIP aircraft, executive jets, helicopter charter, corporate airliners and dedicated medical evacuation aircraft.
The company accesses its global fleet through a Computerized Aircraft Tracking System which is updated automatically on a daily basis.
Armatus Risks
Private Jet Charter have partnered with Armatus Risks to provide our clients with the best in personal protection when the need arises. If you require a bodyguard or a full protection team, let us know your requirements and we can provide you with a fully integrated service including limousines, personal protection and private jet travel. Contact us for more information.
Close Protection Teams
It is imperative when choosing a Close Protection Team (CPT) that not only is it selected to provide an effective and professional service to the client but also that the team itself is chosen specifically to meet with the clients expectations. With this in mind Armatus Policing and Protection (AP&P) part of the Armatus Group of companies is one of the only companies who hand picks its teams to meet this requirement.
Unlike many providers of Close Protection operators who hold massive databases of individuals, AP&P relies on the fact that the directors of the company know all of the CP operators it uses personally. These operators have been recruited form either the Royal Military Police Close Protection Unit (RMP CPU), Home Office Police Close Protection units or trained by Armatus CP instructors who themselves were instructors at the world renowned RMPCPU. All of AP&P CP operators have been formally vetted and all hold a current and valid Close Protection Security Industry Authority (SIA) licence.
AP&P specialises in the deployment of Close Protection Teams in the UK, EU and Worldwide. All AP&P operators are able to deploy in a corporate and or hostile environment and have the necessary skills and advanced training allowing them to carry weapons subject to the laws and licensing regulation of the country they are deployed to.
AP&P prides itself on the ability to provide some of the most experienced and highly qualified male and female Close Protection operators in the world and ensures the clients individual needs are met.
Individual Bodyguards
Armatus Policing & Protection has the capability to provide an Individual Bodyguard (IBG) when the need for a full Close Protection Team is not required. Armatus Policing & Protection (AP&P) only allows the most experienced and qualified Close Protection Operators to assume this intimate, responsible and disciplined role. An Individual Bodyguard (IBG) is tasked to provide discreet protection to High Net Worth Individuals, Celebrities, their families and other individuals where appropriate.
Armatus Policing & Protection provides the most experienced male female Close Protection Operators available to suit every client’s requirements..
Close Protection VIP Chauffeurs
Armatus Policing & Protection (AP&P), only employs the most experienced and specialist drivers for its Close Protection VIP Chauffeur service. AP&P VIP Chauffeurs are trained to the highest standards and have all completed relevant Security Industry Authority Close Protection Training including anti ambush driving techniques. This along with having the requisite skills appropriate to chauffeuring. Armatus Policing & Protection VIP security chauffeurs are trained to the highest standards in Close Protection, advanced and anti ambush evasive driving
Armatus Medical Services
Armatus Risks also supplies highly qualified Parmedics and medics worldwide. All of our Paramedics and Medics are also close protection trained and can deploy fully equipped at short notice anywhere in the world.
For more information please visit http://www.armatus-group.com/
International Air Charter celebrates 20th anniversary with rebranding to Private Jet Charter
International Air Charter, one of the world’s leading private jet charter companies, is today changing its name to Private Jet Charter. Chief executive Hugh Courtenay, who founded the company, says: ‘The rebranding reflects the fact that we nowadays focus almost exclusively on luxury private jet charter.
From starting the business in the UK in 1991 with just one office, Courtenay has overseen the growth of a major international aviation charter organisation that now has 30 staff, and a network of offices in UK, Nice and a significant presence in the Middle East from a busy base in Dubai. The organisation is also planning to open new offices in key charter hubs Moscow and Florida in 2011.
People from all walks of life and from the widest range of areas of business, industry and commerce, are regular users of the company’s services
‘I think our growth has been due to a range of vital factors,’ says Courtenay, ‘from our complete dedication to our customers, to our access to what we believe is the largest and most comprehensive fleet of private jets anywhere in the world. Our unique and sophisticated state-of-the-art aircraft sourcing technology was developed at an early stage and this Computerised Aircraft Tracking System CATS enables our aviation consultants to source available aircraft at the click of a mouse, by aircraft type, number of seats, year of manufacture and at any location in the world. When a customer calls with an enquiry, we can almost instantly provide details of the most suitable available for the clients’ itinerary and give an indication price, there and then.’
The nature of the private jet charter business means that the recession has had little effect on it. Private jet charter has in fact become increasingly popular in recent years as more and more people avoid security worries and expectations of long waits to check-in at airports by opting for the advantages of taking a private jet.
Hugh Courtenay says: ‘It’s a myth that private jet charter is only affordable by tycoons and movie stars. If several people are flying together, the cost of private charter can often only represent a relatively modest premium compared with the aggregate price of first-class fares on a scheduled flight.
It’s also essential to factor into the cost the enormous benefits of being able to fly from and to the airports that are absolutely the most convenient for your journey at the time you choose.
Also, the sheer comfort and the completely personal service that taking a private jet flight offers, means that passengers will arrive fresh and relaxed without having had to endure the stresses scheduled flights so often involve.’
Specific benefits that the Private Jet Charter organisation offers its customers include:
- 24 hr service, 365 days a year
- multilingual and expert staff
- competitive free quotations and advice
- unique CATS aircraft sourcing technology
- flight watch monitoring on all executive air charter flights. This involves keeping the PA or travel organiser informed of every stage of the journey, from limousine pick-up to take-off, progress of the flight and landing.
- state-of-the-art new generation private jets
- the highest calibre pilots and cabin crew
- use of private business and VIP terminals
- check-in only 15 minutes before departure
- rapid, but secure, immigration procedures
- fly from an airport of your choice at the time you specify
- security and discretion guaranteed
- ‘meet and greet’ facilities
- comprehensive airport information
- limousine ground transportation if required
Travelling within the Middle East
Ramadan is over, and with it the hot summer temperatures have subsided for 2010. It is very much back to business for the Middle East.
IAC’s Middle East office is now in its 10th year and is based on Dubai’s busy Airport Freezone. The Charter Team, led by Operations Manager Mr Ahmed Abubakker, operate a 24hr service.
Abubaker commented ‘During the summer months we have operated many long haul flights to Europe and the USA for holiday travel, however from the beginning of September we have many more Corporate clients who utilize our light and midsize jet range for intra-regional travel, which proves extremely cost effective’.
If you have business to attend to within the Middle East, taking a private jet will save you time. By flying from your closest airport, you will have plenty of space to work onboard your aircraft, and arrive at your meeting feeling relaxed and rested.
Equally once you have attended to business you can return home the same day without the need to stay overnight in a hotel or wait in busy airport lounges for commercial flights.
Typical indication costs for a return trip with a one night lay over:
Dubai to Jeddah from $21,000 USD
Dubai to Riyadh from $13,000 USD
Dubai to Beirut from $23,000 USD
Dubai to Cairo from $25,000 USD
Call our Aviation Consultants today for exact prices for your particular trip, passenger numbers and travel dates.
T 24hr +44 (0)20 8897 8979 or the Middle East Office +971 4 299 6868