Story ID: 
Bombardier in-house charter challenges frax
By: Charles Alcock
Caption: Bombardier has started offering its Skyjet ad hoc executive charter service alongside its Flexjet Europe’s existing Jet Membership block-charter program.
Word Count: 353
Bombardier has started offering its Skyjet ad hoc executive charter service alongside its Flexjet Europe’s existing Jet Membership block-charter program. Skyjet Europe offers fixed occupied hour rates in four Bombardier types–the Learjet 31A, 45 and 60 and the Challenger 604–operated by the same nine operators who provide the Jet Membership services. It is claimed to be the first charter service in Europe offering rates based purely on occupied hours, and without separate charges for positioning flights.Flexjet Europe has also expanded the borders of the “fixed-price area” in which both Jet Membership and Skyjet services are offered. In addition to western Europe, the area now includes the following eastern European states: Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Yugoslavia, Macedonia and Albania. The services also cover southern Norway and Sweden.Skyjet Europe offers three bands of charter rates (priced in Euros), depending on whether the client requires a one-way journey, a same-day return flight or an itinerary spanning more than a single day using the “by the day” rate. Skyjet services can be booked on a purely ad hoc basis through the “by the trip” payment option, requiring a 10-percent deposit when the reservation is made and the balance paid 72 hours before departure. Those requiring greater numbers of charter hours can enjoy discounted rates through the “frequent traveler” payment option. This requires the lump sum for all charter hours to be paid in advance and for all occupied hours to be used within five years. It is intended for those clients needing multiple charter hours, but who are not ready to make Jet Membership’s minimum block-charter commitment of 25 flight hours per year.Bombardier’s London-based Flexjet Europe operation has also introduced greater flexibility for the Jet Membership program itself. Customers no longer have to commit to a specific aircraft type when joining and can request the model best suited to their requirement for any given trip. Aircraft availability is guaranteed up to 4 p.m. on the day before departure. Clients are also no longer required to commit to one-way, same-day return or by-the-day service when they join the program.