Small businesses can join the jet set.

Air charters have become a smart alternative to today's hectic airline experience. In fact, many businesspeople may already qualify as members of the 'jet set' crowd and not know it. A growing number of Southern Californians have only recently discovered the affordability of this service orientated and highly responsive alternative to the big airlines.

"New clients are usually surprised they can afford a private charter service," explains Roger Smith of Express Air Charter, headquartered at Palomar Airport/Carlsbad. "It's fun to see their faces when they drive right up to the plane and realize they can just step in and go."

Changes in airport security and the stresses associated with current business travel have given a boost to air charter companies. The convenience of driving up to the plane, handing over your keys and baggage, and entering a world of luxury and privacy has always been attractive, but is now within the budget of business travelers and vacationers alike. If the romance of the private jet can now be justified, right there on the bottom line, then there may finally be something that the marketing and accounting departments can agree on!

For many small to mid-sized companies, the hassles of traveling commercial--the delays, the airport crowds, the security problems-have grown intolerable, and the cost of these services has become clearer, especially in the form of lost productivity.

Even though the charter option has existed since the first commercial flights, the big airlines have successfully promoted their image as the low-cost choice for air travel. Yet a careful look at that "cheap" ticket can tell a different story. The most important benefits of air charter may be intangible, but are nonetheless crucial to the bottom line of most businesses: efficiency and productivity.

Air charter's advantages multiply as the charter sector enjoys a growing market share for business travelers, and as it becomes available at even more airports nationwide.

Information for this article was provided by Express Air Charter For more information, please visit www.expressaircharter:net.