It was early evening about 15 years ago and I had just arrived at the Van Nuys Airport in California to pick up my second charter that day. As we finished up refueling, two black limousines pulled up to the side of our beautiful private jet. It was dark as I walked down the airstair door to greet my passengers and noticed several musical instruments being loaded into the baggage area, so I introduced myself to the two gentlemen approaching the plane and asked, “So are you musicians?” The taller man, in a British accent and sounding stunned at my ignorance, responded “Yes, it’s Sting, this is him right here!” and gestured to the slender man standing next to him. As I looked, it occurred to me the manifest listed my passenger’s name as Gordon Sumner. I had missed the connection despite having flown Sting previously on this same jet. Fortunately, Mr. Sumner is a very nice although somewhat quiet man and his agent seemed far more concerned at my failure of protocol than he was. We went on to provide the level of service people come to expect when they charter a private jet.

While many people stereotype corporate aviation or “private jets” with rock stars and the rich and famous, they typically only make up a small percentage of those who enjoy the convenience and luxury of private jet service. Despite the stereotype, most people who fly private do so for business reasons and convenience. Time is money, and the ability to reliably make multiple…