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Fly Private Charter During the COVID-19 Pandemic

You may think of flying in a private plane as something that only the wealthy do, but it is something that may be attainable for many people, and it can decrease exposure to the novel coronavirus, which is greatly important right now. The stay home orders around the country have made travel difficult, especially if you need to fly to your destination.

Commercial airlines have cut up to 90 percent of their flights, and it is still unknown when flight schedules will be able to return to normal, but we can anticipate this will continue until either a cure or vaccine is found for the novel coronavirus. Private charter flights may see a rise in interest as the global pandemic continues, since they offer a way to fly without having to be near others, reducing the risks of catching COVID-19. One private charter company saw an increase of 300 percent in charter flight requests in early March.

Decreased Exposure Risks

According to one study, “there are 700 touchpoints exposing passengers to the risk of contagion on a single commercial flight. There are only 20 such interactions when using business aviation.” This means that even though there is still a risk of catching the coronavirus when traveling, taking a private flight significantly reduces your risk of exposure.

Part of what makes flying a private charter so safe is that you do not need to arrive at the airports several hours early and go through a drawn-out check-in process. You arrive at the tarmac before your flight and climb aboard. You also do not have to go through queues to get off your plane when you reach your destination or spend time waiting at the baggage claim; you just get off the plane and meet your ride.

Relocating

In March, people began booking private charter flights to relocate their elderly parents and grandparents without having to put the vulnerable on crowded, public flights, as well as bringing college students home as schools began to close. One private airline, in a span of 48 hours, took a total of 106 passengers — the majority of whom were elderly —to destinations all around the country. There were no more than 16 people per flight and the airline implemented social distancing protocols their passengers had to follow.

Conclusion

It is difficult to predict if this new spike in flying private planes will continue when the pandemic passes and people are able to safely fly commercial airlines again, but it seems likely that some will continue to do so, after having enjoyed the comforts of a private flight; especially having a more direct flight without layovers.At QuikCharter, we are providing transportation for essential travel and cargo during this epidemic. If you begin to feel sick, you can cancel or reschedule your trip without penalties. We are taking every precaution to keep our passengers and crew healthy during these difficult times. You can learn more about our response to the COVID-19 pandemic here.

Essential Travel? We’re Here to Help

The state of California’s COVID-19 shelter in place order allows essential businesses to remain open. The transportation industry and businesses that fall under that category have been identified as essential.

The following guidelines have been developed so that QuikCharter can continue operations to safely serve the public during the current health crisis.

QuikCharter will remain open for business as an essential service providing charter flight operations (passenger and cargo), including emergency flight ops in support of healthcare, transportation, and supply chain efforts, statewide and interstate, all subject to the guidance and direction of state and federal public health officials. Maintenance and pilot training operations will continue as required to ensure and maintain pilot and aircraft flight readiness.

This is all subject to the guidance and direction of state and federal public health officials and as the situation changes we will adapt and comply – up to and including closure.

In order to slow the spread of COVID-19; we will remain operational under the following guidelines:

Aircraft will be sanitized before and after every flight
Aircraft and pilots will be booked for only one trip per day to provide ample time for aircraft cleaning
Customers will be provided with hand sanitizer before boarding and all passengers will be expected to apply it generously
If any customer is not feeling well, we kindly ask you to cancel or reschedule your flight (full refund; no penalties)
Pilots will follow the same hygiene protocols and will not report for work if they are feeling ill

For more information on our procedures read our statement.

Thank you for being a valued QuikCharter customer.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): What we’re doing to keep customers and employees safe

The safety of our customers and employees is and always will be our top priority. Usually this kicks off a discussion about flight safety, the Cirrus parachute system, and other safety-of-flight topics.

In the current health environment we also want to inform our passengers about how safety additionally extends to address health concerns.

Daily

We’re providing hand sanitizer for use by pilots and passengers before, during, and after every flight.
All aircraft are cleaned at a variety of touchpoints throughout the day. The cleaning procedure includes a thorough disinfectant wipe down of all common surfaces: seats, armrests, seat belts, headsets and microphones.

After Each Landing

We clean and prep the aircraft again using the methods described above for the next set of passengers.

Pilots

If a pilot is feeling sick for any reason, he/she is required to report the illness and another pilot will be placed on your trip immediately.

Passengers

If you’re feeling sick or exhibiting any symptoms, please do not travel. There is no penalty to cancel or reschedule with us. Contact us right away please.

What you can do?

According to the CDC and the National Safety Council, and the WHO:

Wash your hands often – and thoroughly – with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
Alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content is a good secondary option
Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing
Avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes with unwashed hands
Use gloves and masks as needed
Get a flu shot if you haven’t already
If you’re sick – please stay home! There is no penalty for postponing or canceling your QuikCharter trip (contact us!)

Spend your Summer Vacation with Man’s Best Friend

Air travel can be frightening and stressful for pets. At QuikCharter, we don’t treat pets as checked baggage or cargo. When you fly with us, your pet boards with you and rides in style with you for the entire trip (and for no extra fee!).

Reserve a summer flight and bring your pet. We’ll provide them with the same care and service we give all of our passengers!

QuikCharter treats your pets as valued passengers!

Hail an Air Taxi Direct to Campus

Do you have a child or close relative with an upcoming graduation? Many colleges and universities are painful to get to — unless you take an air taxi to the small, regional airport near campus! Celebrate the big event by taking your whole family on a Linear Air Taxi for graduation. (Remember that the flight cost is the same whether it’s just you or a full plane, so be sure to bring a crowd!)

Reserve your graduation air taxi today, and spend more time celebrating with your graduate!

Work Travel Doesn’t Have to be Business As Usual

Keep your team productive by using Air Taxi for business. Turn draining overnight travel into quick and easy day trips. Save money on hotels, car rentals, and employees waiting around commercial airports.

Get more out of your business day with Air Taxi! Get a fast quote by contacting us today.

Time-Critical Cargo: When Ground Expedite Is Not Fast Enough

When speed is paramount, our time-critical services ensure shipments are delivered as quickly and securely as possible.

When time is of the essence, trust QuikCharter to expedite your small, time-critical shipments. We offer fast and cost-effective air cargo charter solutions throughout California, when you’re looking for an airport-to-airport service. Our aircraft can access SFO and LAX just as easily as they can get into nearly all of the smallest rural airports.

In addition to cargo charter options, we allow on board courier (OBC) to accompany the cargo – to hand-deliver small consignments of spare parts, samples, prototypes and important documents.

Whatever your time-critical requirements, we are ready to assist. Contact us for more information.

Air Taxi Makes Traveling With Children Easier

Little people are known for having little patience. Long lines and long waits lead to tears, tantrums, and frustration. Air Taxi makes family travel easy by allowing you to skip long car rides, packed airports, and dirty looks from your fellow passengers. Take your family directly to their destination by booking an on-demand Air Taxi and show up to the airport 15 minutes before take-off!

Traveling with little ones has never been so easy! Price a flight today.

Price a flight today – contact us for a quick quote.

Take An Air Taxi To Warmer Weather

Here are the benefits you may be missing out on if you’re not flying Air Taxi.

Less Traffic: Regional airports are located just outside of major cities, often closer to where people live. That means less traffic and shorter drive times.

Convenient Parking: Regional airports have easy, free parking right on site. In fact, most will valet your car at no cost.

No Lines: When you travel via Air Taxi, there’s no security line, no baggage check counter, no long walk to a gate, and no queuing up with hundreds of other passengers to board.

Your Own Plane: When you book an Air Taxi, the aircraft is reserved just for you and your travel companions. Need we say more?
Book a weekend escape and get a jump on Spring!

Slash Travel Time and Boost Productivity

Flying commercial means hours of productivity sucked out of your day.

Say goodbye to busy airports and connecting flights. The time you spend parking, walking to the terminal, waiting in security lines and at gates, boarding by zone, and then disembarking en masse, adds up to hours of empty time.

With Air Taxi, door-to-door travel time is primarily spent flying. No aggravating waits. More day trips and less need to stay overnight in costly hotels away from your family.

Get a quote for your next trip from us today – just contact us for a fast quote.

The Benefits of Using an Air Taxi

Our latest video production showcases how we offer excellent value in short-range day trips using a Cirrus SR22 aircraft.

In this 2 minute overview, I’m the narrator (and on-camera pilot) as we showcase the ease and convenience of using an air charter / air taxi service. Let us know what you think… and always feel free to contact us for more information about chartering.

Air Charter from Paso Robles to Orange County

How does a client in the Paso Robles wine industry attend an important meeting in Orange County and still get home for a dinner engagement? QuikCharter Air Taxi easily solved this with a one hour flight between Paso Robles (PRB) and Orange County (John Wayne/SNA).

Our pilot took this photo while waiting to pick up the client at Paso Robles Airport, remarking that it was a gorgeous morning to fly.

The client got on board and enjoyed a scenic flight down the coast, over the LA basin, and touched down in OC about an hour later.

The pilot and airplane waited for him to conduct his business, an anticipated three hours. When the client was ready to head back, the pilot and aircraft were waiting and ready to go. It was an uneventful sunset flight back to the Paso Robles wine country.

If you’d like to see how a charter flight using an air taxi service can help accelerate your business, contact us today for advice and a quote.

From The Bay Area To Truckee In Under An Hour

Getting yourself to a ski weekend in Tahoe on a Friday evening can be a harrowing experience. You’ve been there: sitting in traffic for four… five… sometimes six hours. You begin to wonder if it’s even worth it.

Consider: using a small airplane to fly to the mountains. You can land in Truckee, Reno, or South Lake Tahoe in about an hour. You can depart from any one of the many municipal airports around the Bay Area. You can arrive stress-free and be there for dinner.

This is real, and it’s not just for the jet crowd. You can land, have a rental car waiting, and be on your way in mere minutes. No more Friday afternoon I-80 traffic headaches. Contact us to find out how you can hire a charter to get you there, or begin the rewarding journey of learning to become a pilot yourself.

Cirrus SR Accident Rate Lower Than GA Average

Cirrus haters: line up and wait. The accident rate of Cirrus aircraft vs. all other SE piston general aviation aircraft (GA) is now available from the horse’s mouth (Department of Transportation). This graph prepared from the DOT shows Cirrus Aircraft to be consistently safer (fewer accidents per 100,000 hours flown).

If you are timid about taking a trip in a “little airplane” please read safety reports, see how we do things, and then contact us for a quote or even just an introductory flight. We look forward to hearing from you!

Business Aviation: The Unfair Advantage

What was once used only in extraordinary circumstances or by top global companies has today become a business necessity. If you charter, lease or own an aircraft, you already understand that Business Aviation — also called General Aviation — is as indispensable as your cell phone and your laptop. For those companies that don’t use Business Aviation, read on to discover why it’s an invaluable business tool in order to survive — and thrive — in today’s tough economic climate.

Reprinted from a Forbes article dated 8/6/12, found here.

Only about 3 percent of the approximately 15,000 business aircraft registered in the U.S. are flown by America’s largest and most well-known companies, while the remaining 97 percent are operated by a broad cross-section of organizations, including governments, universities, charitable organizations and businesses — large, medium and small. And that 97% represents the vibrant heartbeat of what keeps American business humming… or in this case, flying.

Whether it’s moving a team of technicians from one plant to another or bringing clients in for a presentation, companies of all sizes and in all industries are counting on business aviation to compete in their specific markets. As a result, business aviation is saving companies money by eliminating the “down time” and frustrations associated with commercial air travel.

“Because there isn’t enough time in the day as it is, relying on a business aircraft helps companies take advantage of the time they do have,” says Kim Showalter, President of Showalter Flying Service in Orlando.

Companies are taking to heart the old adage “time is money” as they seek increased productivity and profitability, while providing healthier, happier work environments for their employees. And they’ve found several instances where business aircraft accomplishes both — such as when a sales team has several places to go in a short amount of time, when more than one employee is traveling on the same itinerary, when their destination isn’t a major airline hub, or when airline schedules simply don’t fit the company work schedule.

For most companies, cost was the major stumbling block to using business aviation services in the past. But that argument is no longer valid, says Showalter. Businesses that rely on their own aircraft have done comparison studies to determine its cost versus the combined cost of commercial air travel, including airfares, overnight expenses for hotels and meals, car rentals, and, most importantly, the value of an executive’s time on the road and away from home and family. ”Those costs add up,” adds Showalter. “Businesses are finally realizing it’s more cost-effective to have their employees working instead of waiting for delayed or canceled flights.”

Less time at airline terminals is scoring big points with employees, too, who are eating more meals at home and fewer at the airport. Business aviation actually gives business travelers the freedom to go where they want, when they want. And with the trend in business to decentralize from major cities, that’s important. Today, if your business destination isn’t a major commercial airline hub, it takes you twice as long to reach it.

Aside from the ease in scheduling, users of business aviation are exposed to fewer travel hassles. The walk from the ramp to the luggage carousel to the taxi stand becomes obsolete, as does lost luggage and cramped quarters on board.

“Many companies actually conduct business or staff meetings in the air when traveling by business aviation,” Showalter says.

Business aircraft generally take the form of single- or twin-engine pistons, turboprops, or corporate jets, and can accommodate as few as four or as many as 24 passengers. While the commercial airlines have access to only 500 airports, business aviation aircraft can take off and land at more than 5,000 facilities around the country — 10 times more than are available to commercial airliners.

“Business aviation has simply become a way of life for the successful, thriving businesses of today,” Showalter says. “From the boardroom to the accounting department, it’s the most efficient business travel alternative available.”

To learn more about our Air Taxi / Air Charter service, contact us for a quick quote.