The Jet Business CNBC Editorial January 2012
Welcome to the world's very first corporate jet showroom. This Bondes setup has been specially designed, from the floor to ceiling video walls to the mockup Airbus interior, to lure in the very wealthiest of shoppers. People known in corporate jet pants as ultra high net worth individuals. The Jet Business, the company behind this extravagant showpiece, described this as a one-stop shop for anyone with enough cash to spend on a corporate jet.
Prospective buyers can browse through the hundreds of jets on offer, some costing up to $80 million, at the touch of a button. Blackout windows shield more privacy-conscious buyers from prying eyes. Jet Business founder Steve Verano says his Belg Gravier showroom is a game changer for the corporate jet industry.
"We think that a face-to-face contact is super, super important. We think that being able to have like an information library that you can display graphically on this huge video screen that you've seen is very important. So a lot of our clients, they think they know what's available out there, but really nobody really knows everything that's available."
For the small sum of $40 million, this is what you can get: a corporate jet capable of flying transatlantic flights. It's kitted out with all the mod cons; there's even a double bed in the back. But in these times of austerity, who actually has the money to spend on this?
"That's completely changed in the last 3 years. 70% of all orders are outside the U.S., with the big growth markets being China and the other BRIC economies. And rather than proving a pricey luxury, spending on a jet could actually give your business a lift. The days of corporate excess have gone, and I think now you have to be able to justify an economic benefit of using corporate business travel.
And I think that's been proven. If you look at the performance of the Fortune 500 companies, there is a correlation between the success of the Fortune 500 companies and those that own and operate business jets. But if you feel that a corporate jet is just what your business needs to take off, then hopefully you're not in a hurry. Bear in mind that the average time between placing an order and that first transatlantic cocktail is another 5 years."