Conklin & de Decker Study Once Again Gives Air Partner JetCard The Advantage

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., May 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- For the third consecutive year, independent aviation consultant Conklin & de Decker's report, US Jet Memberships Compared, has found that the Air Partner JetCard continues to surpass all major US competitors in terms of both cost and flexibility.

Commissioned by Air Partner, the comprehensive report concludes:

"Air Partner is the best priced in all categories." (pg. 10)

"Air Partner appears to remain the most flexible of the US jet membership programs." (pg. 13)

The report, which includes Sentient Jet, Marquis Jet, Wheels Up, and Delta Private Jets, uses the cost of a 25-hour jet membership and "effective hourly rates" based on round-trip discounts to compare pricing, but also highlights important flexibility aspects such as global service, fully refundable, non-expiring hours, and the ability to interchange aircraft categories.

"We are very proud that once again the research by Conklin & de Decker has recognized the Air Partner JetCard," commented David McCown, Senior Vice President. "With the abundance of jet card offerings available on the market, clients are looking at more than just price. Many of our members have migrated to Air Partner because they found that our JetCard offered complete freedom and flexibility. The findings in this study are a testament to that."

In the pricing segment of the report, Conklin & de Decker illustrated how Air Partner's 25-hour JetCard beats the competition in all cabin categories, but is increasingly competitive when members apply Air Partner's unique round-trip discount of 20%.

Using the discount to generate "effective hourly rates," or the overall hourly rates when a traveler uses 50% of their card hours for round-trip travel, the report shows that Air Partner offers even greater savings.

In the flexibility section, Conklin & de Decker assembled a qualitative comparison of each of the five jet membership programs. Criteria covered eleven different categories, including global coverage, expiring hours, interchange fees, peak-day surcharges and refundable account balances. The Air Partner JetCard was the only program of the five to offer fully refundable account balances, without any penalty or fees, and complete global coverage.

The report also comes on the heels of a strong financial performance for Air Partner, whose Private Jets division closed the last financial year with an underlying operating profit increase of over 200% and JetCard utilization up by 33%. The company also completed the acquisition of Cabot Aviation Services Limited, an aircraft remarketing company, and Baines Simmons Limited, a world leader in aviation safety consulting in 2015.

Conklin & de Decker is a trusted, independent analyst with over 30 years of experience in aviation information. The company offers cost and performance data comparison across a wide range of aircraft and helps consumers better understand the costs of aircraft acquisition, maintenance and management.

About Air Partner

Founded in 1961, Air Partner is a global aviation services group that provides worldwide solutions to industry, commerce, governments and private individuals. The Group is structured into four reporting divisions: Commercial Jets, Private Jets, Freight and Baines Simmons. The Commercial Jet division charters large airliners to move groups of any size. Cabot Aviation, which is formed within the Commercial Jet division, provides comprehensive remarketing programs for all types of commercial and corporate aircraft to a wide range of international clients. Private Jets offers the company's unique pre-paid JetCard program and on-demand charter. Air Partner Freight charters aircraft of every size to fly almost any cargo anywhere, at any time. Baines Simmons is a world leader in Aviation Safety Consulting which specializes in aviation regulation, compliance and safety management. Air Partner is headquartered alongside Gatwick airport in the UK. Air Partner operates 24/7 year-round and has 20 offices globally. Air Partner is listed on the London Stock Exchange (AIR) and is also ISO 9001:2008 compliant for commercial airline and private jet solutions worldwide. www.airpartner.com

SOURCE Air Partner

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