Here'a an idea! Before handing over taxpayer bailout $$ make the company sign over their corp jets..

If Bank of America has 5 corporate jets and they go to Washington to hold their hand out for taxpayers' money, make 'em sign over the title to the 5 corporate jets to the US Govt and let's have a public auction!

annual report mailed to us, along with an invitation to the annual shareholder's meeting. If they want to use our money I want to see some accountability.

Though I doubt so for most banks, some companies require C-Level people travel out into the field to review their business. Corporate jets (if done right) actually save money from not having to spend 8 hours of a C-level's (and those traveling with them) waiting in an airport.

However, I do think that it is abused in many companies. I guess I am saying that I agree with your sentiment, but it is a case where you can't make a hard and fast rule.

L-

While I'm sure you can go dig up many examples of where the company jet is abused, most corporate flight departments I've witnessed have very strict scheduling rules. In most cases, the trip MUST be for business purposes only, and in some flight departments, there has to be a minimum number of passengers even. A number of flight departments also charter the jet out to outside customers when the company isn't using it, to help offset the costs. In these cases, the flight department is often reorganized as an aviation subsidiary of the parent company.

I think if people spent a day in the corporate aviation world, they'd be highly surprised at just how hard those people actually work towards their company's productivity, and that the jets are used in efficient ways. The examples of fat-cat CEOs taking the jet to ski resorts certainly exist, but that is the exception rather than the rule. I used to fly Learjet 35s, and all the other corporate pilots I rubbed elbows with spoke of very rigid, efficient flight departments. I just happened to fly Learjets for the government, so our operation was a little different, but we often flew to civilian airports and we'd wait for our passengers along with the other civilian corporate pilots, and we'd share info, etc.

I was like most people here...thinking corporate jets were the realm of Captains of Industry (and certainly they do ride on jets). However, most (like 80-90% of the passengers) are actually mid- to low-level nobodys trying to get work done, and having to fly to manufacturing plants, suppliers, business branches or other business-related locations out in BFE where there is no commercial airport nearby.

the union aircraft workers in Wichita Ks don't really need those jobs.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29417556/
By KSNW News
KSNW-TV
updated 1:45 p.m. MT, Fri., Feb. 27, 2009
WICHITA, Kansas - Around 800 Cessna employees learned Thursday they would be among the 4,000 Wichita workers at the plant hitting the unemployment lines. Over 8,000 aviation workers have been laid off in the last few months, but some help is on the way.

As more and more workers get lay off notices, compliments of the recent nose dive in the aircraft industry, a local charity is turning to the public to help them. The United Way says it's starting a fund for laid-off workers to help them pay their bills and make ends meet until they can find new jobs.

"We're asking the community to come forward and offer us an extra special boost as we can help the other members of the community who've lost their jobs," said Patrick Hanrahan of the United Way of the Plains.



As I'm sure you can see from the above photo, it only affects old, rich, white guys.

Please haul your head out of you ass before you spout nonsense.

I read in another threat of someone likening business jets to luxury yachts. But there's a difference...biz jets are used as corporate travel tools 90% of the time, NOT luxury items to take the boss to Aspen. Yachts are almost exclusively luxury items not used for any kind of business productivity. Additionally, corporate aviation is a huge industry and one of the leading products our aerospace industry exports. It's not far behind commercial jets (like Boeing) in export productivity. Cessna, Hawker Beechjet, Bombardier (Learjet and Canadair brands), Gulfstream and a number of other smaller manufacturers employ thousands of blue and white collar US workers, and most of those companies listed above are US-owned as well.

It makes me mad that so many people are clamoring for an entire industry to go under (one of the few industries were we still lead) just so a couple rich execs and celebs can't have their jets....especially given that MOST of those jets are NOT used for private personal use, they are used for corporate travel and productivity. These jets are owned and operated by companies large and small, and for many companies, commercial airlines simply cannot provide the travel product they need, so the corporate jet works well for them. And yes, there are a few jets used exclusively for personal travel to ski resorts, etc. But that is the exception, not the rule in business aviation.

Right now, corporate aviation is faltering...production lines are closing up, laying off highly skilled aviation workers. Pilots and crews are being laid off. Airport Fixed Base Operators (FBOs, they sell fuel, maintenance and other service items to jet operators) are also feeling the pinch and laying off people. Suppliers of aviation parts and equipment are laying people off. Companies that have legitimate travel needs for a business jet are canceling orders to avoid appearing bad in the press, since the press these days is sniffing out any company purchasing a new jet. And just because some people want to make political hay out of the misconception that a business jet equals corporate excess, an entire industry segment is nose-diving and laying off tens of thousands of US workers and killing a once profitable and productive export market for US-made products.

Great job.

What will that accomplish?

without obscene penalties on credit card debt.

A corporate jet is a tool used to enhance a company's productivity.

The OP did not suggest that all corporations give up their corporate jets .... just the Bank of America which has received BILLIONS in taxpayer $$$ and now is asking for more, while maintaining 5 separate corporate jets.

THe CEO flew to D.C. to testify at an estimated cost of $5000.00, as opposed to flying commercial at less than $500.00. Sorry, but if you are in such bad shape that you need additional billions of dollars then you should institute 'cost-cutting measures.'

If you want to make this into a class warfare argument --you go right ahead, but I never suggested such a thing. I will tell you this .... if the billions of taxpayer money is not given, and they file bankruptcy, the Bankruptcy Judge would require them to either justify the expense or liquidate them. That is reality ... not class warfare.