Adventures in Flackery, Private Jet Edition

Two high-profile financial columnists filed two strikingly similar opinions on corporate jets today:

1. A private plane is really a flying office. It is a way for a busy executive to get from one place to another as efficiently as possible, to get as much work done as possible on the way, and to avoid down time.

   The executive of an important company has immense responsibilities. His or her time is precious. To waste that time in an airport security line or dealing with flight delays is, quite frankly, a sin against the stockholders. Flying on a private plane is not a decadent act — it is just a way to move a very valuable asset around to maximize its productivity. To keep executives from using these planes is as foolish as not allowing them to use cell phones or computers.

2. I have some sympathy for the industry. There is actually some point to executives of big companies with plants or facilities spread across the US, and indeed around the world, flying point-to-point by corporate jet to visit them.

   As a shareholder, I would prefer senior executives to save time in this way rather than having to queue at airports to get through security check points.

Is there some kind of PR push going on? As it happens, yes there is! And it was announced today! Well done, PR people!