Private flights – The way to avoid a layover!

When you travel, flights do not always take you directly to your destination. Commercial flights may require you to book a flight with a change of planes. A trip by air taxi has the advantage of allowing you to avoid connecting flights by taking you directly to the nearest airport of your destination. In this blog we will explain how the system of connecting flights and a flight connection works and show you how to make your trip more comfortable with a private flight.

What is a connecting flight?

First, we will explain the difference between intermediate landing, connecting flight and flight stopover.

When you have a stopover, you do not change planes, but the plane stops either to refuel or to allow other passengers to board. This extends your travel time a little.

A intermediate landing is when your connecting flight departs 24 hours after the arrival of your first flight. In most cases, you will need to leave the airport, collect your luggage and book a hotel for the night.

A connecting flight means that you have to change planes (as opposed to a stopover) to reach your final destination. An example: you fly from Düsseldorf to Caen. In your booking you have two tickets: one from Düsseldorf to Lyon and one from Lyon to Caen. This means that you are taking two different flights to a given destination, so you have used a connecting flight.

Notes on connection with commercial flights

In case of flight connection with connecting flights, you should pay special attention to the waiting time between the two flights. After all, if the arrival time of your first flight is very close to the departure time of the connecting flight and the first flight is delayed, you could miss your connecting flight. Depending on the airline you fly with, you may be able to get a refund, but only under certain conditions.

Additionally, when you change planes, check if your second flight departs from the same airport as the one you landed at. In some cases and depending on your destination, you may need to change airports. For connecting flights, find out in advance how long it will take to get from one airport to another. Such connecting flights may occur when you land in large cities with multiple airports. A good example is Paris with its three major airports: Orly, Roissy Charles-de-Gaule and Le Bourget.

Since smaller cities have a lower intrinsic demand, the only way to fly to these cities profitably is to connect them to a larger airport. In this way, commercial airlines can serve the smaller destination through the aggregate demand of connections to that particular destination. When demand is so low, commercial airlines may choose not to fly to the destination.
This is the case with the airport Leipzig/Dresden. If you fly from Leipzig to Annecy, you will have to choose a connecting flight, as this airport does not have a direct connection to the final destination city.

Hire a private jet to avoid a flight connection

If a connecting flight seems too stressful and you want to travel in a more relaxed way, then we recommend hiring a private jet. Private jets offer direct flights to your chosen destinations. Depending on the aircraft you select and the distance you will travel, you may be required to make a stopover for refueling.

It is quite possible to connect with a private jet at a larger airport after or before a long-haul flight. For example, if you are coming from a small European city like Basel and you are taking a long trip outside of Europe, you will often have to change planes at a major airport like Frankfurt or Paris. You can use an air taxi to reach the major airport from which your long-haul flight departs.

If you are changing planes in Paris, your long-haul flight will probably depart from the Charles de Gaulle airport, while your private plane will have landed at the Le Bourget airport. Transportation between the two airports will be arranged by the private travel company. For the return flight between the long-haul flight and the air taxi flight, you can use an FBO. The FBO at Le Bourget, the terminal for private jets, offers many advantages, such as a lounge with bar and wine cellar, ideal for relaxing between the flights.

If you want to learn more about the benefits of air taxi travel, be sure to read our other articles.

Book your next trip with Fly Aeolus

Are you now convinced of the advantages of an air taxi? Fly Aeolus uses two types of aircraft: the Cirrus SR22 and the Piper PA46. You can choose the aircraft you prefer depending on the distance to be covered and the size of the group of passengers. We fly to more than 1600 destinations in Europe. To have an idea about the cost of your next flight, you can also use our price calculator.

If you have further questions, you can refer to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). For more information, you can contact us by e-mail at info@flyaeolus.com or by phone at +49 (0)7641 9568007.