How do the Fortune 500 CEOs?
 

I've always wondered this. How do the CEOs of all those Fortune 500 companies fly? Do they have private business jets? Or do you think they fly commerically, even in First Class, like us lowly travelers.

When the fly commercially, do they get any special perks? What about with hotels or rental cars?

Anyone know anything about the busy travel lifestyles of the CEOs of major companies?

CP

Most large companies lease corporate jets for their executives to travel. Executives are usually too busy to wait with us in the airport lounges :-). Nowadays, with fractional purchase programs, a company can lease or purchase a share in a jet and have a plane ready wherever they need, for a very economical price.

Another reason they do this is so that the executives can comply with a corporate "always fly coach" policy... they get around it by never flying commercian and having a choice!

I have it on very good authority (from the limo service driver who recently picked me up from the Seattle airport) that Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer almost always fly corporate jets from Boeing Field. Apparently, Bill once flew commercial in the last year and there was a big picture of him holding a newspaper over his face in Fortune or some such magazine.

My understanding is that Bill Gates actually did have a corporate policy that all employees fly coach--back in the 80s. I actually shared coach with Bill from Vegas to Seattle somewhere around 85-86........a long time ago.

I have been told he went straight from coach to a corporate jet for scheduling reasons. I flew Seattle to London recently in British business where the majority of occupants were Microsoft European sales types. I have no idea how they got business seats, but they were very good company. http://talk.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

PremEx once told me that he said next to Eisner in FC on a transcontinental flight.

There are alot more issues at play here.

One is security.

One is image(ala the bill gates story mentioned before)

Another is scheduling, including last minute
changes.

Another is ego

Most of the big Fortune 500 own several corporate jets. IBM has both Corporate jets and helicopters.

At the CEO level, the time=money equation adds up fast. All that check-in time would be very costly indeed.

Long flights would typically be working flights, with the ability to communicate both voice and data globally. On a commercial jet they wouldn't have access to scrambled communication available. It would be a serious risk to discuss business, not with the possiblity of electronic snooping on their airfone calls and all us nosey flyertalker sitting their in FC.

In 85 or 86 microsoft probably wasn't a fortune 500 company yet.

Don't be so jealous of those corporate jets! I'm based in SF, and one time a client in Tulsa happened to have its jet here the afternoon I had to fly to Tulsa for a meeting. So they arranged for me to fly with them.

While the space was somewhere between domestic coach and first class (the good news), there was no food (this on a 3-hour flight leaving at 5:00pm), and if I'd had to use the bathroom I don't think there was even enough room to remain standing. But worst of all was the temperature: the air was sultry warm, but the floor and walls were freezing cold. There was no way to maintain an equilibrium.

On the whole, I was glad that my return was commercial.

I'll grant that corporate CEO's probably have more plush jets than this one (but this one generally was used by my client's CEO.

And on the plus side: takeoff was probably the steepest I've ever seen - the g-force made me feel like I was on the space shuttle!

When I was with Microsoft (81-94) the policy was coach for domestic flights (except you could get away with FC in a redeye). Business class was OK for international flights if you flew at least 4 times a year, otherwise coach.

Personally, Bill Gates is not terribly interested in creature comforts. I took many flights with him, all in coach. I assume he flies the corporate jet for schedule convenience.

I sat across the aisle from Bill Gates on a flight between SEA-SJC in 1994. We were in First Class.

I fly on commercial aviation for business and I have the opportunity to fly on our corporate jet as well as helicopters fairly regulary. Our company has 7 corporate jets and 2 helocopters of varying sizes. Normally, if we are travelling somewhere with the president of a subsidiary or upper management, they will request a jet for the flight, and flight-ops will schedule us along. Depending on how many people are on the trip and the length of the trip these can be comfortable and convenient. There is nothing like landing, taxiing to the FBO, deplaning and stepping into your waiting rental car (delivered there to the tarmac).

However, on the smaller planes (12 passengers and less), longer trips can be a drag. This is especially true if the plane is crowded and you find yourself sitting sideways on the couch for the whole flight. In general, unless the big chief is along, there is no service and only box meals.

If I am flying to a meeting in a city fairly far away I prefer to fly commercial as it's more comfortable. Our corporate policy is for domestic first-class on flights over 2 hours (though with upgrades I haven't been in coach in a year), and international first class always (yes, you read that right). Otherwise, to smaller cities that might require a connection or, god forbid, a commuter flight, I'll take the corporate jet anyday.



[This message has been edited by tfjim (edited 10-29-1999).]

tfjim-I wish my company was that generous! Lucky you! If you don't mind me asking, what company is it and are you high level? Since you don't care about upgrades if you get a paid F seat, are you still loyal to a single airline or take whatever is most convenient? Since the biggest advantage with loyalty is the upgrades, I guess you don't need them!

CP

CO has a program for top "selected" CEO's called the Chairman's Circle. They are basically given complimentary Platinum Elite status, as well as a free President's Club membership. They have a special dedicated CEO 800 number for them to call in on. During the day, calls are answered by a small group of employees (maybe 3 or so). At night, calls are forwarded to reservations managers. They do receive some courtesies more often than such things are typically extended to a Platinum. For example, they are upgraded to any available first class seat (not just the F seats). They will typically waive the $75 change fee, even over the phone. They have a meet and greet service, and airports are typically notified that one of these CEO's will be flying. From what I am told, and for what its worth, they are not given comp international upgrades. So the story goes...they have to use miles or pay. But, hey, if your a CEO does it really matter if it costs $8,000? I mean if your the CEO of Citibank, how important is that to you? I do also know of "select" regular old Onepass members, that have "managed" to get some of these CEO beneifts by calling the CEO line, especially at night. I won't name any names. They do keep some sort of list of the real CEO's, so this is sometimes checked. I do not know if other airlines have similar programs, or what they are called. Also I suppose other benefits exist for the Chairman's Circle that I am not aware of. Think of it as ultra-Platinum. Wish it were me.

Hmmm, I don't think I'll divulge which company it is, but it is Fortune 500. It is also very old-world in it's travel benefits as well as other benefits in general. No slim-down, lean corporate mentality here.

We have negotiated, preferred rates with several carriers including our local fortress hub operator. Obviously, for convenience reasons it's usually easier to fly them out of their hub, many destinations and high availability. On the off-chance I'm not flying from the hub I choose based on convenience and what I read around here. I've got a flight coming up from ORD - PDX and I've got to choose between UA and AA first class.

Any suggestions?

Hewlett-Packard, Upjohn and Nike (call sign N1KE) are among a few of the companies that regularly have their corporate jets flying around. Arnold Palmer also flies his own jet and carries a professional pilot along too.

Tfjim, sounds like you are not older, budwiser.

Comicwoman,

Your name suits you well. Though that was so subtle it took me quite a while to figure it out! I can neither confirm nor deny my age or sagacity in respects to my employer. However I can say that we do employ several frogs, lizards and, I believe, a ferret.