The Masters Golf Tournament is without a doubt one of the biggest golfing events in the world, setting off a run of four key events commonly called “the majors”: Masters, US Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship. Held at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, the tournament attracts droves of spectators, industry leaders and professionals, which naturally correlates with an increase in private jet travel. After all, you have to get there somehow. To get the skinny on why people are choosing private over commercial, we spoke with executives at Flexjet, XOJET, and JetSuite.
Private aviation companies have been seeing marked increases in business year-over-year, the numbers spiking when events like the Masters and the Super Bowl come up. “JetSuite always sees a spike in demand for the days prior and following the tournament, and since our CJ3s have become more popular on the east coast, our own demand has increased by more than 50 [percent] this year,” says JetSuite CEO Alex Wilcox. The boom in business certainly doesn’t hurt when it comes to the competition, which Wilcox points to as being a pretty nice perk: “[…] They allow all of our competitors' customers the opportunity to see our distinctive red stripe aircraft on the ramp [...].”
While people may choose flying private for all the obvious reasons, like special amenities and five-star treatment, it’s also pretty practical. According to Megan Wolf, VP of Owner Experience for Flexjet, the closest hub airport for flying commercial is Atlanta, which means that simply driving from the airport to the golf course could tack an extra three hours onto your travel time. Alternatively, Augustus is “not even a 20-minute drive [away] once you arrive at the airport.”
Of course, delays may still happen no matter where you fly into if the weather has any say. Shari Jones, chief marketing officer of XOJET, says to expect some rain and thunderstorms, which could cause some landing congestion. “The [fixed-base airports] have ground delay programs in place for any flights going into Augusta, where most planes will be parked,” says Jones. “The three alternative airports we can divert to are Aiken Municipal (20 minutes away), Thompson McDuffy (30 minutes away) and Columbia Metropolitan Airport (approximately an hour away).”
Obviously, the perks matter and heading to the Masters via private jet gets you plenty. XOJET, through their partnership with travel company Butterfield & Robinson, is offering “a specially curated experience including a flight on one of our Challenger 300s, private car service to and from the airport, accommodations at the quaint James Madison Inn, access to the Masters via private transportation, a personal folding Masters chair and much more.”
“As much as the flying and getting there, it’s the experience that you have when you arrive at the airport,” says Wolf. With a team of 10 to greet you at the airport and a hospitality suite catered by a food truck for you to relax in, Flexjet promises that you’ll be well taken care off. “A lot of the trips are […] in and out. When you arrive, you meet your car, you go to the course, and then we get you back—and if you get to have a Bloody Mary in between, that’s even better.”
