Charter & Fractional
Fractional Ownership: Frax market blues
More than 20 years ago, fractional jet ownership began with NetJets and then expanded rapidly in the late 1990s with the growth of Raytheon Travel Air and

More than 20 years ago, fractional jet ownership began with NetJets and then expanded rapidly in the late 1990s with the growth of Raytheon Travel Air and Flight Options (now just Flight Options, which is wholly owned by Raytheon), Bombardier’s Flexjet and the Cessna/ TAG Aviation CitationShares joint venture, among others. Despite widespread concern about fractionals taking market share from traditional flight departments, both forms of business jet operation have grown and, in the case of fractionals, matured. It’s no longer surprising to see flight departments supplementing “lift” with a fractional share or two or fractional owners deciding to buy and operate their own airplane. But there are some troubling sides to the fractional industry, say analysts, that deserve watching.