By: katie.ireland

The luxury of a private jet, especially in the current economy, seems like an extravagance reserved only for music executives or real estate moguls.

However, K & R Aviation and Open Air provide a similar, but less extravagant, service to businessmen and women in the Greater Baltimore area.

Open Air wants you to pay a premium and travel in style — on a private plane. Sure, it seems like a waste of money, but Open Air provides specials that are catered to businesspeople of more traditional means:

• Their “empty leg special” in particular allows you to charter a flight at a lower-than-normal rate.
•  When someone sends a plane on a one-way flight, they will give you a discounted fare if you are flying from that destination back to Maryland.
• Also, several businesspeople traveling together can “car pool” a flight to and from a major city, like New York or Miami, and share the cost.  If you get enough of you together, the cost may even be below what you would pay in commercial airfare.

Depending on your destination, however, a private jet may not be the way to fly.

According to MarketWatch.com, last year, members of Congress criticized auto executives who flew on private aircrafts to Washington D.C. to request bailout money, calling it another example of “corporate excess.”

However, if you have the means, Open Air can provide the service. Who knows? On your next business trip you could be the one sipping champagne in a plush leather seat.