Like me, I’m sure, you have far too much to do every day. So when you’re asked to participate in a survey, you usually take a pass. I generally do. Not only don’t I have the time, but I can rarely find a compelling answer to what I admit is one of the first questions to cross my mind: what’s in it for me?
Every year, however, a long questionnaire about my experiences with products and services arrives in my mail from Consumer Reports; and every year, I dutifully fill it out. That’s because I rely on the results of this survey when I make purchases. The findings have value to me, so I feel an obligation to contribute to them.
My hope is that you’ll respond the same way to the second annual Readers’ Choice survey from Business Jet Traveler. The results of this poll, which we’ll publish in our October/November issue, will provide the fullest picture yet of how and why people are using private aviation, the experiences they’ve had with it, the aircraft they prefer and more. The findings will help you understand what solutions have and haven’t worked for others—and what might pay off best for you.
Want more reasons to participate? I’ll give you four.
First, for every completed survey we receive, we’ll make a donation to Corporate Angel Network (see photo), a terrific charity that annually arranges more than 3,000 free flights to treatment on business aircraft for cancer patients and their families.
Second, if you complete the survey by May 31, we’ll enter you in a drawing for a $250 American Express gift card.
Third, the survey won’t take long to complete. While we’re collecting more information than we did last year, we understand that your time is valuable and have therefore streamlined data entry so that you’ll be skipped past questions that don’t apply to you, based on your past answers. The whole survey should take you no more than about 10 minutes to finish.
Last, the first three people to submit the questionnaire after reading this blog post will each receive, absolutely free, their choice of a luxuriously appointed Airbus Corporate Jet, Boeing Business Jet or Embraer Lineage 1000.
OK, I made that last one up–I guess I’m still in April Fool’s Day mode. Still, there are plenty of good reasons to participate in the survey, and I hope you’ll click here to share your experiences with and opinions about private aviation. Then watch for our October/November issue, where we’ll publish the results. Reading them may not be quite as much fun as receiving a free bizliner, but we do think you’ll find our report both illuminating and useful.
Jeff Burger joined Business Jet Traveler in March 2004, a few months after the publication’s launch. Besides editing the magazine, he has written many articles for it and conducted its interviews with such luminaries as Sir Richard Branson, James Carville, Suze Orman, Donald Trump, F. Lee Bailey, and Steve Van Zandt. Burger helped to oversee the introduction of BJT’s annual Readers' Choice surveys and Buyers’ Guide.
During his years with the magazine, it has won well over a hundred editorial awards. In 2011, Burger received the Gold Wing Award for Reporting Excellence from the National Business Aviation Association and the Aviation Journalism Award from the National Air Transportation Association. He has also won writing and editing awards from the American Society of Business Publication Editors. BJT, meanwhile, was named Best International Publication in 2017 in the Aerospace Media Awards. It was also a Magazine of the Year finalist in 2011, 2013, and 2016 and an Overall Excellence winner in 2018 in competitions sponsored by the American Society of Business Publication Editors.
Before coming to BJT, Burger spent 14 years at Medical Economics, the nation’s leading business magazine for doctors, where he served on the editorial board; directed staff recruiting; oversaw a $2 million annual budget; and was financial editor, news editor, and director of special projects. He has been editor of several publications, including Phoenix Magazine in Arizona, and has been a consulting editor at Time Inc. His articles have appeared in more than 75 magazines and newspapers, among them The Los Angeles Times, Barron’s, Reader’s Digest, Gentlemen’s Quarterly , and Family Circle. Chicago Review Press published his books, Springsteen on Springsteen: Interviews, Speeches, and Encounters, Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen: Interviews and Encounter, Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon, and Dylan on Dylan: Interviews and Encounters. His music writing appears on multiple websites, including his own byjeffburger.com.
Burger, a summa cum laude graduate of the State University of New York at Albany, lives in Ridgewood, N.J. He and his wife, Madeleine, have two grown children. His off-hours passions include cooking, travel, technology, movies, and music.
