Private Planes Lift Aviation at Allentown, Pa.-Area Airports.

By Jeanne Bonner, The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Mar. 6--The words "private plane" often conjure an image of a wealthy person jetting off to exotic locales.

That perception is not wrong. But it's only one side of what the airline industry calls general aviation.

An increasing number of people who use private planes or pay for noncommercial chartered planes are mid-level business people and small business owners who depend on general aviation services to boost their bottom line. Companies that own or have