A typical VLJ is looking at a 3,000 fpm climb rate at sea level versus 2,000 for the King Air plus it can go 11,000 feet higher. On longer trips in the summer you can dodge cloud tops and the possibility of extra altitude to dodge turbulence would make some flights a lot smoother. And the winds are more favorable in a lot of cases. As far as the poor VLJ fuel burn the above article says the per-mile operating cost of the King Air is the highest of the three, so the fuel burn is not really an issue. I do think the issue of jet versus prop as far as public perception is big, witness the heavy negative spin on CEOs bizjets. That will go away in a year or two, because people generally like to get there faster.