SiliconBeat

The board at Echelon, the San Jose appliance networking company, voted to change the way it pays for Chief Executive Ken Oshman’s travel on his personal jet, according to a filing the company made with the SEC Tuesday.

Had the new arrangement been in place since the beginning of the year, the company would have paid about $185,000 more than it has.

Historically, Echelon has reimbursed Oshman for the cost of first class commercial air travel services for himself and any employees who accompanied him on his private aircraft travel. The company has reported that such “net outlays have not been material.”

Under the new system, Echelon will pay 50 percent of Oshman’s actual costs incumanrred using his private plane or charter aircraft for business travel for himself and any employees that accompany, “including flight charges (subject to any discounted rate that may apply), fuel, fuel surcharges, landing fees, crew costs and related expenses. Mr. Oshman from time to time uses his private plane or charter aircraft for Company business for himself and any employees that accompany him.

We can’t begrudge Oshman this particular perk. The man took a salary of $105,000 last year and his total compensation package, including the value of stock-based awards, came to $761,774, according to the company’s proxy. And as we have written about previously, the man has sold none of his Echelon shares, even after their 158 percent gain last year.