http://www.luxist.com Luxist http://www.luxist.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.luxist.com en-us Copyright 2008 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.luxist.com/2008/07/13/cirrus-vision-jet/http://www.luxist.com/2008/07/13/cirrus-vision-jet/http://www.luxist.com/2008/07/13/cirrus-vision-jet/#commentsFiled under: Wings

The Jet by Cirrus Design, now officially named "The Vision SJ50" is a luxurious small aircraft is designed to be flown by a single pilot. The Cirrus Vision hopes to blend the best of both the high performance single-engine class and the very light jet category. The plane is powered by a Williams International FJ33-4A-19 engine and will fly at about 300 knots at a maximum operating altitude of 25,000 feet.

The body is spherical to allow for more interior space and it has moveable seats to accommodate up to seven people. The plane has a unique V-Tail design and state-of-the-art advanced avionics and flight systems plus the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System. The Cirrus Vision SJ50 had its first flight last week (Aero News Network has a report of the event with action photos). The 45-minute flight was conducted from company worldwide headquarters at the Duluth International Airport, Duluth, MN.

%Gallery-27411%

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>cirruscirrus visionCirrusVisionjetvision jetDeidre Woollard2008-07-13T14:02:00 00:00http://www.luxist.com/2008/07/11/evojets-a-new-way-to-get-to-aspen/http://www.luxist.com/2008/07/11/evojets-a-new-way-to-get-to-aspen/http://www.luxist.com/2008/07/11/evojets-a-new-way-to-get-to-aspen/#commentsFiled under: Wings

A new private jet brokerage based in Aspen hopes to make flying in and out of the resort town and other places a little easier. Evojets act as an agent, representing its client's interests by marketing their flight requests to over 2,500 operators who then compete to win their business. Right now the service is invitation or referral only and is works primarily with Aspen's wealthy population.

In an article in the Aspen Daily News, Evojets' director of operations Christopher Kelly says that he knows this idea wouldn't work in every market but in Aspen where people use private jets all the time, the chance to save as much as 50% on a flight is welcome. Like other jet brokerage we've seen, Evojets helps fill seats on the empty plane legs when a plane is returning to its home airport or flying in to pick up passengers. Because the plane might have flown without passengers anyway, the rates can also be cheaper. Evojets gets paid a percentage of the difference between the market price for the flight and what their clients end up paying.

Evojets plans to focus on more than just Apsen, their other main hubs are New York, south Florida, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and Scottsdale, Arizona.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>evojetsjet brokeragejet charterprivate jetDeidre Woollard2008-07-11T14:02:00 00:00http://www.luxist.com/2008/07/10/british-airways-buys-lavion/http://www.luxist.com/2008/07/10/british-airways-buys-lavion/http://www.luxist.com/2008/07/10/british-airways-buys-lavion/#commentsFiled under: Wings

The three business-class-only airlines that flew out of the U.K. to New York (MaxJet, Eos and Silverjet) are all now history but the last outlier, Paris-based L'Avion is still around. For now. British Airways has snapped up the French all-business airline l'Avion for 54 million pounds ($107 million). The privately owned airline flies two Boeing 757 aircraft with 90 seats each between Paris and New York.

Once the deal is done, l'Avion will become a subsidiary of British airways and become part of Open Skies, their transatlantic airline. Open Skies operates with its own crew and pilots (there is only one aircraft so far). Open Skies planes have 24 seats that convert into beds, 28 in premium economy and 30 in economy making it closer to the l'Avion model than traditional British Airways flights.

Marketwatch speculates that it may be possible that l'Avion, like the other business-class airlines was hardly a moneymaker and may have never turned a profit.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>airlineairlnebritish airwaysBritishAirwaysbusiness jetBusinessJetlavionopen skiesOpenSkiesDeidre Woollard2008-07-10T14:02:00 00:00http://www.luxist.com/2008/07/01/sting-criticized-for-solo-jet-flight/http://www.luxist.com/2008/07/01/sting-criticized-for-solo-jet-flight/http://www.luxist.com/2008/07/01/sting-criticized-for-solo-jet-flight/#commentsFiled under: Wings, Celebrity Shopping

The celebrities who espouse a green lifestyle often find themselves in trouble when they indulge in some of the privileges of the wealthy. Al Gore has taken the heat for his energy consumption and now Sting is in the spotlight for a private jet splurge. Sting took a solo flight to Germany recently on a Falcon 2000 to meet the rest of the band, The Police for a concert in Leipzig. A spokesperson for the airport confirmed that he was the solo passenger on the plane which can carry 14 passengers. He flew back to England less than 24 hours later via private jet but it's not known if he was alone.

According to the Daily Mail, the Police was named 'dirtiest band' in January for the scale of their carbon footprint. It's been a tough year for Sting and his eco-actions. He started off the year by renting a private yacht in Australia and as I mentioned back in May, his Rainforest Foundation has come under fire for its record of giving. Sting also starred in an ad-campaign for the notso eco Jaguar cars.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>private jetstingthe policeThePoliceDeidre Woollard2008-07-01T16:02:00 00:00http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/30/queen-elizabeth-is-plane-shopping/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/30/queen-elizabeth-is-plane-shopping/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/30/queen-elizabeth-is-plane-shopping/#commentsFiled under: Wings, Celebrity Shopping

The Sunday Times reports that the Queen of England is in the market for a new plane. No Air-Force-One-sized jet for the Queen though, word from Buckingham Palace is that they are in the market for a small executive plane like a Gulfstream or Learjet. The plane would also be available for use by Gordon Brown and senior ministers.

The plane w ould be paid for by taxpayers and would include the usual private plane bells and whistles such as catering facilities and in-flight entertainment. The Queen had previously been able to use larger planes provided by the RAF. Also in the past, Prince Charles and other royals have chartered planes or flown first class for their royal tours, which they will still have to do for longer trips. The new plane will be best for short jaunts. The prime minister opted against a larger plane for himself and the royals because of the price. A decision on the type of plan and specific purchase details probably won't be available until later this year.

What's particularly interesting about the comments section of the article is that many of those who wrote in believe the Queen (and to some extent Gordon Brown) should have a bigger plane.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>private planePrivatePlanequeen elizabethQueenElizabethDeidre Woollard2008-06-30T11:01:00 00:00http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/28/linear-air-expands-new-york-offerings/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/28/linear-air-expands-new-york-offerings/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/28/linear-air-expands-new-york-offerings/#commentsFiled under: Wings

Air taxi service Linear Air has announced the launch of its Eclipse E500 flight service in the greater New York City area. The company's aircraft are based at the White Plains/Westchester County Airport in New York, but will be servicing major and regional airports throughout the tri-state region as well as the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. Linear Air serves 10 times more airports than the traditional commercial airlines serve. The Eclipse 500 is a very light jet which only holds a few passengers so to take your whole entourage to Cape Cod for the weekend you'll need to opt for their eight-passenger Cessna Grand Caravan turboprop. . In order to price out an book flights you need to become a member of Linear Air's service.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>eclipse 500linear airLinearAirnew yorkNewYorkvery light jetVeryLightJetDeidre Woollard2008-06-28T12:02:00 00:00http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/26/aircraft-partnership-assocation-makes-plane-sharing-easier/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/26/aircraft-partnership-assocation-makes-plane-sharing-easier/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/26/aircraft-partnership-assocation-makes-plane-sharing-easier/#commentsFiled under: Wings

For the big purchases in life sometimes it's easier to share the burden. In the escalating real estate market, many people opted to go in on houses together. Now there is a new service helping potential plane owners defray the high cost of aircraft ownership by partnering up. The Aircraft Partnership Association is a new website designed to make sharing aircraft ownership easier.

The site not only helps people find potential partners but also helps them work out the details such as financing, insurance and legal and tax issues. The Aircraft Partnership Association also has goods and services supplier members who help about the partner members. The site will also help with ooperating the partnership, providing online management services for scheduling flights and maintenance and bookkeeping.

Annual membership dues will be $29 but during the initial building phase they've chopped that down to $9.99.

[via General Aviation News]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>aircraftplaneprivate planesDeidre Woollard2008-06-26T12:02:00 00:00http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/21/londoners-use-private-jet-service-to-party-hop/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/21/londoners-use-private-jet-service-to-party-hop/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/21/londoners-use-private-jet-service-to-party-hop/#commentsFiled under: Services, Wings

Wealthy socialites in London love to party just as much as those here in the U.S., but now it seems they've found a way to step things up by getting around that pesky "closing time" obstacle: they hop into a private jet and fly to a different time zone. What makes this interesting is that they aren't hopping into their own personal private jets, they're "jet-pooling" in planes operated by The Private Jet Club that are coordinated through Whisky Mist, a new club at Hilton's Zeta bar.

Even if they're continuing to party on the planes I can hardly imagine still being up for more by the time the plane lands in New York or Rio (the most popular destinations), but then I'm not a wealthy socialite with nothing else to do but fly around the world looking for a good time!

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>hiltonlondonprivate jetprivate jetsPrivateJetPrivateJetsthe private jet clubThePrivateJetClubwhisky mistWhiskyMistzetaRigel Gregg2008-06-21T12:02:00 00:00http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/19/icon-a5/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/19/icon-a5/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/19/icon-a5/#commentsFiled under: Gadgets, Wings

Getting your own plane is a pretty fantastic purchase but what if you could have one for only $139,000. The Icon A5 is a two-seater sport plane that is an amphibious, retractable and fold-able aircraft with the ability to be towed on a trailer behind your car! It even comes with a plane-sized parachute to help ease the landing in an emergency situation. Small enough for a pair to fly and compact enough to keep in an oversized driveway, the Icon A5 will be a welcome creation come 2010 when its available.

[via Uncrate]

%Gallery-25474%

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>aircraftIcon-A5sport-airplanesport-planeLaura Malesich2008-06-19T09:01:00 00:00http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/18/silverjet-permanently-grounded/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/18/silverjet-permanently-grounded/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/18/silverjet-permanently-grounded/#commentsFiled under: Wings

Looks like those reports of Silverjet's resurgence were a false alarm. The Telegraph spoke with chief executive Lawrence Hunt who said the business-class-only airline is permanently grounded. There had been hopes that the company Kingplace would be able to bail out Silverjet but they were not able to raise sufficient cash to meet the capital requirements from the Civil Aviation Authority. After that we heard that Middle East carrier Arabjet might take over but Hunt calls them "timewasters" who were not even able to " raise the £125,000 needed to secure negotiations with the administrators." It looks like Silverjet will not be sold off as a going concern but will likely be dismantled with the assets sold off piece by piece.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>airlinebusiness classsilverjetDeidre Woollard2008-06-18T19:02:00 00:00http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/14/japan-airlines-unveiles-new-first-class-and-business-class-seats/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/14/japan-airlines-unveiles-new-first-class-and-business-class-seats/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/14/japan-airlines-unveiles-new-first-class-and-business-class-seats/#commentsFiled under: Wings

Japan Airlines (JAL) has created a new suite for JAL first class and a new seat for their business class which they will be introducing on US routes. The airline will launch the JAL Suite in first class and the JAL Shell Flat Neo Seat in business class when the airline introduces new 777-300ER aircraft on US routes, starting with the Tokyo - New York route on August 1, 2008.

The suitse in JAL First Class are 20% more spacious than the airline's current seat in first class and only suites are available in the JAL First Class cabin set in a 1-2-1 configuration. The suite includes a seat upholstered in gray leather which converts into a full-flat bed. In the 180° position the seat combines with an ottoman located at the opposite end of the compartment to create one of the largest and widest, most comfortable sleeping areas in first class. When the seat is in the upright position, the ottoman can be used as a seat for a guest. The sliding table can be placed between the seat and ottoman. Passengers, seated in the pair of suites who are traveling together can lower privacy partitions located between them. Each suite comes with Bose noise-cancelling headphones and a personal 19-inch personal TV screen and stowage spaces for bags and small items and a laptop power point. Those in the suites can also whatever they like off the menu whenever they would like with choices of Japanese or Western full-course menus. For sleeping a cabin attendant can place a Tempur-Pedic mattress on the seat bed along with a down comforter and a pillow a well as offer special JAL loungewear.

The new business class seat reclines to 171 degrees and has a 15.4 inch personal TV screen. The business class cabin also features the "Sky Gallery," one wall of the cabin shows a a photographic exhibition that will be regularly changed over the year. The first exhibit, in collaboration with Fuji Film, will be a series of photographs of forests in Japan entitled 'Forest Forever'. The gallery will be located directly opposite a self-service bar counter, where passengers can enjoy snacks and beverages at anytime.

%Gallery-25027%

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>airplaneflightjapan airlinesJapanAirlinesplaneDeidre Woollard2008-06-14T16:01:00 00:00http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/13/trouble-for-the-eclipse-500/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/13/trouble-for-the-eclipse-500/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/13/trouble-for-the-eclipse-500/#commentsFiled under: Wings

A spot of bad news for the Eclipse 500. The FAA has recommended inspection of the throttles on the small jets after one made an emergency landing in Chicago last week. The National Transportation Safety Board has said that there is the need for an emergency procedure for dual engine control failure. So far around 200 of the popular private jets have been delivered. The one that landed in Chicago had only 238 flight hours. The Eclipse 500 is the basis of a number of fledgling airtaxi services so this first hint of trouble has been received with some amount of worry by industry watchers.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>eclipse 500Eclipse500very light jetVeryLightJetvljDeidre Woollard2008-06-13T18:02:00 00:00http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/13/the-lamborghini-reventon-in-flight/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/13/the-lamborghini-reventon-in-flight/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/13/the-lamborghini-reventon-in-flight/#commentsFiled under: Wheels, Wings

Talk about bizarre, Lamborghini recently enlisted the help of the Italian military (don't they have anything better to do?) to fly one of their rare and uber-expensive Lamborghini Reventon cars over the town of Turin and land it on the roof of the Lingotto building, where they were having a conference titled "Lamborghini and speed, a project in record time." And record money too I bet.

The only explanation Lamborghini gave to curious onlookers was "all 20 units (of the Reventon) have been sold worldwide." I guess that since they were each priced at over $1.5 million that is a big deal, but who came up with this idea?

%Gallery-25038%

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>copterflighthelicopteritalianitalylamborghinilamborghini reventonLamborghiniReventonreventonRigel Gregg2008-06-13T07:02:00 00:00http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/12/silverjet-may-soon-fly-again/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/12/silverjet-may-soon-fly-again/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/12/silverjet-may-soon-fly-again/#commentsFiled under: Wings

We thought they were out when they shut down in May but business-class-only airline, Silverjet might be back in the skies soon. Kingplace, an Irish off-the-shelf company backed by Geneva-based Heritage Cie, has inked a deal with Silverjet's administrators, Begbies Traynor. Silverjet plans to relaunch flights to New York and Dubai from London as soon as possible. The company plans to take on all of the existing staff, honor Silverjet's existing customers' tickets and put planes back in service in a few weeks.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>airlinebusiness class flightBusinessClassFlightsilverjetDeidre Woollard2008-06-12T15:02:00 00:00http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/08/halcyons-luxury-helicopter-packages-to-the-hamptons/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/08/halcyons-luxury-helicopter-packages-to-the-hamptons/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/08/halcyons-luxury-helicopter-packages-to-the-hamptons/#commentsFiled under: Journeys, Wings

Premiere jet charter broker Halcyon is arranging luxury helicopter packages between New York City and the Hamptons this season via the purchase of a special flight club card. The trip, which can take up to four hours on the Long Island Expressway in typical summer traffic, is a mere 45 minutes by helicopter. The Halcyon coordinated flights offer high-speed premium helicopters with luxurious cabins -- Bell Jet Ranger, Long Ranger, Augusta or Eurocopter -- staffed with two pilots, and can accommodate up to four passengers. Their Southampton Flight Club Card costs $7,700 (plus fees) and includes two one-way transfers from NYC to East Hampton or vice versa. The East Hampton Flight Club Card costs $22,500 (plus fees) and includes six one-way transfers. With the purchase of a card you also get a bottle of champagne, a carton of strawberries and a Halcyon Jets' gift basket containing Keihl's sunscreen, Origins organic lip balm, a Ralph Lauren beach towel and a bottle of Evian Mineral Water Spray, so you're ready to hit the beach the moment you arrive.

%Gallery-24594%

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>East HamptonEastHamptonHalcyon JetsHalcyonJetsHamptonsHelicoptersJet chartersJetChartersKiehlsLong IslandLongIslandRalph LaurenRalphLaurenSouthamptonJared Paul Stern2008-06-08T14:02:00 00:00http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/04/blink-europe-gets-an-air-taxi-service/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/04/blink-europe-gets-an-air-taxi-service/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/04/blink-europe-gets-an-air-taxi-service/#commentsFiled under: Wings

Given that we've seen several small business-class-only outfits close up shop recently and one of the biggest U.S. air taxis also scaled back, it seems like madness to create Europe's first air taxi service right now. But Forbes reports that Peter Leiman and Cameron Ogden, two Harvard Business School graduates are launching the new private jet taxi service, Blink, on June 12. Blink's current flight plans take you through much of Western Europe and the the tickets are up to 25% more expensive than regular business-class travel for seats on their four-seater Cessna Citation Mustang. Blink is off to a healthy start, they've ordered 45 of Cessna jets and have received$30 million in investment which sounds like a lot but unfortunately a fledgling airline business dealing with today's fuel prices could go through that money pretty fast. Here's hoping the name Blink doesn't refer to how long they'll stay in business.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>air taxiAirTaxiblinkcessnaprivate jetDeidre Woollard2008-06-04T15:02:00 00:00http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/03/the-worlds-most-luxurious-airlines/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/03/the-worlds-most-luxurious-airlines/http://www.luxist.com/2008/06/03/the-worlds-most-luxurious-airlines/#commentsFiled under: Services, Wings

Flying used to be a fun (or at the very least tolerable) but nowadays it's turned into an outright chore. Lines are long, seats are cramped, there are extra fees for absolutely everything, and forget getting served anything to eat (you're lucky if you get water and a few pretzels). That might be the case for most of us but it's not the case for everybody! There are some airlines (usually those flying overseas) that offer luxuries like champagne, caviar, private cabins, and lie-flat beds. Here's the list of the most luxurious airlines in the world:

Via Gadling
%Gallery-24197%

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>air travelairlineairlinesAirTraveltraveltravelingRigel Gregg2008-06-03T08:02:00 00:00http://www.luxist.com/2008/05/30/silverjet-closes-up-shop/http://www.luxist.com/2008/05/30/silverjet-closes-up-shop/http://www.luxist.com/2008/05/30/silverjet-closes-up-shop/#commentsFiled under: Wings

In a move that surprises no one given the recent shuttering of business-class-only jet services MaxJet Airways and Eos Airlines, Silverjet, the last of the three, has folded. The London-based company failed to get a necessary $5 million in emergency funding to continue operations. The rise in the price of jet fuel doomed the business which was never profitable in its 16-month run. Lawrence Hunt, the chief executive of Silverjet, says on the Silverjet website that it might not be over yet, if he is able to get new investors with deep pockets the company will start up again. Unfortunately given the track record of business-class-only airlines, which despite the obvious appeal, seemed doomed to failure, he will have a tough road ahead.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>businesseosjetmaxjetplanesilverjetDeidre Woollard2008-05-30T19:02:00 00:00http://www.luxist.com/2008/05/27/vintage-airline-food-carts/http://www.luxist.com/2008/05/27/vintage-airline-food-carts/http://www.luxist.com/2008/05/27/vintage-airline-food-carts/#commentsFiled under: Decor, Dining, Wings

It's not on too many products that you find "authentic small dents and scratches" listed as a selling point and a good thing, but the case of these Vintage Airline Food Carts is one of the few exceptions. Available in several fun exterior finishes, the interiors all feature a retractable serving tray and 14 racks to hold drawers and shelves (which you can buy separately). The doors close with standard latches and each has a magnetic catch to help it stay open while you're using the cart, plus of course all the carts come equipped with the handy pedal-locking wheel brakes flight attendants rely on so dearly. $1450

Via Acquire
%Gallery-23709%

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>airlineairline foodAirlineFoodairlinesantiqueantiquescartcartsflyingfood cartfood cartsFoodCartFoodCartsvintagevintage airline food cartsVintageAirlineFoodCartsRigel Gregg2008-05-27T16:02:00 00:00http://www.luxist.com/2008/05/20/hawker-beechcraft-launches-latest-business-jet/http://www.luxist.com/2008/05/20/hawker-beechcraft-launches-latest-business-jet/http://www.luxist.com/2008/05/20/hawker-beechcraft-launches-latest-business-jet/#commentsFiled under: Wings

Aero-News Network is reporting from the 8th Annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition where Hawker Beechcraft Corporation just launched their latest business jet, the Beechcraft Premier II light jet. The Premier II is the next step up from the Premier IA and is a twin turbofan, swept wing, light jet aircraft that will have a 20 percent longer range with four passengers and an increased payload. It offers a medium-jet sized cabin at light jet costs, holding up to six passengers and their luggage. The planes will use new FJ44-3AP turbofan engines from Williams International which offer more than 23 percent more thrust from the Premier IA. Combined with new elliptical winglets which offer reduced drag, the new engines let the business jets hit a maximum cruising altitude of 45,000 feet and fly farther. The first flight is scheduled for a year from now with FAA certification planned for the middle of 2010.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>business jethawker beechcraftHawkerBeechcraftlight aircraftDeidre Woollard2008-05-20T09:04:00 00:00