Looking for a really unforgettable Christmas present for that special someone this year? That glossy chronicle of the filthy rich Robb Report has just the thing - a matching custom private jet and megayacht set costing $500 million. The eye-popping present, the world's most expensive, is part of the profligate publication's Ultimate Gift Guide, a seasonal offering of over-the-top exclusives. The recipient will receive an Airbus A380 (above), the world's largest jumbo jet, and a bespoke megayacht, both customized by renowned designer Patrick Knowles. The interiors will complement each other creating what Knowles calls a "custom personal brand" for the lucky owner. There's one catch - considering the backlog on A380 deliveries and the time required to design and build a custom megayacht, the giftee will have to wait at least six years to get their hands on the toys.

A helpful reader directed us to a rather interesting listing, Donald Trump's personal jet. Trump's flashy Boeing 727-100 has shown up on the Controller website. Lest you have any doubt that it is his, the plane has the Trump T on the tail and a 30-foot Trump logo on the side done in gold leaf. A plane like this usually has 134 seats but this plane was reconfigured to hold just 24 passengers in the lap of luxury.

The 1968 vintage plane was originally operated by American Airlines according to Aviation.com. It has been refurbished with soft beige leather armchairs around a conference table. A separate dining area has seating for five around a wood table and additional seating on an adjacent upholstered sofa. A master bedroom offers a posh place for mid-flight nap.

The listing with AvPro in Maryland says it has new paint and is current with all avionics. It has logged a total of 41,833 hours with 29,664 total landings. Why is Trump selling? Is a new, even more lavish plane in the works, or is Trump, like the rest of us, feeling the pinch of a struggling economy?

UPDATE: CNN Money has a quote from George Sorial from Trump's organization who says that Trump is upgrading to a larger aircraft.

[Thanks, Jay!]

Naomi Campbell just surprised her Russian billionaire boyfriend Vladislav Doronin with a lavish jet-set birthday surprise in Morocco, the London Mirror reports.

The supermodel chartered a private jet to fly them there as a surprise for Doronin, who's been called the Donald Trump of Russia. There she presented him with a lifesize sports-themed cake with a boxing ring, race cars and rackets on it.

The pair partied all night before boarding a jet to Abu Dhabi and then Tanzania for her charity work for the White Ribbon Alliance. Of course, as we've reported previously Doronin has been very generous as well.

Campbell has been earning praise of late for looking better then ever despite her 39 years. Her longtime hairstylist Amoy Pitters, who tended to the precious tresses for recent A-list events like Black Girls Rock and the Clinton Global Initiative gala, deserves her share of the credit.

Pitters, whose other celeb clients include Sheryl Crow, Ashanti, Ciara, Iman, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige and The Pussycat Dolls, is famed for her unique, signature method of hair extensions, indistinguishable from - some would say better than - the real thing.

Todd Rome co-founded Blue Star Jets in 2001 (with CEO Ricky Sitomer) in response to the inefficiencies in the private jet marketplace. It is now one of the world's largest private aircraft charter brokers, offering an unparalleled level of personalized service; their motto is "Any Jet, Any Time, Any Place." Blue Star Jets grants clients freedom from the financial constraints of fractional jet ownership; the savings of paying only for trips taken; and the flexibility to choose the best aircraft according to a trip's specific budget requirement. With its ShareAJet Exchange, Blue Star Jets has lowered the barrier of entry for the private aviation industry for commercial fliers.

By creating a network of charter companies, Blue Star Jets now has access to over 4,000 aircraft worldwide, ranging from helicopters to Boeing business jets. Prior to Blue Star Jets, Mr. Rome ran a successful broker-dealer firm on Wall Street. He is also Co-Chair of the Diabetes Research Institute, and has made numerous appearances on CNN, CNBC and FOX, among others. When not traveling or working at his office in New York, Mr. Rome enjoys spending time with his family at home in the Hamptons, where Blue Star Jets was one of the key sponsors of the Mercedes-Benz Polo Challenge. In the gallery, Rome reveals his 10 essential luxuries and explains what makes them a must.

Four people, 400 knots, 1500 nautical miles--that's the slogan of the Stratos 714, a Very Light Jet which I first wrote about a year ago. Aero-News Network has an interview with Alexander Craig, the new CEO of Stratos during the recent NBAA 2009 conference. The company, which is based in Bend, Oregon, is bullish on their Stratos 714 which they say will bridge the gap between VLJ aircraft and full size business jets.

The composite-bodied aircraft will be powered by a centerline-thrust FADEC-controlled Williams FJ44-3AP turbofan which produces 3,030 pounds of thrust at sea level. The company's goal is to create an aircraft that is affordable to own and operate (current price is $2 million). In the interview (video after the jump) Craig doesn't reveal a potential production date for the plane but it appears that progress is being made and we get more news soon.

How do you lure a star out of semi-retirement? You start with a big paycheck and then you throw in the perks. This week, savvy casino mogul Steve Wynn drummed up excitement at the Wynn Encore in Las Vegas with the news that Garth Brooks has decided to play a five-year weekend residency at the hotel starting December 11.

Brooks played two secret shows at the hotel this summer. Steve Wynn, a man whose art collection is clear testament to the fact that he is accustomed to getting whatever he wants, began the push to get Brooks at his hotel. Brooks wasn't an easy fish to land and it took more than a big paycheck to get him to the Encore Theater. Wynn threw in the ultimate executive perk, the private jet. When Brooks retired he vowed that he would drive his three daughters to school everyday. The new 11-seat Challenger jet, courtesy of Steve Wynn, will help him honor that promise, making short work of the commute from Oklahoma to Las Vegas. Brooks described the jet to CNN as having a "cool interior, cool paint job."

What does Wynn get out of the deal? Each ticket at the Encore will be $125 and total sales for the shows could bring in millions. But more important than ticket sales is the fact that he will be drawing people to Las Vegas and to Encore, the luxury hotel he opened when the economy was at its worst. Wynn has been in the casino a long, long time and he knows that getting the people in the door can be the hardest part. Having Brooks as an incentive to visit might just be worth the plane and the paycheck.

UPDATE: Tickets for Brooks' first 20 shows at the Wynn Las Vegas resort sold out in less than five hours.

I think it takes a lot of courage to start a small air charter business at a time when taking a private charter has become a shorthand symbol of corporate greed and worse. But the allure of a private charter, of being able to skip the slog of commercial flying, continues to attract many. Kavoo, a new company out of Danbury, Connecticut, hopes to attract flyers in need of a little relief.

Kavoo's fleet includes an 8-passenger King Air 200 and Cirrus SR-22 single-engine planes. The company is owned by Curtis Brunjes and Richard Humphrey, who are also owners of Curtiss Aero, a two-year-old aviation maintenance shop and flight school located next to Kavoo at the Danbury Airport. When air travelers require larger aircraft including jets to get them to farther destinations faster, Kavoo plans to be its customers' single point of contact for all of their air charter needs through its extensive preferred provider network.

I recently chatted with Garrison Leykam, the Director, New Business Development for Kavoo.Leykam, whose career includes a long history in both travel and the music industries wants to take the independent spirit of smaller record labels and apply it to flying offering passengers the benefits of personalized service. I had a few questions for Leykam on the future of the charter industry, flying in general and why flying private can, in some cases, make financial sense.

First of all, why the name Kavoo?

Kavoo is a takeoff on the aviation term "cavu" meaning "ceiling and visibility unlimited;" the ideal flying conditions in which there are neither large clouds nor haze. Using the new spelling of Kavoo not only gives us a unique branding identity but it also extends the meaning to reinforce our vision of Kavoo as the new generation of air charter.

It's pretty daring to start an airline charter business at time when many others have flamed out, what do you think will help Kavoo succeed where others have failed?

Thousands of air taxi services are operating with a single airplane in a confined geographic area whereas Kavoo is pursuing national branding of its services. Our founders, Curtis Brunjes and Richard Humphrey, have enabled Kavoo to operate debt free without a capital investment in a huge fleet of aircraft. Our ability to create a national footprint is built upon utilizing planes owned by others on a revenue share platform. It's a win-win all around. More buyers can purchase planes with Kavoo helping them to offset their operating costs and Kavoo grows its fleet. The ultimate winner is the Kavoo customer whose choices of when and where to fly with us grow exponentially.

What do you see as the future of private jet travel, do you think it will return to the rate it was at prior to the recession?

I believe that the future of private jets will continue to be a very important mode of transportation for a specific market segment. There has been a recent decline in jet travel due to a combination of economic pressure and public scrutiny. But, I truly believe that this segment will bounce back. Most importantly, private jet travel needs to be deployed in an economic way, namely, toward smaller size aircraft. Right now, a properly-sized VLJ doesn't exist in the marketplace but it's coming. As this occurs, we'll see an increase in the number of operations as opposed to the number of seats and truly small jets will do well.

Don't count the private jet industry out yet, there are still plenty of jets planned to hit the market when the economy gets sunnier. Gulfstream just unveiled their new flagship business jet, the Gulfstream G650, at company headquarters in Savannah. The aircraft was first announced in March 2008 and will start customer deliveries in 2012. Around 7,000 people gathered at the new G650 manufacturing building for the grand unveiling of the ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range jet. The G650 offers the longest range, fastest speed, largest cabin and the most advanced cockpit in the Gulfstream fleet and can travel 7,000 nautical miles at 0.85 Mach with a maximum operating speed of 0.925, which will make it the fastest civil aircraft flying. It can also climb to an altitude of 51,000 feet, which allows it to avoid traffic and inclement weather for a smoother ride. The aircraft seats 11-18 passengers and has 16 panoramic windows and in-flight access to 195 cubic feet of usable volume in the baggage compartment. A first flight is planned for later this year and it is expected to be certified in 2011.

Aero-News Network reports that among the attendees was Congressman Jack Kingston (R), who talked about the jobs associated with the manufacture of the Gulfstream line. "There may be some members of Congress who had their doubts about corporate jet travel," he told the crowd, "I am not one of them."

UPDATE: Re: questions on price it should be around $65 million.



[via Upscale Swagger]

Is the world ready for a $28 million Siberian superjet? Russian aerospace firm Sukhoi hopes so as it plans to begin deliveries of its Sukhoi Superjet 100 in December, undercutting established jet builders like Embraer and Bombardier. Cheap Siberian labor lowers the cost of the planes, but Sukhoi insists quality will not be compromised as it was developed in collaboration with Finmeccanica of Italy subsidiary Alenia Aeronautica, fetauring optional interiors by famed Italian design firm Pininfarina and the same parts found in more coveted craft. Its 5-seat rows setup, combining style and ergonomics, will be among the largest ever installed on regional transport aircraft thanks to a fuselage almost 18 inches larger than those of competitors.

How can you make a corporate jet share program even better? After all, you're already traveling in the most comfortable manner imaginable. Bombardier Skyjet's new jet card members can use the program to go on the "Ultimate Escape" this summer. The new partnership between Skyjet and destinations will put cardholders in a top-tier destination for five nights of bliss.

Ultimate Escapes offers private luxury residences around the world. So, if you pick up a new prepaid Skyjet card – for on-demand private jet charters – you'll have your choice of destination homes. There are more than 150 destinations available around the world, making the choices pretty tough ... within this collection, there are more than 100 multi-million dollar homes.

"Whether it's a desire to relax on a pristine beach, golf on some of the world's finest courses or explore a new city, the Skyjet Card is the ticket to a perfect summer getaway," said Fred Reid, President, Bombardier Skyjet. "By partnering with Ultimate Escapes, the definitive leader in the destination club industry, new card members will feel right at home no matter how far their travels take them."

So, if you need to find a place to go when you get your new Skyjet card, the problem is already solved. Use your complimentary Ultimate Escapes stay to take your card for a ride. It just fits together nicely.

Taking advantage of the burgeoning interest in top-drawer turboprops, seen by many to be a more economical alternative to jets in tough times, comes the $2.8 million Daher-Socata TBM 850 (above). The stylish plane, the product of a merger between Socata, founded in 1911, and French aerospace firm Daher, offers the advantages of the cruising speeds typical of light jets, but with the economical direct operating costs of a single-engine turboprop. And of course it's a lot cheaper. Equipped with a Pratt & Whitney PT6A engine offering responsive handling and sporty performance, the TBM 850 can climb to 31,000 ft in as little as 20 minutes, fly over 1,400 nautical miles, and slip into a 2,000-ft. airstrip or a mountain runway. It accommodates six people including pilot and co-pilot in its luxurious, air-conditioned cabin.

[via JamesList]

Blue Star Jets, one of the world's largest private aircraft charter brokers, has just launched the world's first online marketplace for travelers seeking to minimize costs by sharing private jet flights - the ShareAJet Exchange. The Exchange enables travelers to share flights to similar destination; if a trip to the desired destination is not already posted, clients may upload their own travel plans with the aim of matching that with another traveler. The idea for the program was hatched this past fall, when with the economy suffering a significant downturn Blue Star Jets' clients began inquiring if they could share private jet flights in order to maintain their luxury lifestyles.

Just as Blue Star Jets centralized the charter business, eliminating the necessity for fractional jet ownership for many clients, the ShareAJet Exchange will again lower the barrier of entry into the marketplace as it brings down the cost of private aviation by nearly 50% according to the firm. Like Blue Star Jets' regular programs, which link up 4,000 aircraft worldwide via its network of charter companies, the ShareAJet Exchange offers access to every category of aircraft, from light, mid, and heavy jets to airliners, helicopters, and turboprops. The company's motto is "Any Jet. Any time. Any place."

The new Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350i (above) is an updated, luxury version of a turboprop plane that's been a big seller since 1964. The economic crisis has caused many corporations to consider swapping expensive jets for more efficient and less costly turboprops like the classic King Air. Beechcraft has added in luxury features and finishes found on much more expensive Hawker business jets to make the $6.6 million King Air 350i a competitive choice. It's billed as is the most luxurious, most comfortable and most capable turbine aircraft ever offered in its class, period. The company compares it to a Range Rover - very refined with rugged underpinnings and exemplary safety features. With the most flexible and technologically advanced cabin ever introduced in a twin turboprop, the plane can ferry 9 passengers in the morning and then be reconfigured into an ultra-luxe VIP shuttle for 2 that same afternoon.

Fractional jet firm Flexjet picked up props from the Robb Report in its 21st "Best of the Best" issue last month. A great way to keep the prolies away when you travel, this Bombardier-backed company offers "debit cards" for private jet access, so you can buy what you need rather than take on the hefty burden of maintaining your own bird. Both the Flexjet 25 Jet Card and Bombardier Skyjet program got nods from the magazine beloved by the world's wealthy.

Fred Reid, President of Flexjet and Skyjet, was obviously psyched about the results, saying, "By offering a full range of award-winning aviation solutions – from whole aircraft management through our Flexjet One program to fractional jet ownership, jet cards and charter – we are uniquely positioned to help companies and individuals best meet their changing needs."

A few new programs have been announced to give jetsetters more options. The revamped ""Walk Away Lease" program comes with a lot of the perks of fractional ownership ... but you can ditch it with only 90 days notice. And, roundtrip travel comes with a 15 percent discount.

The Flexjet 25 Jet Card is available in 25-, 30- and 35-hour increments and allows card-owners to choose how many days they want access: 275, 325, 355 or 365.

If you travel by private jet, there's no need to worry about your luggage getting beaten up in transit. Hence you can use a set of beautifully handmade cases crafted from the world's finest exotic leather. At least, we assume that's the rationale behind Bottega Veneta's outrageously opulent set of alligator skin luggage. The six piece set, which includes three suitcases (small, medium and large), a beauty case and a duffle bag, costs $157,000; the pieces are also available individually, ranging from $23,000 to $47,000. All are finished in noce fume rich brown soft-finished alligator skin and feature burnished metal hardware with reinforced corners and locking mechanisms. And of course if you're traveling by private jet you can afford it.

[via JustLuxe]