PrivatePlanes

Gulfstream To Lay Off 1200 Workers

Filed under: Wings

The parent company of Gulfsteam jets, General Dynamics announced this week that it would be laying off 1,200 workers nationwide. The workers will be a mix of full-time employees and contractors. More workers will also be put on an unpaid leave for at least a month this summer as Gulfstream cuts plane production. With corporations selling their private jets (Starbucks just put another plane on the market this week) and canceling orders for future planes, the industry has hit hard times. The world's wealthiest people have seen their fortunes dramatically reduced within the past year and are feeling especially frugal. The private plane has rapidly become a symbol of greed and extravagance but the lavish spending habits of a few individuals have fueled entire industries which are now hurting.

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Tags: gulfstream, jets, private planes, PrivatePlanes

Gridlock in the Skies Over Aspen

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wings

For those who love winter sports Aspen is the ultimate place to play, but is there a fly in the ointment? The Aspen Times has a piece of the difficulties of flying into Aspen. Because this is such a playground of the elite, private planes are coming in droves causing scheduling delays. Some jets have been denied landing spots and been forced to circle for a while before landing or diverted to other areas. For the busy season in Aspen the FAA uses the Special Traffic Management Program which creates times slots and gives priority to commercial planes with first come first served for private planes. Fractional companies have a little bit sway than those who own a jet themselves since they have designated people who work on reserving slots which has led to some resentment.The FAA says that is is doing all it can so the bottom line is that if you are flying into Aspen you may need to be patient about landing your private jet.

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Tags: aspen, colorado, fractional ownership, private planes, PrivatePlanes, winter sports