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Airbus A380 Luxury Plane Tickets Sell for $100,000

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

You've been reading about it, you've been hearing about it, and now it's finally happened: those two tickets up for auction for a luxury suite (plus all kinds of other goodies) on the maiden voyage of the Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 have finally sold -- for $100,000. That sounds like a lot of money to pay for a flight from Singapore to Sydney, but of course it's on an Airbus, it includes a lot of other perks, and that's actually a lot less than what the airline was hoping to get for charity (the "Buy it now" was $380,000). What a bargain!

Tags: 380, A380, airbus, airfare, airline, airlines, auction, bid, bidding, charity, doubledecker jet, DoubledeckerJet, flight, fly, jet, most expensive, MostExpensive, plane, singapore, singapore airlines, SingaporeAirlines, ticket, tickets, wings

Danish Businessman Nabs First Eclipse 500 Sold At Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings, Auctions

A Danish businessman is the winner of the first auction of the Eclipse 500. Morten Wagner of Denmark bid $1,833,945. The list price of an Eclipse 500 is $1,719.942.60 and the reserve for the auction was $1,633.945.47. According to Aero News Network, Wagner will be heading to the company's headquarters in Albuquerque this week to pick up his plane. Wagner is the founder of an internet company called Freeway and plans to use his new plane for business travel throughout Europe, and to travel between his homes in London, Spain, and Denmark. He currently flies a Cirrus SR22 but has had his eye on the Eclipse for a while.

Tags: auction, ebay, eclipse 500, Eclipse500, jet, private jet

Singapore Airlines To Auction Off Seats On The A380

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings, Auctions, Charity

As I've mentioned in the past, Singapore Airlines is the first commercial airline to get their hands on an Airbus A380. They have now announced that they will be auctioning off seats on the first commercial flight of the A380 between Singapore and Sydney. Tickets for the first flight of this doubledecker jet will be offered on eBay, with the proceeds going to Singapore's Community Chest, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwich, The Children's Hospital at Westmead and Doctors Without Borders. Exxon Mobil Aviation will donate the fuel for the flight.

Tags: a380, airbus, airplane, charity, doubledecker jet, jet, singapore airlines, SingaporeAirlines

Sentient Jet Partners With Saks

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Of all the private jet companies out there, Sentient Jet probably does the best job of partnering up with other companies. Not only have they partnered with resorts as many companies do, but they have also partnered with a medical clinic and now, a department store. Sentient is now the official private jet provider of Saks Fifth Avenue. The benefit of this new arrangement will be felt by Platinum and Diamond members of the Saks rewards program, SAKSFIRST. Members will get a special rate on the Sentient Jet Gold-level Membership and a Saks gift card worth up to $2,500. In return, Sentient Members will also have special access to Saks events as well as exclusive seasonal offers from Saks.

Tags: jet, membership, private jet, saks fifth avenue, sentient

Sending Kids To Summer Camp By Private Jet

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wings

For kids who have parents that can afford it, long gone are the days of riding to summer camp on a hot loud bus that smells like peanut butter and sweat. Many families are instead going the route of private jet flights, thanks in part to charter company Revolution Air assigning more than 20 jets to just that purpose this month. Costing about $8,000 per flight, most families choose it to both save time and make for a special experience. The designated jets have specialized menus featuring chicken fingers and ice cream, and it's such a treat for some they're opting to fly instead of taking a bus ride of almost the same length!

Tags: camp, child, children, flight, fly, jet, jets, kid, kids, private, revolution air, RevolutionAir, summer, summer camp, SummerCamp, wings

Boeing 787 Dreamliner VIP Edition

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which we heard about last October, just might be the fastest selling airplane in aviation history. It seems like all the big dogs want one, the latest being Hong Kong real estate tycoon Joseph Lau with his $153 million dollar 787 Dreamliner VIP Edition order. Once completed the Boeing will have 2,400+ square feet of luxurious space filled with amenities like vaulted ceilings, spiral staircases, and video wall displays.

And on a related note, new pictures have been released of the even bigger 4,786 sq foot 747 Dreamliner, complete with Skyloft feature. Gorgeous!

Tags: 747, 787, 787 dreamliner vip edition, 787DreamlinerVipEdition, airplane, boeing, dreamliner, fly, jet, joseph lau, JosephLau, lau, plane, private, vip, wings

Aruba has New Airport Terminal for Private Jets

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wings

Fancy a trip to Aruba? Hate commercial flying and been frustrated in the past with lack of accommodations for your private jet? I'm more of a wannabe than an expert when it comes to globetrotting and travel, so in this case I'm not sure if I'm surprised that Aruba has lacked a terminal just for private jets or not. Being the romantic island getaway that it is I would have thought it would be a priority, but then it is a tropical island and they don't generally follow the normal rules and expectations ever anyway.

But none of that really matters now, as Aruba has finally opened a terminal for private jets -- apparently in a specific effort to attract more upscale patrons. It even has separate customs and immigration so travelers can get through faster and bypass the main terminal altogether.

Tags: airplane, aruba, caribbean, carribbean, carribean, fly, island, jet, plane, private jet, PrivateJet, terminal, travel, tropical, tropics, wings

BMW Enters The Jet Design Business With The 787 VIP Business Jet

by Erin Mays (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Luxury Cars & Autos, Wings

After designing such beauties as the stunning 3-series, M Coupe, 6-series and other models in the recent rollout of all-new BMWs, the DesignWorks design team took a little hiatus to work on the automobile's sky-faring cousin, the airplane.

Our sister site Gadling brings the news to us that DesignWorks unveiled some concept drawings at the Hamburg Aircraft Interiors Expo of the ultra-luxury 787 Business Jet, targeted toward, say, a rich 30-something Russian businessman "spends a significant amount of time traveling across the globe and needs an aircraft that function as a second home."

The plane is decked out with white leather lounge chairs and burgundy accent pillows, a full bar, artwork, luxury bedroom accommodations and glass areas on the floor so passengers can keep an eye on their rides in the garage below.

More photos available by clicking through to Gadling.

Tags: air travel, airplane, AirTravel, bmw, designworks, jet, plane, travel

Decor that Will (and Won't) Fly on a Private Jet

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Wings

The whole idea of having a private jet, besides the obvious privacy aspect, is that you get to have it decorated however you want, right? Maybe not, depending on exactly what features you're after. Any plane that wants to fly in U.S. airspace has the Federal Aviation Administration to comply with, and no matter how fancy you make it a plane just isn't any fun when it's stuck sitting on the ground.

On the bright side, many features can be modified or changed to where they're still enjoyable but don't break any laws -- like chandeliers are okay if they're retractable, and you can have all the heavy mahogany and big screen TVs you want as long as you're willing to trade off in terms of increased fuel and lower over-all capacity for things like passengers and cargo.

So what isn't okay, ever, on a plane? An open flame, which automatically rules out features like fireplaces and gas stoves.

But as long as you have a golden toilet, who cares.

Tags: airplane, decor, decorating, decorations, fly, flying, jet, plane, private jet, private plane, PrivateJet, PrivatePlane, wings

Jet Airways Offers Private Mini Cabins

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Flying from London to India just got a lot more comfortable. Jet Airways has created a service that is basically like having a small cabin to yourself for the flight The 26 square foot room has two seats that convert into an 83-inch bed, dining for two and a 23-inch flat screen TV. The cabin has a pair of sliding doors for privacy. Meals are served on porcelain dinnerware. To fly from London to Mumbai in your own cabin costs £4,421.10 and the first luxury flight on one on Jet Airways' Boeing 777-300ER aircraft takes off from Heathrow on May 5. You can see more pictures in the article on This Is London.

Tags: airplane, england, first class, flight, flying, india, jet, jet airways, JetAirways

MyJets Fractional Seat Ownership

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

I'm not someone who does a lot of travel for work, but for those who do the costs of flying back and forth can really add up, both in money and in time. To appeal to part of that large market of people, MyJets is now offering a program called FSO, or Fractional Seat Ownership.

For a one time fee of only $40,000 per seat (ouch) and then a cost of $150 per hour of flight time (plus a small monthly fee), you too can have the convenience of a private jet -- only without the private part. Albeit you will save time not driving to and from a big commercial airport and not waiting through long security lines and all that, but the price still seems a bit steep, doesn't it? I guess for some in very specific situations it might be economical and/or convenient, but I'd be really curious just what the conditions are like on board the plane. The photos don't look all that convincing...or maybe it's just me?

Tags: airline, airport, fly, fractional, fractional jet seat ownership, FractionalJetSeatOwnership, FSO, jet, myjets, plane, travel

More Pics Of The Private Airbus A380

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Ask and you shall receive! Well, little by little at least. Last month Deidre wished for pictures of something other than the dining room of the Private Airbus A380 (as glorious as it may be) and today we have them. They might not be of the whirlpool, master bedroom suite, or the game room, but we do have a sketch of the desert-themed lounge and some very glamorous-looking photos of the grand entrance and VIP lounge.

There's five new pictures in all (if you don't count the dining room) and all I can say is wow. That, and I'm still waiting for a shot of that "glimmering desert mural" behind the curtain we keep hearing about.

[Thanks, Timothy!]

Tags: 380, A380, airbus, jet, pics, pictures, plane, private

Cerulean Jet Plans To Neutralize Carbon Emissions

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Another jet company has made a move to carbon neutrality following Silverjet's lead. Cerulean Jet, a private air charter service has announced that they are taking steps to neutralize the carbon emissions for all chartered flights. The company will be purchasing carbon offsets from Green Mountain Energy Company's eMission Solutions division to offset the carbon footprint caused from carbon dioxide emission from flights. Cerulean will purchase carbon offsets from Green Mountain for 100 percent of its entire fleet's flights for one year. Through their eMissions division Green Mountain works with reforestation as well as solar and wind power projects. Cerulean offers four different card-based charter services offering on demand service with no membership fee or membership services with fees that offer a reduction in the cost of flights.

Tags: carbon neutral, carbon offset, cerulean, charter, green, jet

Take A Private Jet Journey to Remote Lands

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The aptly named Remote Lands, Inc is now offering private jet journeys as a unique way to see the world. The first of these packages, called "Passionate Epicures and Insatiable Travelers," is available this year and will have room for a cozy 36 guests and is scheduled to travel to Thailand, Burma, Bhutan, India and China. Attractions include not only the locations themselves, but also best-selling authors, world-renowned chefs, and cultural experiences like attending a Thai wedding and visiting the home of a Bhutan dignitary.

Or if that sounds a little too generic for your taste, maybe a "bespoke travel package" is a better fit. Remote Lands will design an individualized Asian vacation just for you, basing it on your particular preferences and lifestyle, and offer choices including everything from bodyguards and massage therapists to audiences with Asian nobility.

Tags: asia, bespoke travel, BespokeTravel, bhutan, burma, china, india, jet, journey, journeys, plane, private jet, PrivateJet, remote lands, RemoteLands, travel

Eclipse Delivers First Customer Plane

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

We've been waiting for this news since mid 2005 when we first started covering this company, Eclipse Aviation has finally delivered their first very light jet, the Eclipse 500, and just before the end of 2006 too. AV Web reports that the first Eclipse 500 was delivered to a customer on Sunday, New Year's Eve. A formal delivery ceremony will follow at the company headquarters in Albuquerque, N.M. The first customer Eclipse 500 went to co-owners David Crowe, a private owner, and Jet-Alliance, a shared jet ownership company. Crowe is planning to fly recreationally and the jet will be part of Jet- Alliances shared ownership program. Eclipse has another 37 planes currently on the line and goal of delivering 500 planes before the end of 2007 but with a backlog of 2,500 orders you may have to wait a while for yours.

Tags: aviation, eclipse, jet, plane, vlj

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