private jet

Usually Oprah is the voice of the middle class but this weekend in a speech to Duke University's graduating class, she let her wealth show. She told the students that it's "great to have nice homes." She also loves her private plane and said "anyone that tells you that having your own private jet isn't great is lying to you."

She's right of course and like Robert Frank said in The Wealth Report, it's nice to see someone being honest about the perks of wealth, of which the ability to travel wherever, whenever, in perfect comfort is one of the best. Now we just need to see Oprah say this on her show which she likely will not do for fear of alienating her core audience. With all of the bashing the private jet industry has gotten lately and the resulting fall out, causing the loss of thousands of jobs, the industry could use a little help. The NY Times recently noted that many former private jet users are changing their travel strategies due to both monetary issues and the pervasive feeling that private jet travel is now somehow wrong. Oprah has always had a soft spot for the underdog and right now the private jet industry finds itself in that position.

Check eBay next week for an online auction. The 19 leading luxury tourism companies in New Zealand (New Zealand Luxury) are coming together to offer an amazing travel deal for the starting bid of only NZ$1 (only 50 cents in the United States). Each participant is estimated to have donated NZ$1,500 (US$855) worth of travel goods and services for this effort – for a total value of NZ$33,000 (almost US$19,000).

So, what does the winning bid get you?

Come out the other side of this 10-day auction a winner, and you'll fly on a private jet to New Zealand, stay in private villas and upscale hotels for four weeks and dash around the country on helicopters and in chauffeur-driven cars. You'll even get to hit the water on a private yacht.

The largesse from the top bid will go to the Untouched World Charitable Trust, the non-profit arm of the Untouched World clothing brand – which is kicking in NZ$2,000 (more than US$1,000) in apparel for this auction.

Save the planet, and treat yourself as you demand to be treated!

The slowdown in the private jet industry has doomed, at least temporarily, Cessna's most promising new plane. Cessna has announced drastic measures to trim expenses including laying off an additional 2,300 people,lengthening the summer production stoppage, suspending its Citation Columbus program and closing its Bend, Oregon plant. The Columbus program was still in the developmental stages but it would have been the fastest and largest jet in the Cessna fleet with a range of 4,000 nautical miles. It was supposed to be ready in 2014 and state and local governments in Kansas had allotted millions in incentives to entice Cessna to build the production plant in the state. The Wichita Eagle reports that the money will be repaid through increased payroll taxes.

The private jet industry has shrunk dramatically in the wake of several key factors, last summer's fuel price spike, the recession, and a public outcry that has led corporate jet users to decrease their reliance on private jet travel. While last year Cessna planned to deliver around 500 in 2009, it is now aiming at producing around 300 planes. The company has received a flood of cancellations for planes that were slated to be delivered over the next couple of years.

Last year we first heard that Queen of England was private jet shopping. But now The Sun says that the Queen won't be picking up her own 12-seat plane after all. The global economic crunch is being blamed. The Royal Family was to take possession of the jet this year but Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth has announced that the Royal Family will fly on RAF planes until April of next year. This is the second time the Queen has missed out on getting her own plane, Prime Minister Gordon Brown already canceled a plan to buy three private aircraft for the government which would have been used by the Royal Family as well.

For once a bank story that doesn't involve a U.S. bailout. The Royal Bank of Scotland is yet another troubled bank that had to surrender a plane. It reportedly canceled a $45 million order for a Dassault Aviation Falcon 7X business jet last fall. This is the same type of plane that Citigroup ordered and then did not take possession of after censure from the White House.

The cancellation took place right around the time that the British government gave the bank a £20 billion bailout and took a majority stake in the company. The private jet was to have been used by the now ousted chief executive, Sir Fred Goodwin who also received a £16.6 million pension, part of which the government would like him to return.

Emivest Aerospace is now taking orders for the SJ30 (above), billed the world's fastest, longest range and highest flying light jet. The $8 million SJ30 recently set a new world speed record from London to Dubai, doing the trip in just 7hr 7 min including a fuel stop in Istanbul. Emivest was founded late last year when the Emirates Investment and Development Company acquired an 80% interest in US-based Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corporation, named for aviation pioneer Ed Swearingen. The luxurious single-pilot certified six-seater can retain sea level cabin pressure at 41,000 ft., reducing jet lag, and can fly more than 2,800 miles nonstop at speeds of up to 630 mph.

The NY Times Co.'s annual proxy revealed an interesting detail, the company is selling its private jet. Cityfile shows that the company has been trying to sell the 1997 Dassault Falcon for close to two months. It costs $9.5 million and listing pics reveal a cozy cabin with gleaming wood and soft gray padded seats.

Apparently among the many services offered by Harrods of London, the world's most exclusive department store, is a private aviation program. Air Harrods has now partnered with UK-based Watkins Yacht Management to provide air and concierge support via helicopter and corporate jet to the firm's superyacht clientele. Watkins, which has sister companies In Asia, Dubai and the U.S., provides yacht management services, sources yachts for charter, assists new owners, provides brokerage for sales and purchase, and offers a "discreet acquisition service with access to a number of high profile owners."

The two firms will now provide a "streamlined luxury travel experience" for yacht-goers. Transfers to the yachts will now start at the owner, charterer or guest's own front door and will seamlessly incorporate limousines, flights and/or helicopter transfers to and from the vessels, overseen by Harrods' highly-trained staff with all the perks one would expect of such a hallowed name.

Stockholm-based Jameslist.com has just launched the "world's first truly transparent luxury marketplace", allowing buyers to find and compare high-end cars, watches, boats, yachts and aircraft from dealers around the world. The site features some 20,000 listings, including rare watches such as the Paul Newman Rolex Daytona, hard-to-find cars like the Maserati MC12 and Ferrari Superamerica, and magnificent 120+ ft. yachts from Palmer Johnson. The 350-plus global dealers on JamesList range from high-end custom builders such such as Project Kahn Design (their Bentley GTS Mulliner, above) to "traditional dealers with exceptional inventory" such as ExecuJet and Lamborghini Stuttgart.

"Given the recent roller-coaster of currency and market fluctuations, we saw an opportunity to give serious buyers the tools they need to find premium goods at the best possible price, regardless of where they are in the world," says JamesList CEO Noam Perski. "We have brought together the world's best dealers, from Alain Class Motors in Dubai to International Yacht Collection in Monaco, to offer international buyers a complete marketplace." Important functions for international deal making such as currency and unit conversion are built in to the heart of the platform, as well as language translation.

The car companies may have gotten in trouble for their corporate jets, but as the AP reports, private jets are still flying for Wall Street's firms. They report that six financial firms that received billions in bailout dollars haven't sold off their jets. In fact they are still in use to carry executives to company events and sometimes personal trips. In many of these cases, the CEO is required to use a private jet for security reasons. AIG has seven planes but a spokesman reports they are being used sparingly. The company sold two jets earlier this year and is selling or canceling orders for four others. Citigroup's aircraft are being used a by a few executives but the execs are "encouraged to fly commercial." Morgan Stanley has two jets. JP Morgan owns four Gulfstream jets including a a 2007 ultra-long range flagship G550 model, a plane that sells for around $47.5 million. Bank of America has nine planes including four Gulfstreams. Wells Fargo owns a single jet that is strictly for business use.

While SEC rules require that publicly held companies disclose executives' personal use of corporate aircraft, the line between personal use and business use can often be hard to determine. Overall, companies are cutting back on the use of the jets for any reason that can seem frivolous. They haven't had to travel to Washington to beg for money yet but if they do, likely they'll leave the fleet at home.

If you are shopping for a jet, the picture above is from a used Gulfstream GIV-SP listed at $25.95 million.

Back in the summer we noted that on-demand luxury private jet charter and management service Talon Air was beefing up its fleet with the purchase of a $4 million Sikorsky helicopter. Now founder Adam Katz has added to his stable once again with another kind of craft - a $15 million, 135-ft. motoryacht dubbed the Serqué (above). The sleek yacht features six elegant staterooms accommodating up to 13 guests, wood paneling throughout, a six-person spa, two Yamaha jet skis and a 47' Intrepid Sport Yacht for diving and fishing. The Serqué will be based in Ft. Lauderdale for chartering in the Caribbean and will spend summers in the Hamptons at at Sag Harbor. Talon Air will offer packages combining its private jet services with the luxury yacht.



[via JustLuxe]

For the last few years, Eclipse Aviation was to seen to be the foundation of a whole new world of air taxis and personal jets with their Eclipse 550 aircraft. Times have changed and this week, Eclipse filed for federal bankruptcy-court protection. The company which is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, struggled to make payroll earlier this month. The Wall Street Journal reports that ETIRC Aviation, which holds nearly 65% of the company's shares, will endeavor to continue manufacturing operations as it moves to acquire Eclipse's assets.

Eclipse still has a backlog of over 2,000 planes on order. The company may slow down production on order to get solvent as soon as possible. The planes sell for around $1.5 million each. Eclipse joins other companies that are planning layoffs and slowing production in order to cope with the dramatic economic shifts.

Gap co-founder and art philanthropist Donald Fisher would like his money now please. He has sued a private jet charter company, JetDirect Aviation, Inc. for $376,770 he says the company owes him in jet rental fees. Fisher rents out his Bombardier BD-700-1A10 Global Express jet for $8,000 an hour when he isn't using it. The lawsuit contends that the company hasn't been paying the rent after the deal was signed a year ago.

If you've been considering a vacation to Asia but want to be sure you'll have an unparalleled luxury experience you may want to consider Remote Lands. Through extraordinary insider connections with local people Remote Lands takes you on an adventure tailored to your specific needs and desires with locations in the top twenty travel destinations in Asia. Personally I think their focus on creating opportunities to meet monks and maharajas, nomads and nobility, farmers and financiers alike is what makes this travel design group so intriguing and worthwhile. Each package in tailored specifically to your interests, hence the 'bespoke travel experience' they advertise, so prices will vary greatly.

Regent Jet has created a new jet card just for people who spend their winters traveling between New York and Florida. The Palms Jet Pass offers travel between New York and Florida. Passengers book their flights 24 hours ahead and can fly from several airports in the New York City area including Teterboro; Morristown; White Plains; Farmingdale; Islip and East Hampton to various South Florida locations such as West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Naples. The Palms Jet Pass jet is The Hawker 400XP which has seven seats and can do a non-stop New York to Florida flight in about 2 hours, 30 minutes. Larger jets are also available. The Palms Jet Pass starts at $50,000 for five one-way flights between Metropolitan New York and South Florida on the Hawker 400XP.