Back in May we quoted Adam Katz, founder of on-demand luxury private jet charter and management service Talon Air, to the effect that despite the sluggish economy the luxury travel sector would continue to grow. That seems to be holding true in Katz's case, anyway; the company just added a $4 million Sikorsky S-76B helicopter to its fleet. The S-76 is a twin-engine craft designed to provide premium comfort and privacy for up to six passengers and two pilots in a "jet-like environment." The interior features first-class leather seats, wood paneling and a 4.5-foot tall cabin with more headroom than a typical helicoptert. In October, Katz plans to branch out even further - to sea, with the launch of a 135-foot, 6-bedroom, 5-bath, Serqué yacht.
At the recent Farnborough International Air Show, usually abuzz with the latest in jet envy, market experts were instead agreeing that the U.S. demand for business jets has softened considerably. And some companies are pulling the plug on private jet travel unless the circumstances truly justify it. Supposedly due to the current economic downturn and not a response to surging fuel costs, the decrease in U.S. demand for corporate jets is in stark contrast to burgeoning sales in Russia and the Middle East, whose new moguls are shelling out between $3 and $40 million for aircraft ordered at the air show.
It's not that execs are flying commercial -- the rough equivalent of trading in your Lamborghini for a used minivan full of crying babies -- but they are chartering flights instead of buying their own wings. Business jetsetters are turning more frequently to NetJets fractional ownership or a Marquis jet card, a kind of jet use debit card. Not exactly the Greyhound of the skies just yet, a Marquis jet card starts at $126,900 for 25 hours of flight time. And you won't have the joy of pimping out your cabin like that renowned Airbus A380, whose on-board hot tub and "desert oasis" tacked on an additional $150 million to the aircraft's pricetag.
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.
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.
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!
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.
As some business jet services like MAXJet and Eos are folding, while fuel costs and other annoyances plague private plane owners, a company called Talon Air apparently sees nothing but clear skies ahead. The on-demand luxury private jet charter and management service just added the ultra-luxe Legacy 600 (pictured here) to its fleet in order to meet increasing demand. We asked Adam Katz, Talon's owner and founder (and full-rotation pilot) to explain his apparently incongruous bullish outlook.
"The luxury travel sector will continue to improve," Katz tells Luxist. "The absence of those jets in the market just increases the demand for ultra high-end services like ours. Operators providing safe, luxury travel with all the amenities that are associated with these services will continue to prosper." As for onerous tariffs, "The government's inclination to impose further taxes on the general aviation and corporate or luxury travel operators will not change the broad demand for high end services," he insists. "People will always be willing to pay a fair price for exquisite, safe and convenient travel."
The twin-engine Legacy 600 (see the gallery below) can accommodate up to 13-passengers in its plush, Wi-Fi equipped 6-ft. tall cabin. It cruises at a speed of up to Mach 0.80 and has a range of 3,250 nautical miles, enough to fly nonstop from New York to London, from London (or Geneva) to Dubai, and from Singapore to Beijing. And judging from the glowing testimonial on Talon Air's website, tennis ace Pete Sampras is a big fan.
The second potential owner of a private Airbus A380 doubledecker jet has been revealed. The first jet belongs to Saudi Arabian Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal and the second jet will go to Michael Ezra. Never heard of him? I hadn't either. Michael Ezra is a tycoon said to be the richest man in Uganda. He is just 34 and is known as a "sports philanthropist" who has supported Uganda's sports teams and once made a move to buy the Leeds United soccer team. The Daily Monitor has reported that he is paying $260 million for a the Airbus A380 and that his plane will be available in 2010. He could spend another $150 million for the custom designed interior. Preliminary plans for his plane include an office, full satellite communication equipment, a conference room for 12 persons, a karaoke room, a movie room, a gymnasium, medical center four self-contained VIP bedrooms, another four executive bedrooms, as well as a spa.The lower deck of the plane will including living quarters for flight attendants and room for three cars. Ezra's plane will likely be registered in Dubai where he does most of his business. This isn't Ezra's first spendy maneuver in 2006 he spent $250,000 in Dubai for an exclusive Centennial Mont Blanc watch as part of was part of an Emirates charity promotion to help disadvantaged children of the world (a picture of Ezra with the watch is here).
UPDATE: Michael Ezra's website is here. No mention of the plane on there.
One of the founding members of JetBlue is branching off into the private jet world with JetSuite. JetSuite President Alex Wilcox, formerly at JetBlue, says the company has ordered 50 Embraer Phenom 100 very light jets with options to purchase 50 Phenom aircraft family planes. The 100 jet order makes JetSuite the the largest U.S. customer for the Embraer jet and plans to be the only operator of these planes to serve the West Coast. The Phenom 100 will carry four passengers and can reach speeds up to 380 knots with a cruising altitude of 41,000 ft., JetSuite Is currently selling aircraft for delivery in early 2009.
Ugh, airline food. The growing popularity of private jets and jet charters is changing that stereotype, though, as those who can afford it are not only flying, but also eating, in style. Jet-Chef.com is a service for jet owners, pilots, brokers, flight attendants, etc., and offers access to some of the world's best chefs, caterers, and suppliers for the ultimate in in-flight dining. The service comes in the form of a website directory that makes searching by city, state, or airport and getting in touch with high-class gourmet chef and catering services easy and convenient.
Currently Jet Chef is only available in the U.S., but at the rate the private jet industry is growing they expect to be going international in the near future.
Having or chartering a private jet used to be a big deal, a very special luxury enjoyed by only the elitest of the elite, but private air travel is practically a necessity for even "entry level" wealthy people in today's world. Even with the economy in the condition it's in, those accustomed to traveling privately aren't giving up the luxury in exchange for less expensive commercial flights. And although chartering private jet travel certainly isn't cheap it's not as pricey as it used to be -- as little as $10,000 will get you where you want to go.
If the economy has any kind of negative effect on private air travel experts expect it to be in how much people fly, not in the privacy they expect when they do. Many of those who use private charters and/or own their own jets consider it a necessity in their lives, not a splurge.
Gulfstream has announced their fastest business-class jet ever. The new G650 jet can fly nearly as fast as the speed of sound, .85 Mach and is their biggest plane to date. It will have a nautical range of 7,000 nautical miles meaning it can fly nonstop from Los Angeles to London. The plane will cost $59.5 million and is aimed at the highest end of the private jet market. The Savannah, Georgia-based company plans to begin test flights next year and will start deliveries in 2012.
In 2005, Lufthansa started their private jet program, partnering with NetJets. Things must be going well Lufthansa has announced their plans to have a private jet fleet ready for summer 2008. The company will receive seven private jets from Cessna soon and will continue to work with private jet companies. They plan to offer four different categories of planes ranging from four to 12 seats. The number of private jet flights for Lufthansa rose 26% last year. The German airline will be the first European airline to develop its own fleet of business jets.
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Just about anywhere you can think of, you can likely find an Abercrombie & Kent trip to take you there. The A&K Private Jet Experiences has numerous itineraries that whisk you away to anywhere from Bora Bora to Egypt. They have a variety of itineraries that take you to visit world destinations in style. Their customized Boeing 757 is capable of holding 186 passengers, but will only carry 52 for the Private Jet trips so each passenger has plenty of personal space, but can hang out n the jet's lounge area as well. This is definitely the company to call when you are ready to do your "Bucket List" trip.
They also do private experiences with special elements of personalization like individual dine-around choices and in-room breakfasts, or day trips like spa treatments, elephant rides and more. Accommodations include suites in some of the world's finest hotels and resorts, selected for their distinctive sense of place, gracious hospitality and inspiring views.
They also work with the Nature Conservancy to take you to some of the most beautiful and ecologically diverse destinations on the planet visiting Conservancy sites in Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Peru and Alaska. These trips include a year membership to the Nature Conservancy and seven percent of each trip's proceeds will be donated to The Nature Conservancy and its conservation efforts in the destinations visited in this trip series.
Romantic getaways are one of the most popular ways for couples to celebrate Valentine's Day, and for those who have money a private jet charter is a pretty appealing way to get there. Even more appealing is a private jet charter with a cabin packed full of diamonds, roses, and all kinds of other goodies. On that note Halcyon Jets is offering the $1.5 million DreamDate package that includes a long list of high-end luxury gifts. You'll get a diamond necklace from Tiffany's, a bottle of 1996 Vintage Krug Champagne, Noka chocolates, Clive Christian's Imperial Majesty, a pair Christian Louboutin Sequin Peep-Toe Pumps, a 9 piece set of Louis Vuitton Monogram Canvas Luggage, and DreamSpa treatments for 2.
Whew! What a list. Anybody have $1.5 million I can borrow?
