The Cessna jet-set (and how to join it)
As a burgeoning class of private jet-setters take to the skies, travel expert Anna Hart spills the secrets of the mile-high rollers
The downside of travelling is, well, the travel. Crowded airports, insentient self-scan check-in screens (and even less sentient check-in staff), security queues scented with sports sock. Then there’s the sharp-elbowed, loud-mouthed and germ-laden neighbouring passengers aboard a claustrophobic and stuffy aircraft.
And just when you’ve really started questioning your decision to ever leave the comfort of sofa, you’re treated to the tedious immigration queues and soul-crushing baggage carousel roulette at your destination. It’s a long time since air travel has been remotely glamorous. For the general public, that is…
Because for a growing class of private-jet-setters, getting from
A to B is an altogether different experience. When details of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s recent private jet journeys (which saw them take four flights in 11 days) emerged last week, the world was left wondering, yes, about their carbon footprint – but also what travel looks like for that lucky 0.1 per cent.
PJ-setters arrive at the door of small private air terminals in chauffeur-driven cars mere minutes before take-off, clear passport control and security with a nod, and sit down to champagne and canapés prepared by a cordon bleu chef on board. They might want to use the Cessna or Learjet as a sumptuous private Silicon Valley-esque office,
‘We delivered two much-missed poodles to their owners on a Caribbean island’
‘You can drive up to the private terminal and be in the air within minutes’
taking conference calls via the superfast Wi-Fi and sealing deals at 41,000ft, on a multi-city day trip to offices in Washington DC, Dallas and Denver.
Or they might simply watch the latest Tarantino film on a large flatscreen while eating tacos from their favourite taqueria in LA, because honestly, it’s impossible to get authentic Mexican in London. Perhaps they’ll head straight into the master bedroom for a nap after take-off, lulled into a soothed state by the on-board masseuse, dreaming of the week ahead at a private villa in Jumby Bay, Antigua. “The thing about a private jet is that it really can be whatever you need it to be,” says Chis Tofts, CEO of 365 Aviation, which has a fleet of jets available for charter. “If you need a state-of-the-art office in the sky between business meetings in different European cities, you’ve got it. If you need a rose-petalstrewn sky boudoir as a grand romantic gesture, we can do that, too. With my job, I never know what request will come in on a given day; it could be transporting a casket and eight family members to Delhi, or delivering two much-missed poodles to their owners on an island in the Caribbean.”
As a starting price, it’s rare to be able to charter a private aircraft for much less than half a million, and few of us have a handy Elton John to offer us a ride, but “private jets are a booming business”, says Laura Jeffrey, founder of luxury travel company Passepartout Travel, “partly because fractional ownership or chartering means they’re available to a broader demographic.”
There is a growing number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNIs in private-jet-industry speak) – by 2022, it is predicted that more than 3.6 million people worldwide will have a net worth in excess of £4 million – but even they are “just as likely to lease, giving them access to a wider variety of aircraft according to their needs for that specific journey”, says Jeffrey.
“Over the past decade we’ve seen a huge rise in the number of private celebrations and exclusive events for friends, families or business associates, that private jets are catering for,” she adds.
Milestone birthdays, in particular, are big business. “I love planning 60th birthday parties, because by then, people are much more likely to throw caution the wind and have a blowout celebration. For one client, for example, we flew 60 of their nearest and dearest out to Jaipur, and arranged for them to be greeted in the airport by elephants bearing bamboo signs with the party guests names on them.”
A trip like this, by Jeffrey’s estimation, would total just under £1 million, but she also works with
groups of families and friends planning trips together. “If you fill every seat with friends and split the fee, it’s possible to have the private jet experience for £5,000-£10,000 per passenger,” she says. This is a trend that Jeffrey welcomes; currently the average headcount on a private jet (not including the crew) is roughly four.
Private jets are routinely personalised, inside and out. “Wrapping” an aircraft – that’s a repaint job – costs around £20,000, but you can even have your name emblazoned across a Learjet, if you please. “For one celebration, we designed a mock airline logo and branding with the client’s name, and fitted out all the headrests and upholstery in that design,” says Jeffrey. “If you want a family crest, a company logo or something fun like this, it can all be done.”
Tofts recalls sourcing a massage therapist for one client, who would pay her thousands to be available during family holidays to villas in the Caribbean – just so that he could have an in-flight massage on the flight, there and back.
But more often that not, it’s the precious commodity of time that private jet passengers are paying for, not bottles of vintage Veuve Clicquot. “When you travel by private jet, you don’t need to turn up to the airport two hours before your flight to clear check-in and security,” says Tofts. “You can drive up to the private terminal and be in the air minutes after slamming the car door.”
And despite chartering private jets being the breakout trend, this appears to be fuelling the appetite for ownership, as well. Jetcraft, the world’s leading jet broker, is seeing growth year-on-year, and over the next decade (2018-2027) private jet sales are predicted to increase by 60 per cent in the US, 18 per cent in Europe, and 13 per cent in AsiaPacific. The average jet sale is around £16 million, while the day-to-day costs of owning and maintaining a private aircraft are around £1 million a year, covering hangar space, maintenance and pilots, while the more variable costs like fuel add on around £3,000-£5,000 per hour in the air. But for those who fly privately at least 150-200 hours a year, buying is still the smarter investment.
The private jet interior design industry is on the up, too, as clients expect their jets to mirror the high aesthetic standards they apply to luxury hotels – all clean lines, cream leather and wood panelling – that also Instagram well. According to Jetcraft owner Jahid Fazal-Karim, bigger is definitely better, as more passengers want wide-berth crafts that can function as “family offices”.
And, similar to the classic car market, there’s growing demand for older aircraft. Rapper Drake recently bought a 23-year-old Boeing 767 300F; the ultimate hipster retractable wheels. Tesla founder Elon Musk owns a
£46 million Gulfstream G650ER, while Bill Gates opted for a more modest £27.6 million Bombardier Global Express XRS, and Jay-Z and Beyoncé make do with a
£30 million Bombardier Challenger 850. The Ferrari in the car park, unsurprisingly, belongs to Roman Abramovich, with his £215 million Boeing 767-300.
If the Cessna Set isn’t a club you feel you can join just yet, easyJet Plus membership is a less-painful £215 a year.