I’ve often heard it said that once you’ve flown first class, you’re ruined for any lesser form of travel. But once you’ve flown private, you’ve got a whole new lens through which to view air travel. Primarily, one in which TSA lines are nonexistent, security checks are not your problem, and rather than mill around a gate waiting for your boarding group to be called, you can saunter on up to the plane at your leisure. It’s an entirely different ballgame.
I learned this firsthand when I flew with FlexJet from New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport to Paris this summer. It was my first time flying private, and I couldn’t get over how seamless the experience was. While a commercial transatlantic flight would have left me feeling tired and ragged, my body barely registered the six-hour journey. I could get up from my plush leather seat whenever I wanted to stretch my legs, freshen up in the spacious bathroom with seemingly endless amenities (no really, options ranged from Burt’s Bees lip balm to Neutrogena makeup remover wipes, tissue packets, hand sanitizers and lotions…even playing cards!), or chat with fellow passengers over a glass of Champagne. Don’t even get me started on the meals—pastries, quiche, and yogurt parfaits for breakfast; tuna niçoise salads for lunch—all made fresh by our personal chef Francesco, who was the bar manager at Villa d’Este before coming to FlexJet. For the first time, I found myself wishing the flight was longer.
Indulgent as it was, my trip with FlexJet also demonstrated that private jet travel no longer requires access to your own personal G5. In response to the pandemic’s private jet boom, new booking options have emerged for travelers looking to take to the skies in seclusion—and many of them with ticket prices that deliver less sticker shock than you might imagine.
Even though social distancing may not be the term du jour any longer, the state of commercial aviation certainly has travelers keen to fly on their own time. “Private aviation has experienced remarkable growth over the past several years, reflecting a fundamental shift in what travelers value most,” says Flexjet CEO Mike Silvestro. “Time has become the ultimate luxury, and people are looking for greater flexibility, efficiency, and a more personalized travel experience.”
However, for those who, like myself, are a newly initiated high-flier, navigating the multitude of companies and different categories of private air travel can feel overwhelming. Below is a primer on some of the various ways to score a seat on a private aircraft—from fly-share services and traditional charters to fractional ownership, and more.
