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Private Jet Clients
The many advantages of private air travel are causing more and more people with means to reconsider how to get from point A to point B. Commercial airlines are no longer the automatic choice for celebrities, dignitaries, politicians, and the like, even with the available first class options. And like their fellow passengers in the business sector have known for years, some of the world's most famous private jet clients have found the most valuable part of private air travel is the word "private."
Celebrities value their privacy because they get so little of it. With a chartered or personally owned jet, the celebrity avoids crowded airports lined with paparazzi and multitudes of fans. In fact, a well planned flight could mean for some famous private jet clients an opportunity to escape town without anyone being the wiser. A simple early morning drive to the airport, a discreet entrance to the charter company's facilities, and then a quick and quiet boarding means a flight out with no one around to snap pictures and ask for autographs.
This year's 2010 Cannes Film Festival in France, for example, saw its fair share of private jet clients. Celebs like Paris and Nicky Hilton, Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchet, Eva Longoria, and countless others were reported jetting in and out on chartered planes. If you'd like to join them next year there are many regional operations with dedicated charters to Cannes during the festival, giving the film lover with a little disposable income the opportunity to rub shoulders with the stars.
In the Caribbean playgrounds of the North Atlantic this past May, Indian film star Askay Kumar got a bunch of friends together and rented a jet to take them to Barbados for a T20 World Cup match between England and Australia. And in the luxury destination of the Bahamas, famous private jet clients include former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and actors Donald Sutherland, John Travolta, Matthew McConaughey, and Kate Hudson. Nassau alone has four air charter operators to shuffle the rich and famous to and from the Bahamas.
According to industry experts, celebrities and dignitaries alike are joining the ranks of private jet clients in record numbers. The increased range of planes like the new Gulfstream G650 (7,000 nmi) make it easier for them to forgo the commercial flights in favour of a private jet. The number of corporate clients is also increasing despite the economy, due in large part to corporations specifically budgeting for private jet travel over commercial airlines. Companies like Phillip Morris, Citigroup, and Kraft foods are utilizing private charters for conferences and weekend company getaways.
For the average man or woman who dreams of making the list of private jet clients, there is hope. Charter companies are seeing the potential of an increased clientele if they can manage to find a way to make it more affordable. New programs are being introduced to allow individual passengers the ability to fly privately without spending a fortune.
Information sharing databases are linking together transportation providers all over the world, bringing increased competition and reduced prices. And new technology is making private jets smaller and more affordable to operate.
So keep your eyes open. One day you may just find yourself among the rich and famous on your own private jet.
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