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 Entertainment | June 2008 
How Celebrities Fly
 Jennifer Merritt - Halogen Guides
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We live in a celebrity-obsessed culture that chronicles Britney’s every follicle and Tiger’s every putt. Consider this the Us Weekly edition of Halogen Guides, where we detail the way celebrities and athletes fly, from outrageous catering requests to the type of jet they prefer.
Private jet travel has - forgive us - taken off in recent years, and it turns out there is more behind this trend than extravagance. “Private jets fly into over 5,500 airports in the United States alone, while commercial airlines are limited to only 500 airports,” says James D. Butler, CEO of Shaircraft Solutions, which scours jet options and handles negotiations on behalf of clients. “Add to this that private air travelers can fly on their schedule rather than the airlines’ and you have an extremely attractive service that’s reliable, convenient, safe and private.”
Plus, such companies often cater to clients every (legal) whim, no matter if it’s a request for green tea onboard each flight or maintaining a 45-page, in-flight catering menu. One celebrity wanted specific meals based on the time of day, and for each meal, there were five different varieties of food, explains Jeffery Menaged, president and CEO of Chief Executive Air, a company specializing in aircraft charters. “I’m always amazed how much time people spend on the catering order,” he says. “These are fit, thin, beautiful people, who you wouldn’t think need that much food.”
Other popular demands include anything from in-flight hair and make-up services, to securing concierge assistance at the destination. Other requests can be mundane, but nonetheless outrageous. “We had a client charter a G-111 from Boston to West Palm Beach and she left her purse in Boston, so she told the pilot to go back to Boston to pick up the purse and fly back to West Palm Beach - an extra six hours of flight time,” shares Robert Seidel, senior vice president and general manger of U.S. charter services for Jet Aviation, which secures clients’ preferred type of jet travel.
Some requests revolve around privacy. “One celebrity couple requests we position the aircraft so that the door is not visible to the fixed base operator,” says a spokesperson for XOJET, a fractional-ownership private jet company that has flown Brad Pitt, Sting and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. “Upon landing, the aircraft is towed all the way into the hangar with everyone onboard. The couple and the crew deplane only when the hangar door has been closed to prevent any paparazzi from snapping unsolicited photos.”
Some celebs and athletes request specific planes, like the prestigious Gulfstream 550, while others prefer jets like the Hawker 400, which are lightweight yet spacious, or the Cessna Citation X, a faster jet that’s popular on coast-to-coast flights.
But in the world of the rich and famous, private jet travel isn’t always about being pampered. For some, the mode of transportation is more functional. “A professional golfer like Scott Hoch gets to every tournament with his clubs, when he needs to be there, so that he can honor his commitments to the tournament, the fans and his sponsors,” says Shaircraft’s Butler, who also counts professional golfers Scott Verplank and Bob Tway among his clients. “Scott [Hoch] can get home from a tournament the same day, spend time with his wife and kids, and when he returns to the tour, he’s relaxed and ready to play. This is part of his support system, like his coach, his caddy and his equipment.”
See? It’s not all about pomp and circumstance. In fact, most private jet companies report the majority of clients are laid-back business travelers. “For our clients, it’s all about convenience, flexibility and reliability,” says Butler. “The world opens up when you fly privately.” |
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