Fractional jet card provider Flexjet 25—which usually restricts itself to merely renting private jets to ostentatious elites who can't afford their own—has created a special package for the 2010 Winter Games. In addition to flying you and the date you're desperately trying to impress to Vancouver on one of their Bombardier aircraft, they'll put you up for 3 nights in the Sutton Place Hotel and guarantee you access to a bunch of high-level events.

You and your partner will have the chance to participate in the Closing Ceremony, attend the Men's Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game, and see three Short-Track Speed Skating gold medal races. You'll also have entrance into the Figure Skating Gala Exhibition, though you'll probably want to avoid it lest it impinge on the air of machismo you're obviously trying to build.]]> Omri 2009-10-22T17:33:41-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/12/12434/122

It seems hard to believe that it is almost 75 years since the first regular flights from Britain to Australia began, but it's apparently true that as far back as 1935, the wealthy were skipping the long boat trips and flying Down Under. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of Australia flights next year, Qantas Holidays are putting on a real "trip of a lifetime" vacation on the historical "Nostalgia" and "Classical" routes.

Flying with a group of just 22 passengers on a classic Convair CV580 plane, the 22-day trip from London to Sydney (or the 21-day reverse journey) will be something quite special. With a maximum flying time of four hours per day, there are numerous stops in countries as diverse as the Czech Republic, Syria and Vietnam. Daily excursions could take you over the Himalayas, by water taxi to stilted houses in Brunei, or on a dawn cruise on the Ganges. ]]> amandak 2009-10-14T10:23:37-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/14/2283/3847

You know what two words we don't enjoy hearing placed together in a sentence? "Oprah" and "sex." But with a new lawsuit against the talk show host and one-woman conglomerate, it looks like we'll have to endure their combination for a while.

Recently one of Oprah's former flight attendants on her private jet files a defamation of character suit against Winfrey, since Winfrey had fired her after supposedly catching her joining the Mile High Club with the jet's pilot while in the air and as passengers (including Winfrey) slept. Although this sounds like a topic Oprah would use for a show—"no-limits intimacy," anyone?—the matter is serious and the flight attendant claims that Oprah's accusations are false since all sex acts between her and the pilot only occurred while "occurred while the plane was safely landed and refueling." Oh okay, because now that it's all clear, that makes it alright. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-10-14T08:38:37-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/7/133340/204

Hey, did you hear Brooke Shields was in a plane crash? Don't worry, no one was hurt, unless you count the SUV the plane rolled into when it landed in southern California last weekend.

Shields was flying to a "private function" in a Cessna 421B with a few others, including Jim Belushi. The private function was at Hearst Castle in San Simeon. Safely landed, the pilot forgot to set the parking brake and the plane rolled into a rental car that was parked a few feet away. (So, maybe not such a great parking spot to pick either.) ]]> egw 2009-10-07T13:48:55-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/5/231316/216

Some of us are looking forward to remodeling our bathrooms, others can't wait to upgrade their laptop, and then there are those who are champing at the bit to get started on building their own personal airstrip in France. Of course we refer to the one and only Super World Travelers, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

According to Private Jet Daily (which is just our favorite daily), Brangelina are sick and tired of paparazzi hounding them from both sides of the airport security check when they fly from commercial airports. Now that they've both got their private pilot licenses and plenty of space on their Chateau Miraval estate in France, an airstrip is the next logical step. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-10-06T09:13:55-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/4/24/111520/195

Sweet ride! Advertising blog Copyranter just posted a gallery of private-jet advertisements pulled from a recent issue of Forbes. How dare they flaunt their wares in this climate? They don't deserve to advertise.

But seriously, it's funny how the ads attempt to appeal to current concerns about the economy while at the same time selling a product far out of the range of most travelers.

Dassault Falcon stresses the efficiency of its planes; FlexJet urges buyers to make a "true assessment" of the costs involved in traveling commercial (including driving and terminal time), asserting that a private jet does not say to observers, "I'm a well-heeled jet-setter who spends money frivolously." One might think they would have done better not to enter that line into their copy.

And Beechcraft even mentions the most famous recent private-jet-takers, the auto-company CEOs who took the flight of shame to Washington D.C. in December.

But our favorite has got to be Cessna's, which appeals to the ego by inferring that owning a private jet can make you stronger and more threatening to competitors (the peacock defense?). ]]> egw 2009-04-24T12:11:12-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/2/2/12431/44019

Desperate times call for desperate measures: Under pressure to balance the budget, the Mississippi state legislature is contemplating selling its private jet, Sarah Palin-style.

House Appropriations Chair Johnny Stringer cited Palin as an inspiration when he proposed putting the $3.7-million Cessna Citation 8-seater, which costs $1,600 an hour to operate, up for sale. That would leave just three state-funded planes for lawmakers to share, including the jet's most frequent passenger, Republican Governor Haley Barbour.

Critics of the plan call it a partisan stunt and mention that the state still owes $500,000 on the jet. eBay might not even be the way to go after all: When a buyer for Alaska's $2.7 million jet fell through online, the state took a $600,000 hit and got rid of it privately.

Related Stories:
· Miss. may sell state jet on eBay [Clarionledger.com]
· Opinion: Think It Over Before Selling Governor's Jet [Hattiesburg American]

[Photo of Gov. Barbour, who may be forced to drive everywhere: DayLife.com]]]> egw 2009-02-02T13:41:00-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/