Elite Traveler Summer 2024

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NEWS FROM THE SKIES FRANCHISE Orlando, Florida-based Stratos Jets hopes to do what U. Gary Charlwood did for travel agencies and real estate with Uniglobe and Century 21 — that is, creating a franchising model for private jet charter brokers. In an unveiling earlier this year, Stratos CEO Joel Thomas indicated he wants brokers to do what he says the top ones do best — prospect for new clients and sell. He plans to give them backend support for time-consuming tasks, including bookkeeping, sourcing fl ights, managing trips and tracking payments. Thomas says the model enables his franchisees to tap into the long-term relations Stratos maintains with private jet operators. In March, Gulfstream fi nally earned certi fi cation of its G700 from the Federal Aviation Administration, opening the way for customer deliveries. “The G700 brings a new level of performance and cabin comfort to business aviation and is doing so while meeting the highest certi fi cation standards our industry has ever seen,” said the manufacturer’s president, Mark Burns. The range for the new ultra-long-haul private jets increased from original expectations to 7,750 nautical miles at Mach 0.85 or 6,650 nautical miles at Mach 0.90. Its top operating speed increased from Mach 0.925 to Mach 0.935, making it the fastest in the Gulfstream fl eet. With fi ve distinct living zones, the G700 is a fl ying hotel that can sleep up to 13 passengers. gulfstream.com SUSTAINABILITY Bombardier’s Challenger 650 became the third aircraft class from the Canadian manufacturer to complete an Environmental Product Declaration, alongside its Challenger 3500 and ultra-long-range Globals. “The role of EPDs is not to stamp our aircraft as more sustainable than others — rather, to take ownership of the environmental impact they generate,” said Jean-Christophe Gallagher, executive vice president. The EPD tracks the carbon footprint and sustainability of the airplane itself, its entire lifespan and, critically, the manufacturing process, including the factory and the entire supply chain. That means using sustainably sourced materials, down to the carpets and fl ooring and the wood veneers for cabin walls. bombardier.com stratosaircraft.com FLYING FARTHER

Above Bombardier Challenger 650 interior Below Gulfstream G700

Photos Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation