Elite Traveler Winter 2021

INSPIRE TOP GJEOTLSF

NEED TO KNOW Vista Global Holding’s VistaJet will be carbon neutral by 2025, setting an example for other units in the group

VISTAJET CARBON NEUTRALITY BY 2025

No private jet operator has positioned itself as being more luxurious than VistaJet. From in-flight Mad Hatter tea parties for kids (executed by actors in costume), to ‘fear of flying’ classes for your pets, it is one of the few genuinely global private jet charter operators; its silver jets with a red stripe are the epitome of the high-flying lifestyle. In January 2020, VistaJet used the World Economic Forum in Davos as a platform to launch a white paper titled Sustainability in Aviation , described as “a 2020 action handbook for change in business aviation.” So far, 80% of its members have signed up to compensate for fuel-use emissions by paying extra for carbon credits. Then in April 2021, the operator announced it is committing to complete carbon neutrality by 2025, a quarter-century ahead of general industry targets. Its pledge extends to its offices. In addition to the uptake of sustainable aviation fuels, it includes investing in route-planning software to cut fuel burn, sustainable in-flight products and using renewable energy on the ground. The company is even asking customers to help with more advance notice and by using alternative, convenient airports. Booking flights a few days earlier allows the company to schedule its jets more efficiently, saving fuel. In terms of airports,

clients generally choose their favorite, and companies happily reposition their jet to pick them up. In a market like Los Angeles, that could mean flying the airplane 15 miles from Van Nuys Airport to Hollywood Burbank Airport. VistaJet has cut local repositioning flights by 20% in London, with willing customers happily diverting to the airport where the jet is waiting. vistajet.com

Photos Sugrit / stock.adobe.com, Paul Bowen Photography Inc.