Elite Traveler Winter 2023/24

INSPIRE TOPJETS

LEADERS OF THE PACK

Above and below The Bombardier Global 8000, NetJets’ newest entry; inside the Global 8000

NetJets, Flexjet, VistaJet, PlaneSense, Sentient Jet and Nicholas Air have established themselves as market leaders. Here’s how they earned their spots on this year’s list of notable providers NETJETS How well is NetJets doing? According to Berkshire Hathaway’s vice chairman Charlie Munger, its private aviation subsidiary is now worth as much as a major airline. If you want to buy a fractional share of a jet in the US, which starts at 50 hours of fl ight time and usually comes with a fi ve-year contract, the fi rst delivery slots aren’t available until late 2024, and a typical day means over 1,200 fl ights. That’s the good news for NetJets. The good news for you is that NetJets is now back to selling 25-hour jet cards after a year-and-a-half hiatus, albeit with more restrictions. It is also continuing its 25-hour leases, introduced in 2022. In Europe, NetJets has rolled back blackouts and introduced new cards for fl exible fl yers. There are also more airplanes on the way. Earlier this year, it announced plans to buy up to 250 of Embraer’s popular Praetor 500 midsize jets in a deal valued at over $5 billion. Often overlooked is NetJets’ girth when it comes to ultra-long-range aircraft. It became the launch fl eet customer of Bombardier’s newest entry, the Global 8000, and as of August, it had 61 Global jets in its fl eet. Between this year and last, it will have taken delivery of 175 factory-new airplanes, from light jets to large cabins, bringing the average age of its fl eet to about six years. netjets.com