USA Today, 9/27/2006


How to rent a villa, charter a yacht, and fly in luxury

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Flying by private jet is by far the most service-oriented and prestigious way to go. Most of the better-known companies, like Blue Star Jets, need mere hours to create your itinerary and have a plane prepared for takeoff. Both companies offer private membership programs that require hefty deposits and which function in much the same way a a bank. For instance, if you deposit $100,000 in an account with Blue Star Jets, you then make withdrawals that directly coincide with the hourly rate of your jet. Jets come in classes labeled light, medium and heavy, and have --- by no coincidence --- corresponding price tags.

When asked if the average person could find a way to make flying on a private jet affordable, Blue Star's Ryan Auer came back with, "No way. Its expensive. But if you had a bunch of people normally flying first-class who pitched in together, than that's comparable to a first-class ticket. "So who's flying Blue Star and the like? Auer says that one-third of their clients are celebrities and athletes, one-third business executives, and one-third wealthy individuals.