Summary
- Emirates and Qatar Airways offer Executive travel options, featuring private suites, shower spas, customizable lounge areas, and silver service.
- Private air travel has limited success in Europe, with Lufthansa's venture in partnership with NetJets being suspended in 2022.
- Some airlines, such as United Airlines and JetBlue, have moved to collaborate with external operators to provide a premium but relaxed business travel experience.
Feeling fly like a G6? Or an Airbus A319ACJ? If you've got money to burn and first class suites are starting to feel ever-so-gauche, airlines are bulking up their premium offerings to ensure passengers the ultimate travel experience – private flights.
Emirates Executive
From economy to first class, Emirates boasts some of the most luxurious cabin interiors and travel options of any airline, and unsurprisingly, the Emirati flag carrier also offers the unique "Emirates Executive."
Surpassing its own bar for glitz and glamour, Emirates Executive is hosted onboard an Airbus A319ACJ (Airbus corporate jet), registered A6-CJE. Up to 19 passengers can be accommodated on the narrowbody, which features ten private suites with a 32-inch TV screen, a shower spa, a fully customizable lounge area for boardroom meetings, and a personalized crew experience.
"Whether it's a shopping trip to New York, conducting business in London, or exploring new destinations in Africa, let the complete flexibility of private jet travel inspire you," the carrier notes on its dedicated Executive website.
According to Emirates, the jet has a range of up to eight hours of flight time, reaching as far as Reykjavik Airport (RKV) and Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) from its base at Dubai International Airport (DBX).
Lufthansa Private Jets
Okay, okay – technically, Lufthansa's private jet service is no longer active, but for 15 years, the German flag carrier offered Europe's swankiest travel service, unmatched by Air France's Wijet partnership and British Airways' limited Caribbean venture with Citation Air.
Offered in collaboration with NetJets, Lufthansa operated a relatively modest fleet of private jets, including the Dassault Falcon 2000/2000EX, Cessna Citation Excel/XLS, and Embraer Phenom 300, connecting customers to over 1,000 destinations worldwide.
The luxury service wasn't just exclusive to the air, with passengers traveling from Frankfurt (FRA), Munich (MUC), Dusseldorf (DUS), or Geneva (GVA) airports able to travel terminal-to-plane in their own private limousine.
Flights were, obviously, not cheap, ranging from €7,650 ($8,300) for the short hop between Paris (CDG) and Cologne Bonn (CGN), and Lufthansa ultimately suspended its private jet service in June 2022, citing too niche a market, according to Forbes.
Qatar Executive
While other regions have struggled to find demand for private fights, the market has soared in the Middle East, with one airline based out of Doha Hamad International Airport (DIA) no different.
"Bespoke travel at the highest level," Qatar Executive claims on its website.
With a fleet of two Bombardier Global 5000, two Airbus ACJs, and fifteen Gulfstream G650ERs, Qatar Airways' "charter on demand" service is an elite and extravagant option for those hopping between cities. From the Schott Zwiesel Crystalware to GioBagnara leather and White House linen, up to 13 passengers on both aircraft types can travel in utmost luxury to non-stop destinations across North America, the Middle East, and Africa.
Demand remains so high that Qatar Airways is set to take delivery of ten Gulfstream 700s in the coming years, becoming the launch customer for the new executive jet type. The carrier displayed the upcoming interior plans at the Paris Air Show earlier this year, with the aircraft offering capacity for up to 19 passengers.
United Airlines x JSX
Falling under the semi-private banner, United Airlines' partnership with JSX allows its customers to purchase flights directly on its website and earn MileagePlus award miles on JSX's "hop-on" jet service. Ideal more for the business traveler, the service streamlines the airport experience, giving passengers the option to turn up less than half an hour before departure, and offers complimentary Starlink WiFi for any in-flight Zoom meetings.
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JSX operates a fleet of Embraer ERJ-135s and 145s, connecting to a mix of destinations across North America from an expansive list of bases in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas. Tickets aren't eye-wateringly expensive by any means, starting at $300 on some routes.
United Airlines is not the only carrier with a JSX partnership; JetBlue also offers its customers the chance to earn TrueBlue points on both All In and Hop On fares.
Have you flown private? What was your experience? Let us know in the comments.
Sources: Forbes, Travel and Leisure