Super-business aviation companies offer luxury amenities like lounge seating and designated flight crews that last for an entire business-class flight.
What are they?
Superbusiness aviation is a term that connotes VIP planes with plush extras — like catering, leg room, a galley and most notably a dedicated crew. It is used to describe corporate planes of jetset owners — and generally only those registered with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
The number of superbusiness planes is expected to rise dramatically by 2028, according to a June 2017 report from Boeing Research and Technology, a company that manufactures and sells aircraft and develops components for them. The number of superbusiness planes already exceeds the number of super executive and executive business jets at any other time in the history of the aviation industry, the report stated. The report also predicted that the number of superbusiness jets would hit 1,445 by 2028, surpassing the number of executive and executive jets.
Although the FAA counts corporate jets to be only restricted to a specific size in order to avoid overloading airport infrastructure, superbusiness jets, according to Boeing, have more flexibility. For example, a superbusiness jet can carry up to 10 passengers and more than 300 people at one time, whereas a larger aircraft that would limit its passengers to a maximum of a maximum of six is more restricted.
How much are they?
Business jet prices vary widely. While a new six-passenger superjet ranges between $17 and $30 million, a six-passenger jet that has room for 10 people and a crew of two can cost upwards of $75 million.
How can someone afford to fly with one?
For the wealthy, flying is seen as a chance to experience the perks of high society, from chaperoned rides and personal flatulence to lavish linens and even designer jackets.
Prices for superplanes are similarly high, though at least once a year the owners of these planes relinquish ownership and allow members to finance aircraft themselves. Owners of ultra-luxury jets can “monetize” a superbusiness jet. Owners can sell shares of a plane within the superbusiness community to fund future ownership.
The beauty of superbusiness airfare is that it works on volume. Premium passengers pay higher prices to go flying with a superbusiness jet, which is usually the most efficient form of flying. Though certain passengers are less profitable, superbusiness jets are generally cheaper to fly than traditional commercial jets, even when reflecting the higher prices.
So it’s being a billionaire?
Vintage photographs of billionaires flying on jets that have been described as “floating mansions” or “monarchies” show early jets being owned by the world’s wealthiest business and industrial leaders such as shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.