If you’re following me on Twitter or Instagram you may have noticed that yesterday I was more giddy than a tween girl with One Direction meet-and-greet passes. That’s because I had the chance to fly from Seattle Boeing Field to San Diego on a Gulfstream IV all by myself (well, plus one flight attendant and…
Continue reading: How I Ended Up On A Gulfstream IV
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
You deserve it! You get offers like this because people really like your 'voice' and what you have to say is valuable to them.
Looking forward to the trip report.
There is actually site for these kind of last minute private jet positioning deals called http://jetsuite.com/suitedeal
OK Ben - now we are done with you, we all cannot match flying in a private jet, nor can any of the miles and points provide us that opportunity... see you ... in a few years when you are back to commercial aviation!
Hehe... just kidding my friend - this is amazing! Cannot wait for the trip report, glad you got a gift on your blog's birthday! Well deserved... but how did you get back to SEA from SAN?
If you didn't fly back on an American commuter jet in economy, then I don't know how you will ever fully savor the private jet experience!! Seriously great, though, very happy and fortuitous to fall on the sixth anniversary!
The next time you write a hip-hop song, you'll have to mention this experience in the lyrics. You've officially gone from medium pimping to big pimping.
fan-f&$#ing-tastic.
What a great opportunity and how nice of Rick to think of you.
And Happy Anniversary!
Thanks for all the kind words, guys!
@ Apu -- Funny enough I'm actually flying out of LAX this week to start my China Southern/Korean Air trip, so I decided to spend a night in San Diego and Los Angeles and continue on from there. This was hands down the most comfortable award ticket positioning flight I've ever taken. 😀
Sometimes I get to ride one of our corporate shuttles from LA to CO & MO and back. Mostly it's a Citation XLS but I hopped a ride on our Hawker once.
Cannot beat private vs commercial. No TSA, private airports, and the rental car sitting on the tarmac. Heck, they even put out a little red carpet sometimes.
One of the funnier things is the little GPS stuck to the window. It's a small Garmin just like you would see in your car.
Now THAT'S flying! Can't wait to read your review. Your very own private jet. What an amazing opportunity!
Great exposure for Rick and charterbox.com! Er, I mean, I hope you enjoyed it Lucky 😉
Was Janice your flight attendant? Did you take a shower onboard? Did you drink 1998 Laurent-Perrier Alexandra Rose? Did you get a rimowa kit and pajamas? Was there a Porsche waiting for you on the tarmac? Did it gave you access to a first class terminal? As the answers are probably “no”, how can you say it was better than flying first class on a top international airline? 🙂
Anyway, congratulations on your blog 6th anniversary. This gift you got just shows how much your readers enjoy your work.
Congratulations Lucky! At first, I thought how 'lucky' you were, and while that would be appropo, I rather think you deserved this for all you've provided to all of us reading your blog. Happy 6th Anniversary (birthday?) and cannot think of a better gift for you!
PS @ Rick, whereever you are: through Lucky, please let me know the next time you have any such flights ex-PDX!!
It is still not a flat bed. Did notice the couch on the side, but that would only sleep one. That leaves six people without a flat bed... Assuming the plane is full.
@ MrPaul and anyone else interested:
There are few private airports, and very few of those could accommodate a larger plane the size of most business airplanes. There are about 17,000 PUBLIC airports in the US, and only about 500 with scheduled airline service. The remaining airports are still public airports, paid for with your tax dollars, and they can and often are used by airlines, UPS, private planes (and of course not just jets), military, etc. etc. It's just a world that most people don't know about.
One of the main conveniences of private aviation (business jets, hundreds of thousands of private pilots in the US alone) is that there is almost always an airport closer to where you want to go than one of the few airports served by the airlines. As a private flight, I could go to SFO, but if I have an appointment in Palo Alto a few miles away, it will be much more convenient to land at the Palo Alto airport KPAO. Just an example.....
Congrats, Lucky! Was it slightly more comfy that the Czech Airlines flight?
FYI, there are sites online that list/sell space on such empty legs. Not economy-ticket cheap but cheaper than paying for a chartered plane outright.
My dad flew on VVIP flights with various heads of states before (he was a cabinet member), and he told me some interesting stories. I imagine that for you, the only thing to top this is to fly on AF1 or Al Waleed's A380!
Somedays, I wish I was you, Ben.
Other days... I'm just in denial and actually wish I was you. :-p
Looks awesome.
@ Mohan P - But the flight was only from SEA to SAN, which is short. Experience is more than the flat bed!
Lucky,
I worked on the ground crew at VNY for a few years, and you pose an interesting question with a comparison to CX F.
First, the ground services suck ass. There is no LH FCT, or CX F lounge. But there isn't supposed to be... you're supposed to drive up to the plane, get on and go, with no TSA as you point out. So the ground services are really bad, or really wonderful, depending on how you look at it.
Onboard, the food sucks. There are dedicated in flight catering companies, but when I get to ride on one on my own, I'd direct the flight crew to order from a 5* restaurant and have it delivered.
I'm actually curious as to what your inflight impressions are, because I might actually think it's a toss up. (Now riding on a BBJ would be a different story...) For me, most small jets are transportation, not style (I mean small small, not GIV small)
What you really pay for is scheduling convenience, reliability, and privacy. For "short" flights in less densely populated areas, those jets can be a huge time saver.
I once fueled up a GV for a celeb flying from LA to London. The fuel bill alone was $13,000.
@ Mohan P -- All the seats actually turn into beds. The Gulfstream IV sleeps six, believe it or not.
Congrats, Ben! It seriously couldn't have happened to a nicer, more enthusiastic, more appreciative human being.
Ben; if you loved the GIV, you would be over the moon for the G5. It's incredible!
I know Ben said he would like the BBJ and it is a nice A/C, but it's so limited in the airports it can operate, the G5's are better for global access. The BBj's are nice....but, they are not a Gulfstream.
Just sayin'
I like to hear it when good things happen to good people. Can't wait for your report!
We called these flights "Ferries" at AA.
Planes fly completely empty when a big bird goes for scheduled checks between DFW and Alliance or Tulsa AA airport. Or from other airports to position them.
Aren't you glad you have wonderful readers that enjoy all your crazy travels?? Outta boy !!
Ben,
I must be one of your few readers who actually flew on private jets before flying business or first class internationally.
I flew on them to various places in the midwest ~ 10 yrs ago.
Luckily not on my dime.
This was just after the river flooded and the hangars had pictures of the sandbags around the hangars which saved the parked planes.
The main advantage in those days was that you knew everyone on the plane and so no security.
The plane took off early or late when all showed up.
The airports we landed in felt like bus stops, with no luxuries, smelly toilets like a highway rest stop etc etc, but it was very exclusive.
Most luggage was in the hold or behind
That's awesome Ben. Couldn't believe the IG pictures. Now if the plane only had some Hello Kitty pillows on it...
Looking forward to the report and hope you were able to enjoy the ze ambiance.
I've been fortunate enough to fly privately a few times, thanks to my company.
Nothing beats the convenience of no security or no terminals.
However, it can be different than the "international first class" experience if your flight isn't catered to the same levels. Usually the client dictates the catering. Mine certainly aren't!
Pictures lookin' awesome Lucky. I'm excited about the Trip Report. Nice Job as always!!
...and now the bar has been set higher. Let's see the other bloggers best this one!
Good times! Now if only the folks from Drive Thru Boba were on board then you could say ALL your dreams have come true (hmmmm, could that be an aspirational goal?)!
And I suppose in then next segment the cockpit crew becomes disabled, and you have to land the plane---which you do, of course, by referring to the flight manual and instruction pilot training DVD's you happened to have with you?
Wow Lucky,
Here's an article on the very aircraft you flew on!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2074451/Private-jet-ferried-J-Lo-Charlie-Sheen-LeBron-James-dangerously-unsafe-claims-pilot.html
Nice post an great pcitures.
Thank you for your effort.
Greetings form Germany,
Andre