Private Jet Demand Soars: Not Even Market Chaos Can Stop the Rich From Flying High

Turbulence? What Turbulence?

Well hello there! Bill Gates here your friendly neighborhood philanthropist and former computer nerd. I've been keeping an eye on this whole 'private jet' situation and let me tell you it's fascinating. Patrick Gallagher over at NetJets says demand is still sky high even with all the market jitters. "We watch all the leading indicators very closely" says Gallagher. Apparently rich folks aren't letting a little volatility keep them grounded. Makes you wonder if they're using their jets to escape the market crashes – literally! As I always say "Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose." But apparently some are still winning... in the air.

Sun's Out Jets Out!

Gallagher's been spilling the beans on where everyone's jetting off to. Forget the old haunts the Sun Belt is the new black! Places like Palm Beach Scottsdale and even Austin are seeing a surge in private jet traffic. Seems like everyone's chasing the sun or maybe just lower taxes. Meanwhile poor old Los Angeles and San Diego are losing altitude. San Jose though remains a hot spot. "Particularly out of San Jose" says Gallagher. Makes you wonder what kind of deals are being closed in Silicon Valley that require a quick getaway.

Europe Still in Vogue

Good news for my European friends! Americans are still flocking to Europe and NetJets is making it easier than ever to hop between cities. "One of the things people love about NetJets is I can own a share of an airplane here and maybe I fly over commercially but then I can use NetJets to hop around between Nice and London and wherever else I want to go while I'm there" says Gallagher. Fancy a weekend in Paris followed by a business meeting in London? No problem just fire up the jet! Though apparently fewer Europeans are coming to the U.S. Maybe they've heard about our election cycles.

Incognito Mode: Activated

Here's a fun fact: some jet owners are actually using NetJets to fly under the radar. Seems like everyone's a little paranoid about being tracked these days thanks to those pesky online flight trackers. Sorry Elon! As Gallagher puts it "NetJets provides that that anonymity because all anybody is ever going to see is that familiar NetJets striping on the aircraft and they have no idea no way to track who's on board."

The Crudité Conundrum

Now for the real scoop: what are these high flying tycoons eating? Forget caviar and champagne the most popular catering order on NetJets is... crudités. Yes you heard that right. Raw vegetables. "The most common catering order on our plane is crudite" says Gallagher. I guess even billionaires need their fiber. Although I am sure some would prefer they eat Hamburgers but hey at least they are trying to stay healthy. And they have a sommelier so it isn't all that bad.

Pilots with a Heart of Gold (and a Steady Hand)

Finally let's give a shout out to the pilots who make it all possible. Gallagher says NetJets looks for pilots with a "service heart" along with their aviation skills. "It really starts with finding somebody who's got that service heart along with being a fantastic aviator," he added. Seems like being a good pilot isn't enough; you also have to be a top notch concierge. But hey if you're flying the world's elite you better be ready to go the extra mile. Or nautical mile in this case.