If Gulfstream is the private jet version of a Rolex or Mercedes, the Boeing Business Jet might be a Patek Philippe or Maybach, something just a couple steps richer. Of course, most people know BBJs as the private version of those Boeing 737s that typically cram over 150 passengers.
Queen of Private Jets: Jet Edge is bringing two Boeing Business Jets to the U.S. charter market in … [+]
Coming soon, as in the next couple weeks, Jet Edge plans to make this queen of the private skies readily available in the U.S. While it’s not the first company to offer the BBJ on the charter market here, it’s believed to be the first that won’t need owner approval and will use a floating fleet model.
The Boeing Business Jet is based on the same Boeing 737 airframe that typically carries 150 … [+]
“It makes a big difference,” says Jonah Adler, chief revenue officer for the Van Nuys, California-based private jet management company. “Otherwise, you have an owner who says, ‘I don’t want dogs, or I don’t want red wine served, or I don’t want this trip or those dates, because I might need the plane.’ In the end, the plane is never available for the people who want it when they need it.”
The Boeing Business Jet can fly nonstop from Los Angeles to Tokyo or New York to Helskink.
Adler says the two BBJs joining the Jet Edge fleet are both owned by the same undisclosed UHNW who is allowing them to be offered for the on-demand charter market without those typical caveats and owner approval.
Moreover, because the owner doesn’t plan to use either of the aircraft personally, the jets will float, business aviation terminology meaning they don’t have to return to a home base after each trip. Many owners who allow their aircraft to be chartered, still want them based where they live so they are readily available when they need them.
The private bedroom on Jet Edge’s Boeing Business Jet.
Between journeys the BBJs will probably end up at Jet Edge bases in New York, South Florida or California. That means lower or in some cases no repositioning costs. While Jet Edge hasn’t finalized pricing, Adler estimates a one-way between New York and Los Angeles will cost around $100,000 and a roundtrip in the range of $160,000.
That may seem lot a lot of money, however, a lot depends why your are flying in the first place. On its first BBJ there are 16 club seats each with electronic recline and full leg rests, separated into three cabins, each with their own lighting controls. There is also a private bedroom with its own fully stand-up toilet, one of three.
One of the three lavatories on Jet Edge’s Boeing Business Jet.
With a range of 6,200 nautical miles, enough to fly nonstop from Los Angeles to Tokyo or New York to Helsinki, the BBJ will be attractive to global travelers, perhaps for a multi-generational family safari or a boys trip to Scotland for golf and fishing.
The BBJs can land anywhere a typical 737 can set down, meaning a wide range of airports. However, unlike many large cabin private jets which usually max out at 14 to 16 seats, even with a full load, the BBJ feels like being in a large apartment. The cabin is seven feet tall and 10-and-a-half feet wide, and aisles are large enough to have a dance party.
In a standard Boeing 737, there would be up to 150 seats. In Jet Edge’s Boeing Business Jet, there … [+]
“When you put more than 12, 13 or 14 people in a large cabin private jet, it’s not optimal,” Adler says. He notes it’s not unusual for customers to charter two large cabin jets when they have that many passengers. However, that adds to logistics, particularly with foreign trips, as well as keeping track of who is flying on which aircraft, ensuring special catering orders are loaded correctly, and other things that happen in the aviation environment. For example, one plane takes off and the other 10 minutes behind gets stuck in an ATC ground hold. You land having chartered two expensive aircraft and half of your party is still circling someplace.
Adler believes the BBJ will be popular for road shows, movie studios, special occasions, going with friends to major sporting events, as well as UHNW vacations. “Think about seven or eight couples who want to go together someplace or for a large family,” he says.
Each of the BBJs has undergone a multi-million dollar refurbishment over the past year, including installing high-speed Wi-Fi, a state of the art entertainment and sound system with Gogo Vision streaming movies, plus high-temperature convection ovens. It expected they will be added to Jet Edge’s Part 135 certificate in the coming weeks so it can start actively marketing the twins and begin taking bookings.
