“If you’re a chief executive on a salary of five million pounds a year, losing just one day to jet lag will cost the company tens of thousands of dollars, or even more,” says Matteo Atti, coolly faced with such extraordinary figures. “Therefore, health on board is not a pleasure, but an investment. You have to be in good shape to meet your investors or walk away from that billion-dollar deal.”
While the rest of us make do with eye masks and neck pillows, private jet passengers have a wide range of gadgets and advisors to help them navigate between time zones. In-flight menus designed by nutritionists, double beds with memory foam mattresses, pre-departure serums to increase dehydration: these are all must-haves in Atti’s world. As the marketing director of VistaJet, the world’s second largest private aviation provider, he not only has first-hand experience of this lifestyle, but is driving it forward.
We met at Farnborough Airport, one of the UK’s busiest private aviation hubs, on a gray March morning, and not even heavy rain could dampen the runway’s ritz. Gulfstreams, Embraers, Cessnas: These flashy, multi-million-dollar planes stood on the apron, preparing to whisk the jet-setters to Geneva, Dubai, Aspen and beyond.
But the most remarkable of all was VistaJet’s Bombardier Global 7500, the largest purpose-built private jet in existence, which those in the know call the “Ferrari of the skies.” It has an RRP of US$75 million (£59 million) and VistaJet has 18 in its fleet – the largest single collection in the world – each available for US$25,000 (£19,700) per hour and is the flagship of its membership-based charter offering.
The company’s client list is equally dazzling: the Clooneys, Obamas and Beckhams have all been spotted stepping out of their silver and red uniforms in recent years. In fact, Taylor Swift reportedly used a VistaJet plane to fly from Tokyo to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas last month, making even bigger headlines than the game itself.
Food fit for F1 champions
When you travel the world sleeping in the Global 7500’s double bed or reclining on its ergonomic “zero gravity” leather seats, you might think you’ll land at your destination with a pretty keen sense. It’s a smooth transition to VistaJet’s new wellness program, the first of its kind and designed with the expertise of nutritionists, doctors and other healthcare professionals, Atti asks, “What if you could come here feeling better than you did when you got here?” he thought. aviation world.
“We start with a 90-minute pre-flight consultation,” explained Jenna Daou, the company’s private catering expert and trained dietitian. “I learn about members’ lifestyle, tastes, medical history and dietary requirements and create a profile that I use to curate menus for all their flights.”
Don’t have time for a consultation? Daou has also designed sample menus, including the Performance Athlete menu created in collaboration with F1 champion Charles Leclerc. Think grilled chicken, vegetables, salmon and whole grains; Foods recommended by your doctor. VistaJet flies Ferrari drivers around the world; “and they are very particular about what they eat,” smiles Daou.
Alternatively, the Rejuvenation menu includes ingredients loaded with probiotics, collagen and antioxidants, such as beetroot juice, asparagus and fermented foods. The Revitalize menu includes iron-rich organic filet mignon served rare with raw spinach and watercress.
Buddhism, baths and ‘biohacking’
Thomas Flohr, the billionaire founder and chairman of VistaJet, reportedly spends more than 200 days each year flying between homes around the world and those of his daughter Nina, who married into Greek and Danish royalty.
The range of its aircraft is equally broad: Since 2004, VistaJet’s fleet has flown to 2,400 airports in 96 percent of all countries. “And we thought to ourselves, this puts the world’s best health treatments at our fingertips,” Atti said, handing me a hefty pamphlet with the title: Private World. Its pages are filled with extraordinary destination experiences: think helicopter rides to Everest base camp for guided meditation with Buddhist monks – or “biohacking” involving cryotherapy (extreme cold) and hyperbaric oxygen therapy at Six Senses Ibiza; both are often used by high-level executives to aid muscle recovery in athletes.
If you’re flying to Mexico, the brochure explains, you can take part in a cacao ceremony, an “ecstatic experience” with roots in Mayan and Aztec rituals; This ceremony includes drinking pure cocoa while “engaging in meditation, exuberant dancing, and breathwork.” In Costa Rica, “sound bath” healing uses the vibrations of Tibetan singing bowls to “clear excess negative energy” after the journey, while in India, mangal snán (meaning “auspicious bath”) requires oily ointments and massages – all accompanied by live musicians. a ritual historically performed on royalty.
In-flight yoga and ‘daylight simulation’
Staying true to the brand, Global 7500 also offers many ways to reduce the cost of air travel. I peeked inside the airy plane; It’s all soft leather and polished wood, has huge windows and touchscreen temperature controls for every seat. The cabin’s “daylight simulation” lighting system uses tuned wavelengths to synchronize passengers’ circadian rhythms with their destination’s time zone and is pressurized to mimic altitude at 4,000 feet: a more forgiving environment than commercial airliners’ usual 8,000 feet.
“When you land in the lair, it almost feels like you haven’t gone anywhere; no bloating, no fatigue,” smiles cabin crew member Naomie Shortt, or “Cabin Host” as VistaJet calls her. I glanced into the bedroom, with its high-thread-count sheets and built-in bookcase, and wondered if Clooney had ever dripped on the hypoallergenic pillows.
Cashmere socks, cotton pajamas, exclusive facial creams and serums from the premium Guerlain brand are provided on board, as are yoga mats, massage balls and rollers (there’s plenty of room in the cabin for an onboard ashtanga session). I had to stifle a laugh at the four-disc yoga DVD; This was a throwback to the Noughties, when you couldn’t stream a workout from your phone.
It’s all so noble, so at odds with the concept of the rock and roll private jet lifestyle. When did the 1 percent become so healthy? “The jet set has a reputation for excess, but this is completely wrong,” laughs Atti. “When you taste the best champagnes, you have tasted them all: it would be boring, wouldn’t it? But in healthy living, the possibilities and benefits are endless.”