The new Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350i (above) is an updated, luxury version of a turboprop plane that's been a big seller since 1964. The economic crisis has caused many corporations to consider swapping expensive jets for more efficient and less costly turboprops like the classic King Air. Beechcraft has added in luxury features and finishes found on much more expensive Hawker business jets to make the $6.6 million King Air 350i a competitive choice. It's billed as is the most luxurious, most comfortable and most capable turbine aircraft ever offered in its class, period. The company compares it to a Range Rover - very refined with rugged underpinnings and exemplary safety features. With the most flexible and technologically advanced cabin ever introduced in a twin turboprop, the plane can ferry 9 passengers in the morning and then be reconfigured into an ultra-luxe VIP shuttle for 2 that same afternoon.

There are a lot of angry frequent fliers today. Verified Identity Pass, the company that offered the Clear program has shut down. For an annual fee, Clear helped travelers skirt through faster airport security checkpoints. Members of the Clear program had to go through an intensive screening process and pay membership fees of 178 to $199 per year. Because the company is in bad financial straits, Verified Identity Pass is not issuing refunds.

The company said it wasn't able to negotiate a deal with its creditors, and its Clear fast-lane security check service stopped operations abruptly late Monday. More than a quarter million customers won't get refunds of membership fees that ranged from $178 to $199 per year and many people bought multi-year memberships. Some Clear members found out via e-mail but many did not learn that the program was over until they showed up at the airport.

The program was founded in 2003 by Steven Brill but he left the company in February when a group of investors took control. Many travelers are concerned about what happens to their identifying information. If the company files for bankruptcy protection and is sold off there is the faint possibility that creditors could argue that the information be sold to the highest bidder to pay creditors but this seems unlikely because the courts will likely protect customers.

One lingering question is whether or not this type of service can work in the future. Have the changes in the TSA and airlines made the service less of a draw? The AP quotes Air Transport Association spokesman David Castelveter who said that the service "provided no security benefit, and it charged you for what the TSA and the airlines gave you at no cost." Some Clear members say that the service saved them time and gave them a bit of relief from the hassles of the regular security lines. The loss of this program may make airline elite status programs and private jet charter options more appealing again to those looking for ways to fly with less stress.

I've got to admire the bravado of a company launching any kind of air travel in this economy. New York-based Coastal Jet Service offers daily non-stop flights between New York and Los Angeles. Travelers can book and pay for individual seats on flights on a Citation X jet. The jet flies from the private aviation area of Westchester County Airport to a private FBO in Burbank, California.

The jet has eight leather fully-reclining club seats and the service includes individual multimedia stations with TV and DVD functionality, onboard cocktails, gourmet meals, and a heated baggage compartment. The speed of the jet reduces the flying time between the cities from an average of six hours to four hours. The flat rate one way rate is $4,600 with one percent of each ticket sold donated directly to the St. Jude's charity. Future Coastal Jet Service routes will include Miami, Dallas, and Las Vegas in the first quarter of 2010.

Just how bad is the future for the business jet industry? One of the industry giants, Bombardier has amended its 10-year industry forecast dropping the amount of jets it says will be produced. The aircraft manufacturer now says that around 11,500 business jets will be delivered between 2009 and 2018 with revenue of around $256 billion for the industry. This represents a 15 percent drop from last year's predictions. The company believes that the eventual return of global economic growth will also result in a strong recovery in the demand for business jets. The forecast for commercial aircraft in the 20- to 149-seat range calls for 12,400 new aircraft deliveries in the 20-year period from 2009 to 2028, a slight downturn from last year's prediction.

Bombardier has announced 4,360 employees will be laid off in Canada, the United States and Northern Ireland. The AP also reports that Cessna has announced more layoffs. This means that Cessna, a major maker of small planes, has laid off 44 percent of its work force since the first job cuts in November.

You'd think that last year would have marked a new low in private jet usage. But a new study from an executive compensation evaluation firm, Equilar found that Fortune 100 CEOs used jets more last year than in any of the previous five years. The value of CEO airplane perks 2008 rose from $141,477 from $109,743 a year earlier making it the highest value in five years. Part of the increase was the rise in fuel which lasted through last summer but it also reflects the fact that private jet travel isn't really going anywhere. Companies are cutting back but especially those at the the top are still using the corporate jet partially because of safety concerns and partially because it's perceived as a waste of an executive's time to spend an afternoon waiting around at the airport. Many companies have cut back but they certainly haven't stopped entirely. Use of a corporate jet is also one of the things offered to potential executives as a major perk in certain companies. The study is interesting but will likely be more telling is the results next year. After a full year of scrutiny and cutbacks I wonder what those numbers will reflect.

One of the world's richest men, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal of Saudi Arabia has been divesting himself of his hotel assets lately but one thing he doesn't seem to be set to give up is his Airbus A380 which will be the first private jet for this model. He hasn't officially said that he is the owner of the plane but just about everyone is certain that the Saudi prince will be making this his new flying palace. We've been covering this one for a while, including the rumor that the exterior will be painted gold. Now some interior plans have been revealed including a special cylindrical elevator will carry his Rolls-Royce into his own on-board garage. The plane will also include a Turkish bath, concert hall, ample private quarters and a boardroom. One amazing detail is the airplane equivalent of a glass-bottom board, a floor made from a giant screen that will show where the plane is flying over. The lavish plane is said to cost around $488 million. More images are up over at Gadling.

Ever wonder what happens when private jet owners can't pay the bills? Salon has a piece on Nick Popovich of Sage-Popovich, Inc., a firm that repossesses private jets. Popovich could easily write a book about his adventures. He's wound up in jail and faced down threats and all sorts of dangers in order to get planes out of the hands of those who can no longer afford them. The economy has been unkind to the wealthy lately and as you might expect, Popovich's business is booming. His specialty is jumbo jets and he has repo-ed 1,300 of them earning six-figure fees in the process. The jobs vary in level of difficulty, he's flown around the world to chase down private jets and recently was charged with retrieving 240 corporate helicopters from a chain of flight schools. The article makes for fascinating reading and Popovich sounds like a ready-made lead character for a thriller, an adventurer with a cool head and quotes like "It's like a giant chess game, and the stakes can be your life."

Up next on the private jet hot seat is Britain's Prince Andrew. The royal whose love of flying by private jet has earned him the unfortunate moniker of "Air Miles Andy" is currently under fire for a three-day trip to Azerbaijan that cost British taxpayers an estimated £60,000.

Prince Andrew chartered a Dassault Falcon 9000 to fly with a bodyguard and two officials to promote British business in the ex-Soviet nation. Some say that he should have used a scheduled flight even though he went as an ambassador for British interests. The visit as well as the flight raised concerns according to an article in the Daily Mail. Prince Andrew's close relationship with President Aliyev and many visits to the country have led some to speculate that Andrew has personal business interests in Azerbaijan. The Queen opted earlier this year not to get a private jet because of the poor economy.

Thanks to its unique "ability to create designs consistent with individual brands, as exemplified by BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars," Dassault Aviation tasked BMW Group DesignworksUSA with the job of outfitting the interior of its newest Falcon 7X business jet. The results were just debuted at the European business aviation community event in Geneva, and John Rosanvallon, President and CEO of Dassault Falcon, sounds pleased. He says, "Thanks to DesignworksUSA's transportation design expertise and hard work, the new Falcon 7X interior cabin reflects our goal to define a new level of flying experience."

Sounds like a winner to us. According to Verena Kloos, BMW Group DesignworksUSA President, "DesignworksUSA created the theme of "Elegance and Style fused with Function." Our concept focuses on the sensory elements of the flying experience emphasizing form follows feeling."

It's hard to say what that means exactly, but one of the more interesting design elements has to be the lighting solution, which creates the effect of a starry night sky through the use of what appears to be little LEDs embedded in the ceiling and larger glowing orbs in the valence panels. Looks like a pretty nice place to spend some time while jet-setting to your next chosen destination. Check out the full press release after the break for more.



[Source: BMW]

London's Heathrow Airport seems to be the spot if you want to wile away a layover in a luxury airport lounge. The latest comes from an alliance between Delta Air Lines and the Air France KLM group. The two-level minimalist styled lounge features a spa, restaurant, wine bar, oxygen bar and entertainment hub. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also reports that the lounge has an indoor "living wall" made up of over 60 types of plants which is located near various seating areas. Weary travelers can sit in full-body massage chairs, use personal computers, take a shower or grab a nap in a daybed.

Heathrow Airport also has a lavish British Airways airport lounge and Virgin's Heathrow clubhouse is more like a resort with a Cowshed spa that includes tanning booths, a Bumble and bumble hair salon, a pool, cinema, cocktail bar and a business center. The airport boasts a variety of restaurants including one by Gordon Ramsay and shopping that includes Burberry, Versace, Hermes and Cartier.

Piaggio chief executive Alberto Galassi just announced that plans are finally in place for a new Ferrari jet based on the Avanti turboprop plane (above) at the European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva. Piaggio, which is partly owned by Ferrari and is licensed to use its prancing horse logo, says its shareholders in Abu Dhabi and India are backing the project but declined to release many details. "I promise you one thing, this [will be] a beautiful airplane," Galassi said. "You would not expect anything more from Italian style and Ferrari."

They're not taking orders yet, however. "Who wants to hear about a new airplane, take orders and then wait 10 years for delivery?" Galassi asked. "You don't see Ferrari announcing a new model and then spending years developing it. Ferrari designs the car, builds it and then launches it. I want us to be close to first flight and with the latest technology before we tell people about it." He also joked, "It costs the same to design an ugly aircraft as it does a beautiful one, so we have the beautiful one."

[via JamesList]

England's Household Cavalry Musical Ride display impressed a billionaire Arab sheik that he will be flying 30 horses and riders to Abu Dhabi. The Daily Mail reports that Sheik Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, part of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi, has arranged for a specially adapted Boeing 747 jet for the horses to travel in. The riders will travel on business class flights and stay in top hotels and grooms and a vet will also be along for the ride. The trip is estimated to cost £250,000. This will be the first time the unit has traveled outside Europe.

Sheik Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan happens to be an accomplished horse rider who has won racing competitions. He owns 52 of his own racehorses. The horses and riders performed for Abu Dhabi government representatives in Hyde Park today, you can see more of the horses and the routines in the gallery below.

Just how bad were executive jet sales for Boeing last year? According to information from the 2009 European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Geneva, Boeing sold eight personal jets since the show last year. However, four of those orders were canceled leaving just four. Compare this with the last period between shows when Boeing sold 33 of the aircraft. There is currently a backlog of 33 Boeing Business Jets on order worth $1.9 billion plus another 22 widebody VIP jets worth $5.4 billion.

In a response to the times Boeing has focused recently on making changes to jets so that they have greater utility. The BBJ Convertible can be reconfigured from an all-passenger to an all-cargo configuration in less than eight hours. This will allow the plane to do double duty as transport for people as well as supplies. A just-announced cabin modification to the Boeing 747-8 VIP widebody airliner adds over 800 square feet above the main deck of the aft cabin area. The modification includes stairs from the main deck to the space above which can be a lounge area or an ideal sleeping space since there are no windows.

BBJ president Steven Hill also announced his upcoming retirement after 35 years with Boeing. BBJ chief pilot Steve Taylor will be the new president after Hill retires in July.

I'm almost starting to feel bad for Trudie Styler and Sting. It seems like every time they fly private they are taken to task. This time it's Trudie on the hook. The pair, who co-founded the Rainforest Foundation 20 years ago, attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner. The Daily Mail says she took a private flight from New York to Washington D.C. accompanied by an entourage of eight people including Manhattan-based hairstylist Antonio Prieto. Sting took a commercial flight from London to the Washington DC event. While it is true that she could have taken a shuttle or a train, it seems a bit much to grill her over this one.

Usually Oprah is the voice of the middle class but this weekend in a speech to Duke University's graduating class, she let her wealth show. She told the students that it's "great to have nice homes." She also loves her private plane and said "anyone that tells you that having your own private jet isn't great is lying to you."

She's right of course and like Robert Frank said in The Wealth Report, it's nice to see someone being honest about the perks of wealth, of which the ability to travel wherever, whenever, in perfect comfort is one of the best. Now we just need to see Oprah say this on her show which she likely will not do for fear of alienating her core audience. With all of the bashing the private jet industry has gotten lately and the resulting fall out, causing the loss of thousands of jobs, the industry could use a little help. The NY Times recently noted that many former private jet users are changing their travel strategies due to both monetary issues and the pervasive feeling that private jet travel is now somehow wrong. Oprah has always had a soft spot for the underdog and right now the private jet industry finds itself in that position.