3 Big Stars Still Using Private Charter Jets.
You can’t get around it – private planes have been hit really hard of late, especially with the credit crunch, the big 3 auto companies and their executives coming to the congress meeting in private jets, and a sort of backlash against the personal plane as some kind of symbol for all that’s wrong with the economy.
Nevertheless, private planes are still a useful and crucial method of transportation, and we’ve decided to look at three of the biggest international celebrities who continue to use them and prove their viability for the rest of us.
#1. William Jefferson Clinton.
The former president has never stopped using his private jet, as his breakneck schedule, endless speeches, and dozens of fund raising efforts pretty much require him to be in as many places, as quickly as possible.
Plus, his recent diplomatic mission to North Korea — to negotiate the release of two American journalists — was done entirely by private plane. Clinton is the best example of a celebrity who uses his plane to get real business done, at a speed that would be completely unfathomable by flying commercial.
#2. Roger Federer.
Federer doesn’t make any excuses for using a private jet — he often takes one to the range of tournaments which he (usually) wins, although in the last few months his use of a private charter has actually become more relevant towards his family life.
Although he sometimes flies commercial, Federer is now the father of two identical twins, and has decided to fly everyone — his wife and new children — along with him to the various matches. Without the convenience of a private jet, this would be a far larger interruption to their childhood than could be feasible, but the jet lets them do it.
#3. Oil Tycoon T. Boone Pickens.
Like everyone else, Pickens wasn’t immune from the global downturn in the financial markets, but as he recently mentioned in a newspaper profile, his cherished Oklahoma State Cowboys football team are what maintains his sunny outlook.
Pickens has put an unbelievable amount of money into his alma mater, and nowhere else is that money more evident than on the field. A few years ago, when he started contributing in earnest, the head coach asked him if he could be present for every home game. And he is — thanks to his private charter, which brings him straight there in a few hours.
Never mind the negative publicity — the people using private charters for frivolous, flashy reasons are too damaged from the crisis to deal with them anymore — but those people, like the three mentioned above, who need the convenience of private charters are easy enough to find riding one.