Led by the likes of Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos, the vast majority of the world’s billionaire tech titans own one or more Gulfstream jets.
However, these business moguls often forgo one of the primary luxuries of owning a private jet: having a flight attendant serve passengers.
Industry insiders have now shed light on the reason behind this phenomenon.
In response, flight attendants have spoken out about why the trend may not be sustainable and could even be dangerous.
Tech giants are ditching flight attendants to make their private jet experience “seem like a utility”
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According to a Silicon Valley source, flying private is no longer an indulgence for these tech magnates but rather a necessity they frequently use, leading them to forgo having an attendant on board.
“The founders’ way to make their jet seem like a utility and not a luxury is simple,” the insider told The Post. “Fill the seats with employees, ditch the flight attendant for Starlink, and roam the cabin picking up empty Coke cans.”
A second source, who works in the aviation industry, explained that the waiving of additional comforts also extends to food and catering.
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“A lot of the luxuries you would expect — champagne, caviar — that doesn’t really happen very often these days,” the aviation employee said, adding that flyers are more likely to grab In-N-Out food for the flight, or pick up bagels or deli sandwiches.
He insisted that the decision is not rooted in cost-cutting, as a quality flight attendant costs around $100,000-$120,000 per year. It allegedly stems from a desire to avoid “conspicuous consumption” and avoid “accusations of flying private purely for luxury.”
Image credits: Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
“They’ve been flying for so many years, it’s like they know how to operate everything in the cabin,” the aviation insider added. “They don’t need somebody else in there.”
Although it has become a trend among tech CEOs, not having flight attendants on private jets is not necessarily something all their flyers enjoy.
Charter aircraft owners have their reasons for not participating in the trend
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A tech executive who recently flew on one with nearly a dozen passengers shared his experience of a “cognitive dissonance” of traveling on a million-dollar airplane that costs well over $100,000 to operate, but still having “nothing on offer but bottled water and soda and no one to offer” it to him.
“I didn’t think that Delta One would have a fancier wine list than flying in a Gulfstream.”
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However, the practice applies only to privately owned jets, not to chartered airplanes. The companies and aircraft owners usually have their own policies regarding the matter.
“It’s like a stipulation that’s in most charter agreements,” a second aviation source told The Post.
“It’s really just to keep the quality of the aircraft. They don’t want passengers to disrespect the airplane. They don’t want them to spill food and try to clean it up, or break something in the cabin.”
Image credits: Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
Moreover, charter aircraft are generally rented to celebrate an occasion or for vacations, in which case flyers do want more than bottled water and canned soda on board.
“A charter flight is more likely to request lavish stuff… because they’re not doing it all the time,” the source added.
A private flight attendant shared why the decision could become a fatal risk
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A digital creator and private flight attendant, who goes by “Jacqueline Travels” on Instagram, weighed in on the trend after The Post report was published.
She said that while she completely understood the need to simplify the catering service — she herself had served In-N-Out to some passengers recently — she called the idea of flight attendants being unnecessary in private jets “asinine.”
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“In reality, service is one part of our job, but that is not the main focus of our position,” she said.
“Passengers could have flown on that Gulfstream hundreds of times; they could tell you the Wi-Fi password, where their favorite snacks are, everything about the airplane,” she continued.
“But passengers are not trained for a cabin fire. They’re not trained for a rapid decompression. They’re probably not trained to use an AED (Automated External Defibrillator, used for cardiac arrest emergencies) on board.”
Image credits: Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
“Every single year, flight attendants go to recurrent training to keep their certifications up to date,” Jacqueline added.
“Our value is not measured by the wine list on board or the caviar selection. Our value as flight attendants is measured by what happens on the worst day, not the best.”
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