Business is booming for private jet charter company VistaJet. The business was founded in 2008 by German-born Thomas Flohr, whose risky tactic of buying his own jets — rather than operating planes owned by other companies — has paid off so far.
VistaJet made news in November, when it placed a $3.8 billion order for 56 Bombardier Global jets.
To make sure his jets were sophisticated enough to appeal to his international, wealthy clientele, Flohr put his daughter Nina in charge of branding and communications. (Nina's mother is Katharina Flohr, a founding editor at Russian Vogue, who passed her fashion sense onto her daughter.)
VistaJet does not disclose many price figures, but a representative told us, "A flight between London and Moscow is roughly equivalent to burning through four Hermes handbags."
According to the Wall Street Journal, a flight costs $15,0000 per hour.
To give us a taste of what being a customer is like on one of its planes, VistaJet invited us to fly to Montreal for the day, where we also visited the Bombardier facility where VistaJet's fleet of brand new jets is being made.
Here's how the flight went.
Full disclosure: VistaJet paid for our trip to Montreal to try out the private jet service and visit the Bombardier Completion Center.
There's no fanfare getting onto the plane, a Bombardier Global 6000.
Artist Ian Davenport was commissioned to paint an egg on the tail of the plane — a nod to VistaJet's Easter-time collaboration to sell Fabergé jewelry on its flights.
Nina Flohr designed the interiors to be simple and clean, but also to "make an impression," she said.
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