There are people who snuggle up on the sofa, watch a couple of movies, sip champagne and fall asleep before midnight on New Year’s Eve.
This trip is not for those people.
This jaunt — a flight from Sydney to Los Angeles aboard the fastest long-range private jet in the world — is for revelers committed to welcoming 2017 with fanfare. And then doubling down to ring it in again on the other side of the International Date Line.
Fly back in time
The one-way trip, offered by private jet charter booking company PrivateFly, is designed to give travelers the opportunity to celebrate the dawn of 2017 in two vibrant cities by “flying back in time” from Sydney to Los Angeles, where the local time is 19 hours behind Sydney.
It’s not cheap: Chartering a G650ER for the one-way flight will set passengers back about $191,000 (or about $10,600 per person, if 18 New Year’s enthusiasts travel together).
So far, PrivateFly hasn’t had any takers. The company offered the same itinerary last year, and while travelers have expressed interest both years, no one has booked.
Last-minute luxury
That’s not to say that someone won’t jump on the idea. Private jet bookings often happen last minute; it’s one of the big benefits of setting your own schedule, says Carol Cork, PrivateFly’s marketing director.
“On a day-to-day basis people tend to book four to five days ahead of flights. A lot of people booking private aviation don’t like to think ahead, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all that we’ll be booking flights up to New Year’s Eve,” Cork said.
Travelers are responsible for setting their own party agendas on the ground in Sydney and Los Angeles, but in-flight revelry — complete with fine wine, champagne and gourmet catering — is included with the flight.
$191,000 one-way
Flying time is about 12 hours aboard the G650ER.
Commercial airlines allow closer to 14 hours for the flight, and there are no direct flights at times that would allow travelers to ring in the new year twice.
Not sold on spending $191,000 for a one-way trip across the globe?
There are more affordable private-jet itineraries.
Among PrivateFly’s New Year’s Eve bookings: a round-trip flight for 12 from Los Angeles to Hawaii and a round-trip flight from Pittsburgh to New York for a group of 8.
The prices: $58,000 ($4,833 per person) for the LA-Hawaii trip and $5,500 ($690 per person) for Pittsburgh-New York.
Happy 2017, jet-setters!
