- New tech billionaires buying Gulfstreams are ditching flight attendants for a utilitarian approach.
- They view private jets as transportation, not luxury, opting for fast food to avoid conspicuous consumption.
- This contrasts with Wall Street and Hollywood’s lavish private flights and charter jet requirements.
A new wave of tech billionaires — that’s growing thanks to today’s SpaceX IPO — are buying Gulfstreams but eschewing the traditional luxuries that come with it — namely, hiring a flight attendant.
“The founder way to make their jet seem like a utility and not a luxury is simple,” one Silicon Valley source told The Post. “Fill the seats with employees, ditch the flight attendant for Starlink, and roam the cabin picking up empty Coke cans.”
Flying private, in their telling, is transportation, not indulgence — a necessary tool to keep up with their demanding schedules.
Another source who works in aviation explained, “A lot of the luxuries you would expect — champagne, caviar — that doesn’t really happen very often these days [among the tech types].”
Now, he explains flyers are more likely to grab In-N-Out when leaving LA or pickup some bagels or deli sandwiches before departing New York.
One tech executive who recently flew on a heavy private jet with nearly a dozen passengers described the cognitive dissonance of sitting on a flight that cost well over $100,000 to pilot and operate (on a plane that cost millions) with 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.”
Of course, it’s not about the cost. A quality flight attendant costs as little as $100,000 to $120,000 per year which is about the cost of operating a one-way flight cross-country.
The driving force is largely a desire to avoid conspicuous consumption and eliminate any accusations of flying private purely for luxury. When you fly as often as many tech billionaires do, there is no reason to make it special. They know the drill.
“They’ve been flying for so many years, it’s like they know how to operate everything in the cabin,” the aviation insider said. “They don’t need somebody else in there.”
It’s the same instinct that prompts some of the wealthiest people in the world to wear T-shirts and jeans almost exclusively — casual is cool. As wealth inequality becomes a political flashpoint, it may also be a defense.
The trend stands in stark contrast to the Wall Street and Hollywood types who still treat the cabin like a flying Ritz, insisting upon Nobu catering and Frette sheets on a queen-size bed for a four-hour flight.
While the new owners strip down their operations for speed and simplicity, the charter world runs on a different set of incentives.
Of course, for those who merely charter jets — and don’t own them outright — a flight attendant isn’t usually optional. They’re usually required by the charters companies and aircraft owners.
“It’s like a stipulation that’s in most charter agreements,” another aviation source said. “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.”
Also, many charter customers are renting in part to celebrate something or go on a fancy vacation. “A charter flight is more likely to request lavish stuff…because they’re not doing it all the time,” he adds.
But in the new era, for the ultra-rich, the flex isn’t the champagne, it’s flying private so often you don’t even bat an eye anymore.
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