Art Basel Vs. Football. Who Wins The Battle For the Private Jet Set?

By Doug Gollan, June 22, 2017

NetJets was rolling out the red carpet for its fractional share and jet card owners earlier this month in Basel, Switzerland for the original Art Basel, not the one in Miami. A partner with the art fair that draws some 300 galleries and over 4,000 artists for more than a decade, this year the provide jet provider owned by Warren Buffett engaged Frida Fjellman for a bespoke installation in its VIP lounge

 

In addition to cocktails and caviar, NetJets customers were exposed to what Wallpaper magazine described as a display of lanterns “in a variety of colors and sizes, keeping their distinctive mouth blown glass and metal features, and presented both as single pieces or as chandelier-like clusters. Fjellman has been working with Sweden’s The Glass Factory, an art glass producer based in Boda – a small village in the country’s forests – to develop the project over the last two years.”

 

She told Wallpaper, ‘”I was interested in exploring the almost magical sense of tranquility that you experience when cruising above the clouds…Flying is perhaps one of the few oasis of calm in our increasingly interconnected digital society.”

 

According to reports, this year there were about 120 private jets that arrived on June 13, the day when the big collectors typically show up for private appointments and to get first dibs at the hottest works.

 

So how does this compare to some sporting events?

 

Over 1,200 private jets descended on Houston taking passengers to see the New England Patriots rally to beat the Atlanta Falcons. For the more recent UEFA Champions League Final in Cardiff, private jet operators report over 400 private jets. Around 1,000 private jets descended in Tampa to see Clemson University beat the University of Alabama to win the college football championship back in January.

 

Of course, private aviation companies, including NetJets, Wheels Up, Sentient Jet, Flexjet and others also were there to provide hospitality and entertainment. Private Jet Card Comparisons provides registered subscribers an overview of hospitality programs for each of the over 25 providers we cover.

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