NetJets sees fractional ownership as privacy option in face of ADS-B mandate

Warren Buffett is weighing in on how NetJets can help private jet owners maintain privacy for important missions

In a recent posting on its online newsletter, NetJets is highlighting that private jet owners who need privacy can use fractional ownership, leases and jet cards for supplemental lift when they need to maintain secrecy for their missions.

 “I should point out that anybody out there who wants to do business with us, that if they take a [NetJets] plane nobody will be able to track them. … And if you use a company plane, it’s a big way of running a billboard that I’m in town for something,” said Warren Buffett, Chairman and Chief Executive, Berkshire Hathaway, parent of NetJets.

Are people tracking your private jet flights? What can you do?

A Bloomberg report shows how tracking your private jet by tail number can make it easy for competitors, spouses, and media to gain intelligence about your not so private flights. What should you do?

“The technology to track these aircraft is cheap and widely available” – David White, vice president of business development at Cirium

Among the many reasons private jets make sense for companies and high net worth individual, you can exclude keeping your travels private, at least if you own a private jet. And forget blocking. It is about to become much more difficult.

The ability to track tail numbers back to the owning company or individual can tip off competitors about possible mergers and acquisition activity you are pursuing. Tracking can also be used by spouses trying to suss out if their partner is having an affair. It is often used by reporters researching stories as well.

For example, Bloomberg this week reported, “In April, a stock research firm told clients that a Gulfstream V owned by Houston-based Occidental Petroleum Corp. had been spotted at an Omaha airport. The immediate speculation was that Occidental executives were negotiating with Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. to get financial help in their $38 billion offer for rival Anadarko Petroleum Corp. Two days later, Buffett announced a $10 billion investment in Occidental.”

%d bloggers like this: