Are Around The World Luxury Jet Cruises Worth It?

28.02.2024 - 14:33 / forbes.com

You can circumnavigate the world in just 24 days, if you’re willing to pay six-figure prices for the privilege. Here’s why more travelers are signing up.

Fancy traveling around the world in a flying hotel with 50-odd other people? If yes, you’re not alone.

More travelers than ever are choosing to climb aboard airliners that have been reconfigured and refashioned as ultra-luxe private jets with sleek leather bar-lounges, lie-flat beds and tricked-out kitchens heavily staffed by a motley crew of pilots, flight attendants, engineers, doctors, cameramen, tour leaders and ‘expedition guides’ trained to help you make the most of it. After all, what’s a ‘round the world adventure without a few passepartout companions?

Apart from jaw dropping luxury, the air cruise appeal is all about time. These transcontinental tours offer curated itineraries and insider access to some of the world’s best hotels and experiences while eliminating the hassles (and considerable time loss) of flying commercially. What used to take months via 20th century ocean liners can now happen in a matter of weeks. For the privilege, passengers are willing to pay more than ever — from $80,000 to up to $215,000 per person. And prices are rising; Four Seasons’ ticket prices have increased over 80% since 2015.

Tour operator TCS World Travel was early to this rarefied airspace. The company operated its first group jet expedition in 1995, and has since clocked over 300 private tours in 200 destinations. Despite Covid-era border closures, rising fuel costs, and serious concerns surrounding the climate impact of private jet carbon emissions, TCS Chief Customer Officer Chris Kollas claims the following: “TCS is a profitable, self-sustaining company and our primary business continues to be operating group jet expeditions.”

Eventually, hoteliers not only saw, but seized this opportunity. In 2015, Four Seasons launched its own Round-the-World tour (in partnership with TCS operators), pioneering the hotel brand/private jet mashup and entrenching brand loyalty in the process; on these tours, guests stay exclusively in Four Seasons properties. When I covered the launch for Bloomberg, much of the hype surrounded just how luxurious the on-board experience could be (Bose headphones? Bvlgari toiletries? Private chef? Check, check, check.) Since then, luxury entrants like Aman Resorts, Abercrombie & Kent, French travel agency Safrans du Monde, and adventure-travel outfits like National Geographic have been creating ever-more personalized and far-flung itineraries to satisfy the most discerning of guests. As ever, the proliferation of product is driven by demand.

In just a few weeks, Safrans du Monde will turn its Airbus A340 into a flying hotel, taking 50