New Year’s in the Sydney HarbourPETER PARKS/AFP / Getty Images
Are you experienced? Have you ever been experienced?
Chances are, you will be. And soon.
This holiday, many of us dispensed with boxes and wrapping in favour of the (slightly less suspenseful) exchange of envelopes – spa vouchers, theatre tickets, even airplane fares. This is because "experiences" now represent more than 20 per cent of gift-giving.
A study published earlier this month in the Journal of Consumer Research found that experiential presents proved more effective at strengthening relationships than material gifts. Cindy Chan, of the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, and Cassie Mogilner, of UCLA's Anderson School of Management, determined that the intensity of emotion experienced during the consumption of such gifts overrides the connection made when receiving an tangible present – regardless of whether the giver and recipient are consuming the gift together.
"Giving experiential gifts is thus identified as a highly effective form of pro-social spending," they concluded.
With that in mind, service industries have launched a battle of gimmickry, fighting to outdo one another with ever-desirable experiences for the hard to buy for. But among the handmade back-rub coupons and restaurant bookings, one experience hovers high above the rest: New Year's Eve by private jet. Twice.
It's the proverbial golden ticket. As Sydney, Australia, celebrates the new year, a private jet awaits on the tarmac for the 2 a.m. takeoff to Las Vegas. Its lucky passengers will touch down in time for a second celebration.
With a speed of nearly 1,000 kilometres an hour, the Gulfstream 650 connects Sydney with Las Vegas in barely 12 hours – four hours faster than a commercial flight (if you'd rather touch down in L.A., you can shave off a few minutes). The time difference between the two cities is 19 hours, leaving enough time to comfortably find your second party venue, a flute of champagne for your second countdown – and your second wind.
The trajectory has been steep for private jets since Bill Lear pioneered the industry in the 1960s. Brokers, and there are several dozen now, operate some 10,000 private jets worldwide. The Britain-based jet charter PrivateFly began plying the Sydney to Las Vegas route, on a Gulfstream G650ER, for about $255,000 for the single leg. This year 365 Aviation is going further, offering a three-leg package, including outbound and return flights by private Gulfstream, for roughly $917,000. While the companies are reluctant to put a price tag on any specific Canadian trips, a similar three-leg journey departing from Vancouver or Toronto (and including stops in Sydney and Las Vegas) would cost about the same, but could go beyond $1-million.
In the landscape of experience travel, private jets are the latest – if not last – frontier. If you're in the "high-net-worth club," loosely defined as having $1-million (U.S.) or more in liquid financial assets, the benefits of private air travel are clear. "You obviously want the high level of service," says Chris Tofts, CEO of 365 Aviation. "You want to know the people you're sitting next to. And some people still can't go more than an hour without a cigarette." (While all PrivateFly aircraft are designated non-smoking, 365 Aviation has a fleet of smoking-permitted planes on speed-dial.)
Last year, the Four Seasons luxury-hotel chain launched a souped-up Boeing 757 that will spirit you and 50 friends to five-star properties in Asia and Italy for a private safari or gastro tour, at about $180,000 a person. The deluxe tour operator Abercrombie & Kent operates a jet for up to 50 people, at about $175,000 a person, for tours around the Gobi Desert, St. Petersburg and the Arctic.
The most popular private-jet experience these days is round-trip service to the Super Bowl. Last winter, more than 1,000 private planes landed in San Francisco in time to see the Denver Broncos whup the Carolina Panthers. Outfits such as Oxygen Aviation are queuing up for the run to Houston's NRG Stadium this year.
But the New Year's Eve excursion, Tofts says, is second only to "hiring a time machine."
The Gulfstream is only the world's second-fastest jet out there – the fastest would be the Citation X. Still, it flies close to the speed of sound and, at almost 7,000 nautical miles, has the longest range.
Tofts says a handful of clients requested the trip this year; last year he booked in two parties – one taking off from Sydney, the other from Shanghai, both destined for Las Vegas. "The maximum I'd take on a trip like this would be three couples," he says. "These sorts of aircraft have five or six beds, and you want to make sure everyone has a proper bed."
Because, presumably, some experiences require long periods of unconsciousness in order to be fully appreciated.