For many A-list stars, musicians, athletes and businessmen who are incredibly rich, they choose to buy a private jet or charter one because they travel a lot for work or want to be whisked away in the quickest possible time to go on vacation in far-flung locations. Once they get the taste of flying privately, they never go back to flying commercial. The long lines to get their tickets and the even longer lines to pass security at the airport, all take a toll on stars because they are constantly trying to conceal themselves from the mob of fans and the paps who keep taking pics of them.
Oprah, Steven Spielberg and Ralph Lauren all own a private jet, which they all purchased for around $40 mill. Some celebs have multiple jets like Harrison Ford and Tom Cruise. In addition, John Travolta, Angelina Jolie, and Morgan Freeman all have their pilot's license, so if they want to, they can fly their very own planes. Welcome to the good life!
What all these celebs have in common is that, if they are traveling far, they will always use their private jets. On their jet, they can travel in privacy and they can do whatever they want, whether that's watching a movie on a large flat screen or having a snack made by their private chef in a chef's kitchen. They live the lavish life in their jets, all of which are decked out with their personal stamp, such as chandeliers in the main cabin to posh, leather-clad reclining seats. If you're curious about how the other half lives, you're in luck, as here are 25 A-list celebs who refuse to fly economy.
25 Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West - too good for coach
It's no surprise that Kim Kardashian has a private jet. She has everything! She and hubby Kanye find flying private easier, as they do not have to deal with the public and the paps who keep snapping photos of them as they go through security. They pay the travel company JetLux an absurd amount of money to charter their planes as needed.
But it's not all extravagance and luxury up in the air.
Apparently, according to Page Six, Kim K, her sister Khloe and Scott Disick failed to pay their tab----an astronomical $225,353--for use of a plane and the air company filed a suit. Why not pay? They're loaded!
24 Taylor Swift - lucky number 13
When you have a busy schedule and are promoting your record all over the world, a private jet seems very practical.
That's why Taylor Swift owns a $40 mill Dassault-Breguet Mystere Falcon 900 jet.
She purchased it as early as 2011, and has personalized it by putting the number "13" on the nose of the jet because that's her magic number. As she told Stylecaster, “I was born on the 13th. I turned 13 on Friday the 13th. My first album went gold in 13 weeks. My first number one song had a 13-second intro.“ Oh, and Swift never flies coach. That's just beneath her.
23 Michael Jordan - this is why he bought a plane
Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time, owns the Gulfstream G550 jet, which costs $61.5 million and which was first produced in 2003.
Ever since he bought the plane, he never went back to flying commercial because even in first class he had no legroom.
He recently updated his jet in 2017. It used to sport North Carolina powder blue and white paint and it looked like a giant flying sneaker. Now the plane is covered in an elephant print design, which adorns his footwear.
22 Rihanna
Rihanna is one of the top performers in the world, and she has made a ton of money from her albums and her international tours. That's why she can drop a boatload on lavish vacays for herself and her friends.
She would never fly economy; she enjoys her lifestyle and believes she can spend her money on anything she wants.
That's private planes, which she uses to travel to Barbados, where she's from, or to any remote location for a vacation. Like Kim K, Rihanna's Instagram has many selfies of herself on private planes. If you have it, show it off!
21 Beyoncé and Jay-Z
If it's father's day, we mere mortals buy our dads yet another tie, or take them to dinner. What would be your ideal father's day gift? Well, if you're Jay-Z, then that would be the coveted Bombardier Challenger 850 Learjet that his wife Beyoncé gave him.
That's a $40 million father's day present!
So there's no reason for them to fly economy. And the jet is so roomy and luxurious. The main room is clad in cream leather, there's a master bedroom fit for a king, and there are not one, but two bathrooms. On top of that, there's even a kitchen!
20 Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber is only 24, and he is one of those rare teen entertainers who was able to successfully transition into adulthood by putting out new albums without losing his tween fanbase. He never flies coach because he doesn't need to; he owns his own private jet, the Gulfstream, aka the G4 Jet--the same plane that Tom Cruise has.
The estimated cost of the Bieb's jet is $60 mill, and can carry 14 people, which is just enough for him to travel with his friends and his new wife Hailey.
19 Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey knows what she wants. When it comes to private jets, Oprah had her eye on the popular Bombardier Global Express jet until she realized that there was a newer model, the Global Express XRS. So she bought that as a gift to herself, which cost her $42 mill.
Winfrey’s jet is lavishly decorated in the galley and bathroom. She bought the plane after a brush with a fan at an airport in the 1990s who harassed her early on in her career. So now she never has to fly economy or first class.
18 John Travolta
John Travolta would never fly economy. Why would he? He has seven planes of his own. These include the Boeing 707, the Bombardier Challenger 601, Boeing 727 and three Gulfstream jets.
And besides that, he's also a qualified pilot, having completed the Australian airline Qantas coursework, as well as the company’s honorary pilot.
At his home in Florida, he built two customized runways, so in an instant, he can pack a bag and board one of his planes. He has so many planes that he parks some of them on his front property.
17 Bill Gates
Bill Gates, the co-founder and chairman of Microsoft, is one of America’s top philanthropists. Now that he's the richest man in the world, according to Forbes and Business Insider, he has money to spend to do good.
But like many wealthy people, Gates also splurges, like when he bought his own jet, the Bombardier BD-700, which costs $45 mill.
The plane, known as the Global 5000, can easily fly between any two points in the world, and requires just one stop for refueling. Nope, he'd never fly coach.
16 Jim Carrey
We haven't seen our fave comedic actor, Jim Carrey, for a while now. But he still makes headlines for owning one of the highest performing and safest jets in the world. He has the Gulfstream V, which has an estimated cost of $59 mill.
It's truly impressive, as it can go an astounding amount of time in the sky, and can soar near the speed of sound while cruising up to 51,000 feet in the skies. It can seat up to 16 passengers. Carrey is rumored to have bought the plane because he wanted to travel the world with his pets.
15 Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is the best-selling female artist in the history of the Billboard charts. Website celebritynetworth.com estimates her net worth at $510 million. So money is no object to Carey, as she has used her fortune to buy lavish things for herself.
When it comes to planes, Carey travels private as she comes with a lot of baggage. Literally. Even if it's just from LAX to JFK. The weird thing is, Carey is always dressed to the nines while flying. We have nothing against that, but why do that when you're the only one up in the air?
14 Kris Jenner
Kris Jenner refuses to fly economy. She always charters a plane to go with one of her daughters' various professional obligations, whether that's appearing on a talk show or promoting one of their (always) successful businesses.
The Kardashian clan often fill up the plane for their routine visits and travels, so there's no waste of fuel.
On their show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which is holding strong after 15 years, you can catch a Kardashian or a Jenner boarding a private plane or coming off one.
13 Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry, the man behind Madea, is one of the richest African Americans in Hollywood, He has no business on an economy flight when he owns the Gulfstream III. The jet has a base cost of around $65K, but it's rumored to be closer to $125 mill after Perry renovated the interior with luxurious appointments.
That makes it one of the most expensive private planes in the world. Perry calls the plane the "flying theater," because it's tricked out with many big screens to watch movies and more. There's even a personal library.
12 Tom Cruise
It's been rumored that A-list star Tom Cruise owns anywhere from three to five private jets, but that's only speculation. However, we do know he owns the Aviat -- Pitts S-2B, and one of the classiest and safest planes in the world, the Gulfstream IV, aka the G4 Jet. It's also the priciest, costing $36 mill.
Cruise has no business on business or first or coach. He uses his jets whenever he needs to fly, and he even has a pilot's license and often chooses to fly himself. The G4 was actually a present to Katie Holmes when they were married. Holmes made headlines when she said the jet was “just like a bus, only quicker.”
11 Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford doesn't need to rely on commercial flights. He is a pilot and can fly any of his eight planes, several which are vintage. The one he uses the most is his $18 mill Cessna 680 Sovereign, a long-range jet that can seat nine and can reach speeds of 527 mph. Ford loves private jets and explained his devotion to them to the Daily Mail. He said,
"Flying elevates the spirit and it's an exhilarating freedom.”
He then added, “I love the machines, I love the aviation community, I own airplanes and have pilots flying them for me, but I finally realized they were having more fun than I was".
10 Celine Dion
Yep, celebs love the Bombardier BD-700 Express. The XRS is not only owned by Bill Gates, Oprah and Steven Spielberg, but also by Celine Dion. According to the Daily Mail, the Bombardier introduced to us the large cabin long-range jet upon its launch way back in 1983.
The cabinet is classy, like Dion herself.
It has an all-leather interior and the bathroom and galley have the most elegant fixtures. And when Dion flies, she brings along her private chef, just in case she needs a light snack while traveling. We're guessing that's not salted peanuts and a can of Coke.
9 Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban, the billionaire businessman who owns the Dallas Mavericks, has three jets. He owns the Gulfstream V, the Boeing 767, and the Boeing 757. He claims he uses the jets less for entertainment purposes and more for saving time , which would be wasted on commercial flights.
As he told the WSJ, “This means I have more hours in my day to spend with friends and family. It means I can get more work done. It means I can travel comfortably with my family. It’s a life and game changer.”
8 David and Victoria Beckham
David Beckham is that rare thing. He retired as a soccer player, and to this day his fame remains, he's still relevant and he also remains a popular cultural icon. Beckham--along with his wife Victoria--own the Bombardier Challenger, which costs around $17 mill.
The plane seats up to ten, so it can easily accommodate the power couple and their four children.
It also has a range of 3,682 miles, which means that the jet can travel all around Europe without having to refuel. The way the Beckhams use their jet indicates that they'd never fly commercial. David used the plane to travel back and forth from the UK to the US to be with his family after a football game. Victoria always uses it to travel around Europe.
7 Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman is a private plane aficionado and has not been on a commercial flight ever since he amassed three private jets. These include the Cessna Citation 501, the Cessna 414 twin-engine prop and the Emivest SJ30. Freeman, like Travolta, has his pilot’s license, which is why he can travel anywhere at the drop of a hat. Since he was a child, Freeman has always been infatuated by flying a plane.
According to the Daily Mail, he would daydream about piloting a fighter jet rather than pay attention to his teacher when he was in school. Now Freeman has everything he ever wanted.
6 Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie became a licensed pilot in 2004 and then purchased a single-engine aircraft, the Cirrus SR22-G2. While it's modestly priced--around $650,000--it still is one of the safest aircraft around. Her son Maddox was the reason for this aviation fixation. She told The Daily Mail,
"Every time Mad sees a plane, he's amazed. If I could actually fly a plane, I'll be like Superman to him”.
She'd never go back to commercial because she absolutely loves flying, saying, “It’s the best feeling."