Inside the exclusive world of private jet travel - and the superrich who can afford it

Private jet travel is more popular than ever. In 2025, there were 3.7 million private jet flights as of December 15 - up 5% from last year and 35% from pre-COVID levels, according to data from aviation intelligence firm WingX. There are several reasons for the increase. Some people got a taste of flying private during the pandemic and don't want to return to commercial travel - once you've flown private, you don't go back - and others are tapping into a growing desire for privacy. Then there's the fact that there are simply more superrich people who can afford it. The number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals - defined as someone worth more than $30 million - has grown more than 70% from 2020 to 2025, according to wealth intelligence firm Altrata. In 2024, that group spent nearly $30 billion on private jets and yachts. Plus, the proliferation of fractional ownership and membership models - think NetJets, Flexjet, and VistaJet - makes private aviation more accessible. "It's not just for people who have made it, it's for people who are making it," Matteo Atti, the CMO of VistaJet's parent company, Vista Global, told Business Insider. While owning a private jet costs millions a year - that's for maintenance, the crew, fuel, and the like, not the plane itself - flying private through any means is still very expensive. Pricing can vary heavily depending on the size of the plane, as well as where and when it's flying, but Flexjet's rates start at $6,500 per hour. (It's about triple that on the Gulfstream G700 , Flexjet's most elite model.) Of course, if you are dropping five or six figures on a flight, you often get more than the simple journey from point A to point B. The perks associated with flying private have only become more over the top. There are facials on board, catering from Nobu, and specialty menus for pets lucky enough to take the trip. Business Insider has flown on private jets, spoken with executives at private aviation companies, and analyzed the private jets landing at events favored by billionaires, from Burning Man to the Allen & Co. Sun Valley Conference . Read on for everything to know about flying private, from a look inside the most exclusive jets to an inside explanation of what people get wrong about the glamour of it all. I toured 2 of the rare and ultra-luxurious $80 million Gulfstream G700 private jets. Here's how they compare. Would Nobu and private fireworks convince you to pay $23,000 an hour for a flight? I toured a $96 million private jet. It's like a mini apartment and shows how extravagant flying has become for the 1%. The ultrawealthy are ditching their own private planes to avoid jet-trackers. Here's how the VIPs fly under the radar. Take a look inside a G700, Gulfstream's jet of choice for billionaires that Kristi Noem just bought for DHS I saw why private jets are the billionaire's ultimate status symbol -...

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