FlightNurse

Great report there SFO777, the Canyon is breath taking, but to truly see it one must go inisde the canyon, take a river trip down, it is well worth the time and money. There are many hidden treasures in the Canyon, and Havasu Falls is one... Also the train between the Grand Canyon and Williams is a must to do, they have a staged robbery which is cool. During the winter they have the "Polar Express" which is very popular. We have taken taken the train a couple of times, Spring, Summer and Winter it's always a great time.

garykung

Private jets are never for me

SFO77, I have couple of questions which I think FTers will be interested (at least to me):

1. How much did you exactly pay for the chartered flight?

2. Do you have to tip the FA(s)?

3. How is the seat recline? Can they become lie-flat?

4. Is a lounge provided for private jets (I know )?

5. If money is not an issue, do you prefer F or private jets?

SFO777

Thank you FlightNurse. SFOJr has done the river trip and loved it. We'll definitely be back and explore more.

Thanks garykung.
1. Since it was a light jet, the cost was just under $11K, or about $3,500 an hour all in. Expensive yes, but we saved at least a day's travel, hotel, meals, commercial air etc, so all in all, reasonable IMO.
2. There is typically no FA on light or even mid-sized jets.
3. No lie-flat but good recline and cool multi-directional swivel.
4. Most FBOs have "lounges" but typically they are not FCL-quality. Since your plane usually leaves when you arrive, not sure how much use they get. We drove up to the plane, boarded and were in the air within 10 minutes of arriving. No need for a lounge.
5. If money were no issue, I would always fly private.

Short hair Francis

Oh Boy, SFO777 strikes again on the Private Jet and here I am still contempting how to save up for that Private Jet experience for a Bacholor night.
And I'll no where near ready being tied down by a Mrs SHF yet

Think about it this way, at least there was a loo vs. a society which suggests we should be "Tolerant" of those who relieve themselves publicly

bentrmpt

Thanks for the report. Really cool to see the private experience.

Bretteee

Fantastic. Thanks. What a nice experience.

I loved the Grand Canton; it was breathtaking.

I went as a kid in 1964 on a Grey Line bus tour from Las Vegas.

Would like to go again and take that nice train.

7300ponce

Your pictures are amazing! I love all your trip reports.

SFO777

Thanks Francis. Good point on the loo... and on being tied down. You have plenty of time before a Mrs. SHF puts an end to your MRs.

Thank you bentrmpt.

Thanks very much Bretteee. The Grand Canyon is awesome. That train looks like it could be a fun experience.

Thank you 7300ponce for your kind comments.

krazykanuck

Thanks SFO777. This brought back memories for of flying private. When I was a teenager, my family had a private jet charter through our family company so I flew semi-regularly on Learjet 31s, 45s, and a Challenger (once in a blue moon).

Great experiences! Unfortunately I was a little too young to truly appreciate it but I always played the role of FA/Purser on those flights!

Dieuwer

How about just buying your own plane and getting a license to operate?

greg5

As always, great trip report!

I was thinking about it as I wandered past a Best Western here in Zürich, that actually has a very nice restaurant in it. I've had venison there in the autumn a couple of times and it was always very good. Decent trout as well.

SFO777

Thanks very much krazykanuck. It's a great experience to charter and, as you know, so incredibly convenient.

I've thought about it, actually took lessons and solo'd, years ago.
But never really pursued it. In the end, I figured I'd enjoy myself more int he cabin where I wouldn't have to worry about drinking and driving.

Thank you greg5. Indeed, there are few nice Best Westerns out there.

saltytheseagull

I enjoyed your TR SFO777, especially the train portion.

Genius1

Interesting report! Some excellent pictures of the Grand Canyon and the area surrounding it.

I would love to fly on a private jet, but probably not all the time even if I had unlimited funds! There's something about premium commercial flying that I enjoy.

SFO777

Thank you saltytheseagull. If you are into trains, you need to check some of Seat 2A's wonderful trip reports including some memorable train trips.

Thanks very much Genius1. I'd love to fly private more but our limit is a couple of times a year and within 2 hours of Denver. It is great for travel to/from smaller "hard to reach in a day without a connection" places.