By The Urban Traveler

Let’s be frank. Flying private is usually an incredible experience. Not only do you get to skip the hassle of dealing with crowds at massive, commercial airports, you also get to skip the pain of checking your bags, dealing with long security lines, and the nightmare that is the boarding process.

And that’s not even getting started on the luxuries you find once on board: free-flowing champagne, comfortable leather seats, and the ability to have the entire experience to yourself. Oh, and pictures in the cockpit if you want.

But one private plane company, NetJets, is taking the experience of flying private even further by offering exclusive, tailored events for members of the service. NetJets works by offering fractional ownership of a plane, meaning that people who buy shares in a specific type of plane in the fleet receive an equivalent number of flight hours on that type of aircraft or better. Even more, the plane is maintained and operated by NetJets, so owners don’t have to worry about maintenance, crew, or repositioning — the common struggles of owning a private plane.

Besides simply flying to their destination on a private plane, NetJets owners have the opportunity to join in on once-in-a-lifetime opportunities perfectly curated for the jet-set class. For example, before the Hampton’s Cup — an annual polo match fundraiser — owners had the chance to attend a private polo match and clinic at Beechnut Hill Farm, a $39,500,000 estate in Watermill, New York. Participants in the clinic were able to get hands-on lessons from world-renowned polo star (and buddy of Prince Harry) Nacho Figueras, a NetJets owner himself.

And that’s not the only way to get the VIP treatment in the Hamptons, which is only a roughly 20-minute flight from Teterboro Airport outside of New York City. Throughout the summer owners can get the royal treatment at the Hamptons Classic show jumping event or access to The Bridge, an ultra-exclusive collectible car show held at the Bridgehampton Golf Club.

So whether you’re just dreaming about the perks of flying private or seriously considering a buy-in, it’s easy to see that the return on investment is more than just miles in the sky. But it doesn’t necessarily come cheap — a 25-hour block with NetJets starts around $127,000, or about $5,000 an hour. But if you’ve got the cash, it seems like the only problem is deciding where to point the plane for the right experience for your tastes.

This article originally appeared in Jacksonville Free Press.

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