The Canadian Island For When You Really, Really Want to Get Away
On a recent trip to Battle Harbour, an island in Canada's Labrador Sea, I heard the Northern Lights. Or at least I think I did. Scientists still debate whether the aurora actually makes any sounds, but as I gazed at the chartreuse display, I thought I could make out a faint whispered whistle in the night's otherwise profound silence. A true separation from the din of daily life eludes most of us, even on vacation—but in that moment, I was sure I'd found it.
For most of the year, the remote island of Battle Harbour in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador lies empty, pummeled by relentless snowstorms. Icebergs regularly float by in the bay. But for the three months of summer, the island opens briefly, like a portal to another quieter world. I had traveled to the island from New York City with my new husband as part of our honeymoon.
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NetJets, Flexjet, VistaJet Executives See Plenty Of Room For Growth
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Earlier this week Gallagher told CNBC that the market for private jet flyers remains largely untapped and demand continues to be strong. Photographer: Graham Hughes/Bloomberg Yesterday, NetJets Aviation President Patrick Gallagher, speaking to CNBC's Robert Frank, estimated that despite the industry's growth over the past five years, the addressable market for private aviation is largely untapped. "The pandemic unlocked a portion, but if the private aviation market expanded by 40%, you still have only 14% of the addressable market (flying privately)," he told the cable business channel. Gallagher cited a 2020 McKinsey study that showed before the pandemic, only about 10% of households with the financial means to be regular private aviation users were flying privately at the time. The unit of Berkshire Hathaway is expected to take delivery of around 90 new private jets this year. 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The next generation of customers also want to visit more far-flung destinations, creating a need for bigger jets. He coined the trend, "younger, larger, longer." Vista Chairman Thomas Flohr recently told Spears Magazine, "The addressable market is gigantic and ... More growing usually at about double GDP." His VistaJet unit has grown 115% since 2019, according to recent Aviation Week data. (Photo by ERIC PIERMONT/AFP via Getty Images) For fractional and charter operators such as NetJets, Flexjet, and Vista's VistaJet, anonymity is also an increasing factor, the executives say. "We have clients who own their aircraft and use NetJets when they want to fly incognito," Gallagher told CNBC, noting, 'All anybody is ever going to see is that familiar NetJets stripe on the aircraft. They have no idea, no way to track who's onboard.' 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The Canadian Island For When You Really, Really Want to Get Away
On a recent trip to Battle Harbour, an island in Canada's Labrador Sea, I heard the Northern Lights. Or at least I think I did. Scientists still debate whether the aurora actually makes any sounds, but as I gazed at the chartreuse display, I thought I could make out a faint whispered whistle in the night's otherwise profound silence. A true separation from the din of daily life eludes most of us, even on vacation—but in that moment, I was sure I'd found it. For most of the year, the remote island of Battle Harbour in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador lies empty, pummeled by relentless snowstorms. Icebergs regularly float by in the bay. But for the three months of summer, the island opens briefly, like a portal to another quieter world. I had traveled to the island from New York City with my new husband as part of our honeymoon.
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