25-05-2025
EXCLUSIVE New York's super rich are using private jets like taxis as trips to elite islands just 300 miles away soar
New York's super-rich are using private jets like taxis, with trips from Manhattan to relatively close vacation islands like Nantucket soaring, an aviation expert has revealed.
Star Jets International founder Ricky Sitomer told he has seen an increase in demand for journeys less than 300 miles rise by around 35 percent over the past three years.
'We can provide any jet, any time, anywhere,' the private jet service CEO said.
'We have 1,500 aircraft worldwide which can make use of more than 5,000 airports. Our clients can get an aircraft with as little as two hours' notice.'
Sitomer's frequent short-haul flyers are 'celebrities, athletes, real estate people, and C-level executives', including hedge fund managers and crypto heavyweights.
Sitomer said popular trips include 'helicopters and C-liners to the Hamptons, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and Toronto'.
He estimates that these kinds of trips have rocketed in demand by 35 percent over the past three years.
Customers pay thousands of pounds per journey, with a jet for eight people from New York to Nantucket costing around $5,000 each way.
'During the summer you get a lot of short trips,' Sitomer said. 'In winter you get more demand for long-haul trips to the Caribbean.'
'Right now, Europe is heating up,' he added of the long-haul trips.
'Formula 1 is around the corner next week in Monaco, so we have a lot of travel there.
'There's demand for the Greek islands, the south of France, Portugal and Spain. London is always popular.'
Former stockbroker Sitomer has been providing private jet services since 2001, after spotting a gaping hole in the market when personal flights were much less frequent.
'Way back when I started in the industry, I was a private jet flyer and I didn't know where to go for a private aircraft,' he told
'The industry has grown and matured tremendously since then. I think there are a lot of operations out there now.'
When it comes to on-board demands, Sitomer said he's had everything from requests for White Castle and KFC to lobster tails and caviar.
'I've heard it all,' he said, though he didn't divulge any specifics out of respect for the privacy of his high-profile clients.
Of course, private jet travel comes with a cost to the planet as well as the flyer by creating an extraordinary carbon footprint.
Celebrities like Taylor Swift who are well known for their luxury flying habits are frequently criticized for choosing gaz-guzzling jets over commercial travel.
A recent study published in the the academic journal Communications Earth & Environment lays bare the figures showing just how much the rich and famous are relying on private jets for short journeys, and what this means for the planet.
'Flight pattern analysis confirms extensive travel for leisure purposes, and for cultural and political events,' researchers Stefan Gössling, Andreas Humpe, and Jorge Cardoso Leitão wrote in the report published November 2024.
'Emissions increased by 46 percent between 2019 and 2023, with industry expectations of continued strong growth.'
This equates to 15.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide, or around 2 percent of all global aviation emissions.
Titled 'Private aviation is making a growing contribution to climate change,' the study shows that half of these private flights are shorter than 310 miles - the distance from Manhattan to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Five percent of these flights are shorter than 30 miles, or the distance between Brooklyn, New York, and New Haven in the neighboring state of Connecticut.
'In many instances, private aviation options appear to replace cars for time gains or convenience,' the study reads.
The authors of the report call for regulation of the sector so that the sky-rocketing emissions it's responsible for can be capped.
Out of all celebrities, retired Google CEO Eric Schmidt racked up the most airmiles of in 2024, with a staggering 612,868 air miles across 495 flights, according to an online tracker.
He was followed by Tesla tsar Elon Musk, who took 320 flights in his luxury Gulfstream G650 last year, and Kim Kardashian who has the same plane and took 236 flights.
And in January Kim's sister Kylie Jenner was slammed after reportedly taking a 15-minute flight from Los Angeles to California's Camarillo Airport.
When asked about the climate impacts of his industry, Sitomer told 'We are cognizant of the environment.
1. Eric Schmidt
2. Elon Musk (plane one)
3. Kim Kardashian
4. P. Diddy
5. Travis Scott
6. Jay Z
7. Bill Gates
8. Luke Bryan
9. Michael Bloomberg (plane one)
11. Donald Trump
12. Kylie Jenner
13. Mark Zuckerberg
14. Michael Bloomberg (plane two)
16. Steve Ballmer
17. Tom Cruise
18. Marc Benioff
19. Nike Corporation
20. George Lucas
21. Sergey Brin
22. Kenny Chesney
23. Oprah Winfrey
24. Steve Wynn
25. Alex Rodriquez
26. Phil Knight
27. Michael Bloomberg (plane three)
28. Lady Gaga
29. Dr Phil
30. Jim Carey
31. Matt Damon
32. Ron DeSantis
33. Jerry Jones
34. Mark Cuban
35. David Geffen
36. Steven Spielberg
37. Mark Wahlberg
38. Judge Judy
39. Elon Musk (plane two)
40. Dan Bilzerian
41. Blake Shelton
42. Google
43. Ronald Perelman
44. Under Armour Corporation
45. Taylor Swift (plane one)
46. Rupert Murdoch
47. Larry Ellison
48. Floyd Mayweather
49. Caesars Palace Casino
50. Drake
Hilfiger
52. Peter Thiel
53. Kid Rock
54. Harrison Ford
55. Taylor Swift (plane sold)
56. Michael Jordan
57. Tyler Perry
58. Jeff Bezos (plane one)
59. Elton John
60. Playboy Corporation
61. Tiger Woods
62. Magic Johnson
63. Jess Bezos (plane two)
64. Phil Mickelson
