Flying round the world on a private jet definitely seems like the height of glamour – but for some attendants working on these planes, it’s definitely been a wild ride
Squashed on the middle seat in economy, with a ticket that you had to save up to buy for a long-haul flight, you likely have found yourself dreaming of chartering your own private jet.
With celebs posting snaps from their own decidedly more comfortable journeys on private planes on social media, we have a glimpse into how the other half live – and it definitely seems more pleasant than gently trying to wake up the person snoring next to you when you’re desperate to get to the loo.
There’s only so much in-flight entertainment can do to alleviate the general discomfort of being an economy passenger – but it might help to know that some people flying regularly on private jets are definitely not always having a great time: the flight attendants.
Flight attendants who have gone public with their experiences working on private jets have admitted that they have had to put up with some truly bizarre, and often incredibly inappropriate behaviour, whilst they are catering to the rich and famous.
One attendant, speaking anonymously to Mel Magazine, even revealed that she had one rich Russian passenger who would strip off mid-flight, forcing her to bring him food and drinks whilst he was totally in the nude.
The attendant had a seriously clever way of dealing with this inappropriate behaviour, without directly confronting her rich and powerful passenger – which would have likely been hard to do, as guests paying such a premium for an exclusive flight all to themselves want their every whim attended to.
“No one ever did more than one or two flights with this particular Russian man,” the attendant explained. “He was that insufferable. “Miraculously, I managed a whole month. He’d get more and more drunk from the moment he stepped foot onboard the plane, and on occasions, all his clothes would be off.
“I’d keep the temperature cold so he’d get uncomfortable, and maybe a little more modest. I developed subtle ways to defuse him over the course of the time I flew him; it became a game I think to make me blush. He often was the one blushing, though.”
Another seasoned private jet attendant, Kimberley Benton, told CNN that passengers on private planes expect a seriously personalised experience, and it goes far beyond passing out packets of peanuts. Having travelled the world extensively on a variety of private jets, Kimberley had learned to anticipate the needs of her guests, and had waited on everyone from pop stars to royals.
She’s even done her fair share of looking after pets and catered to every type of situation imaginable, from after parties – which she has to make sure “don’t get out of control,” to banquets.
Mary Kalymnou, who has 13 years of experience, told CNN that she had even been on a flight that had “a deceased person on board – a coffin in the cargo, made out of gold and expensive wood”. She also has travelled with guests who brought guns on board, excessive shopping sprees, and even, on one occasion, a parrot.
Private jet crew speaking to the Mail Online revealed that they had endured some incredibly rude customers – who drop anything from £20,000 to £1 million on their flights – over the course of their career.
The anonymous pilot explained, “Probably one of the strangest demands from a client was not to look at them in the eye or talk to them. It was very odd. Basically anything they needed, they would tell their personal assistant and then that person would let me know.”
Overall, they found it was “musicians” and “wannabees” who were the rudest passengers who climbed aboard their aircraft.
“I would say the worst are usually musicians and producers that for whatever reason seem to have an air of entitlement, a lack of punctuality and a condescending attitude towards the crew,” one explained.
The other added, “The worst are the ones who have never been on a private jet and are trying to impress their friends or social media followers… I feel like they can sometimes be obnoxious.”