A look inside the largest and longest-range business jet
There's a lot to consider when it comes to choosing a private jet. Speed, comfort and cost are some of the first things that come to mind, but equally important is range. After all, wouldn't stopping halfway through your journey to refuel kind of defeat the purpose of flying private?
If you're regularly flying halfway across the world, something like an Embraer Praetor 600 or Gulfstream G500 just won't cut it. You could go with a VIP-configured Boeing 777 or 787 Dreamliner, but not everyone wants something that big.
For these travelers, Bombardier offers the Global 7500. With four separate living areas and a range of up to 7,700 nautical miles (8,861 miles), this is the largest and longest-range option in the business jet category — a tad farther than the Gulfstream G700. It can connect almost any two points of the globe, including New York to Hong Kong and Singapore to San Francisco. It has even flown from Sydney to Detroit before — a route that's 8,225 nautical miles long.
Although cheaper than the wide-bodies, this jet still retails for a cool $73 million. Of course, for those on a "budget," charters or fractional ownership are also an option, though for most people flying on this jet is nothing more than a dream.
I had the chance to check out two 7500s at the National Business Aviation Association's Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas last week — one still owned by Bombardier and another that was recently delivered to the charter company VistaJet. Here's a look inside.
The 7500's cabin is broken into four sections, including a full kitchen and dedicated crew rest. The cabin is 6.2 feet tall, giving it a very spacious feel.
Of the two planes toured, VistaJet definitely had the more stylish cabin, with sleek, dark finishes.
The main room features a "Club Suite" with four club seats that face each other. As you can see, the cabin boasts loads of natural light thanks to larger-than-usual windows.
Just behind that is a conference suite/dining area with seating for six. The seats and tables could be folded to be converted into four comfortable beds.
Rather than have two pairs of seats on each side of a table, the two rows alternate with one seat on one side and two on the other.
Past that is a living room-like space with a divan facing a wide-screen TV. The divan converts into a bed and there are doors separating this room from the rest of the cabin so this can be used as a guest bedroom.
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On Bombardier's version, there were simply two divans that faced each other.
At the very end is the primary bedroom. It features a full-size bed, an adjacent club seat with its own retractable table, a wardrobe and a TV.
VistaJet made this room feel a bit more homey by installing a small bookcase. At first glance, the room might look a bit like the bedroom on Etihad's Residence, but this room is much more spacious and has multiple windows while The Residence's bedroom doesn't have any.
The primary bedroom also has an en suite bathroom. Customers have the option to install a shower, though neither of the jets had one.
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As you'd expect from a jet of this size, it has a full-size kitchen at the front of the cabin with multiple ovens, refrigeration units and lots of storage.
But this area isn't just a workstation — the galley also doubles as a crew rest area. Operators can choose to either install just a couch or a proper crew rest suite with bunk beds. Typically, these flights are operated with up to two cabin attendants.
It goes without saying that any flight on a Global 7500 will be a comfortable one. While the configuration may vary from one operator to another, you'll be spoiled with large windows, plenty of space to move around and comfortable beds to retreat to. That said, the price tag certainly matches the experience so don't expect a crazy deal to actually fly on one of these jets anytime soon.
