Here's What the New Four Seasons Private Jet Will Look Like
The Four Seasons private jet has long been a top item on aspirational travel bucket lists, and there will soon be a new one to take up the mantle from the current Four Seasons jet. The luxury hotel brand has been offering private jet tours aboard a Boeing 757 painted in a elegant black livery since 2015. The twinjet is used for round-the-world tours that last weeks, shuttling travel groups from one of its five-star hotel locations to another.
But the 757 will be phased out in 2021. The "Four Seasons Jet 2.0," as the bird is internally nicknamed, is an equally elegant, fully customized Airbus A321, which for now exists only in the form of renderings. According to the Telegraph newspaper, it will be the A321LR version, a long-range model that has been racking up orders from airlines looking for a long-haul airplane without the capacity, and extreme long-haul range, of big twin-aisle jets.
The new A321LR is the same aircraft that will ferry JetBlue passengers to London from the Northeast. But other than that, this plane has very little in common with its commercial cousins. Equipped with 48 seats upholstered in white Poltrona Frau leather, the new Four Seasons jet will seat four fewer passengers than the Boeing 757's 52. That's a lot more room than the 757s and A321 in commercial service, which can seat more than 200 people.
Four Seasons says there is "unprecedented demand, wait lists and sellout itineraries."
The seat layout may not be the all-aisle-access configuration of many international airlines, but the cabin is far more luxurious. Entertainment will be via distributed iPads which will stream movies, TV shows and music stored on the plane's media servers; there will be Wi-Fi. Each seat also includes a personal ottoman for passing visitors to perch upon.
In fact, the design deliberately encourages travelers to mix and mingle. A new social lounge area toward the back of the plane, replete with wine bar offerings and discreet Four Seasons branding, can be visited for cocktails or buffet-style snacks in between scheduled meals. The area also provides the stage for various Four Seasons staff experts to offer workshops in mixology, culinary and cultural experiences and even on-board spa treatments adapted for the skies.
The company promises a ratio of one Four Seasons University-trained crew member to every six passengers, tops. Each flight is also staffed with a concierge, director of guest experience and a doctor.
The bathrooms offer signature luxury amenities and even fresh flowers to "reflect a more residential style," according to the Four Seasons.
Other brands have sought to imitate the Four Seasons's foray into private luxury travel — premium cruise company Crystal Cruises offers the world's largest, fanciest charter jet, the Boeing 777 Crystal Skye, for private bookings. Yet the luxury hotel brand is still the only major group in the world to offer its customized private jet exclusively for clientele year-round.
While the 2.0 jet's itineraries are still being finalized and should be announced later this year, it's likely that they will follow in the footsteps of the current private plane's tour routes. One 24-day route for June 2020 will take travelers from Seattle to Kyoto, Bali, the Seychelles, Rwanda, Bogota and the Galapagos for a cool $155,000 per person. Travelers with early fall schedule availability and an extra $140,000 to burn can instead opt for the September 2019 tour, which departs from Hawaii to London by way of stops in Bora Bora and Chiang Mai.
All images courtesy of Four Seasons.
