Flying Private to the Party: Private Aviation to Luxury Events

[highlight_text] Whether you are flying private to Basel to check out the newest trends in jewelry and timepieces, or touching down to share the spotlight with the many millionaires and billionaires who are sure to be strolling up through the gallery halls, your first stop most likely will be at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg. [/highlight_text]

I’m sure that we are not the only ones breathing a sigh of relief at the close of the first decade of the 21st century. While there were some great highs over the course of the last 10 years, 2009 proved to be the year that separated the true power players from the amateurs just getting their toes wet. Proudly reporting that we made it out alive and will live to see another prosperous day, we have bid adieu to last year and are ready to celebrate all of the successes that 2010 has in store.

With BaselWorld starting in Switzerland on March 18, the silver anniversary of the Palm Beach International Boat Show on March 25, then off to the burgeoning Pebble Beach Food & Wine event commencing on April 8, and rounding it all up with a trip to New York City for the Tribeca Film Festival on April 21, it will be a season full of celebrations. For our elite audience of jetsetters, we have the 411 on your best bets for arriving in style to strut the red carpets at each of these world-renowned events.

BaselWorld
Basel, Switzerland
March 18 to 25, 2010
Exhibition Center Basel

March 18, 2010 will be a big day in the world of luxury timepieces, as it will mark the official kickoff celebration of BaselWorld, the world’s most preeminent watch and jewelry show in Basel, Switzerland. Close to 2,000 luxury brands from 45 countries wait for this globally revered annual fair to showcase their latest innovations for the coming year to an audience that consists of close to 94,000 affluent attendees from 100 countries, and 3,000 journalists from 70 countries. Whether you are flying private to Basel to check out the newest trends in jewelry and timepieces, or touching down to share the spotlight with the many millionaires and billionaires who are sure to be strolling up through the gallery halls, your first stop most likely will be at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg.

EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (BSL)

• Even though it is located in France, the EuroAirport is just less than four miles northwest of Basel, Switzerland, making it only a 10-minute car ride away.

• BSL is one of the only airports across the globe that is operated by two countries, France and Switzerland. And though the headquarters can be found on French soil in Blotzheim, both countries appoint eight representatives to sit on the airport’s board.

• The FBO at BSL is AMAC Aerospace, founded in 2007 in Basel. Two new state-of-the-art hangars are currently operational, one with two A320/BBJ/G550-sized bays. A third hangar is expected to be completed in early summer 2010, which will accommodate a B747-8, B787, or A330-200 and an A320 or BBJ.

• Though a bit further away, another option for your pilot to land your private plane for BaselWorld is Zurich International Airport, which is less than one hour from Basel.

25th Annual Palm Beach International Boat Show
Palm Beach, Florida
March 25 to 28, 2010
Intracoastal Waterway and Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach

Can’t clear out your calendar for a few days of globetrotting across Switzerland? Don’t fret because there are plenty of luxury events taking place here in the U.S. in the coming months that will be equally as riveting. Just days after the start of BaselWorld, the folks over at Show Management will be kicking off the Palm Beach International Boat Show on March 25, 2010. Billed as one of the “Top 10 Boat Shows in the Country,” PBIBS showcases more than $350 million worth of boats, yachts, and accessories.

Palm Beach International (PBI)

• Palm Beach County operates a system of four airports, with each serving the private aviation community in its own way. PBI will be your landing center of choice. Of the three runways at PBI, two are dedicated to general aviation and use the south side of the field for dropping off and picking up passengers, or aircraft parking is mandatory.

• The three FBOs at PBI include Galaxy Aviation, Jet Aviation, and Signature Flight Support.

• A favorite of Donald Trump, PBI is located approximately five miles from where some of the main boat show activity will be taking place.

3rd Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival
Pebble Beach, California
April 8 to 11, 2010
Various clubs and resorts on the peninsula

With names like Thomas Keller, Wolfgang Puck, Masaharu Morimoto, Roland Passot, and Charlie Trotter in the lineup, this is one West Coast gourmet event that should not be missed. Only in its third year, it is already well on its way to becoming one of the foremost festivals for the foodies of the nation. If you aren’t within driving distance of this exclusive area of the California coastline, we suggest flying your Hawker 700 or Challenger 601 into the Monterey Peninsula Airport. But before the pilot signals that it is time to fasten your seat belt, here are some of the stats:

Monterey Peninsula Airport (MRY)

• MRY is only a 20-minute drive from the famed Pebble Beach resorts that will host the culinary events, including The Inn at Spanish Bay, The Lodge at Pebble Beach, Casa Palmero, The Beach & Tennis Club, and the Lexus Grand Tasting Tent.

• The facility encompasses 498 acres with two parallel runways and can be found four miles west of downtown Monterey on Highway 68.

• Del Monte Aviation, Monterey Bay Aviation, and Monterey Jet Center are all full-service FBOs at MRY.

• Though size-wise, it is considerably smaller than the Teterboro or Van Nuys airports, it still carries its weight in celebrity names. Dignitaries like Pope John Paul II and John F. Kennedy have flown into and taken off from MRY.

• Other private aviation options include the San Jose International Airport, located approximately 90 minutes north, or San Francisco International Airport, which can take two hours by luxury car.

Tribeca Film Festival
New York City
April 21 to May 2, 2010
Taking place at various venues around the city

In 2002, Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro set out to give Tribeca new life after the events of 9/11. Their creation, the Tribeca Film Festival, was not only a smashing success that inaugural year, drawing in more than 150,000 visitors and raising more than $10 million, but since then has grown to become one of the most respected film festivals within the industry. Making headlines this year was the announcement that Shrek Forever After will premiere as the opening-night film—the first 3D movie for the festival. When flying into NYC for the big event, insiders know that Teterboro Airport is just as much of a venue to see and be seen as nightclubs like Avenue and Rose Bar at Gramercy Park Hotel. Everyone from Donald Trump to Paris Hilton to Oprah Winfrey to Sting has been spotted taxing down the runways at Teterboro.

Teterboro Airport (TEB)

• Technically in the New Jersey Meadowlands, Teterboro is only 12 miles from midtown Manhattan, making it a favorite with the famous.

• FBOs include Meridian Teterboro, Jet Aviation, Atlantic Aviation Services, Signature Flight Support, and First Aviation Services.

• It is such a prominent airport for private aircraft that when Gulfstream considered the design of the new G650, weight restrictions were put in place to keep the plane at 99,600 pounds, just enough to fly in under Teterboro’s 100,000-pound limit.

• Claiming 827 acres, Teterboro offers 90 acres of hangar space and offices and 408 acres of runways, while the remaining 329 acres remain undeveloped.