Many of you don't know that every week I fly to cities all over this great, Gay country of ours. So I'm very familiar with the trials and tribulations of air travel. Delays, obnoxious people seated next to you, crappy service, and being treated like a terrorist is just part of the fun. What can be done to make life easier for those of us who travel? Lets take a look

The Sport-Jet is a Ferrari for the skies. It's a four-seat single-engine aircraft designed for those who are looking for a personal jet. The ultra light jet has an all glass cockpit. The jet will sell for just under $1 million and can cruise 340 knots at 25,000 feet. The new microjet is a project from the designer of the Maverick Twinjet. The jet is designed to be easy to fly and is aimed at "non-professionals." The first flights of the new Sport-Jet should begin next year.

 

The Sport Jet

 

So maybe you aren't ready to commit to owning a plane and even fractional ownership seems like too much commitment but you still want the private jet experience. OneSky Network unites a variety of aircraft charter operators into a national network so that you can order a private jet as easily as you order regular flights online. Like regular flights, the passenger pays only for the one trip. Pricing differs from trip to trip depending on a wide variety of variables and you can arrange for food and ground transportation. They are offering a winter getaway special to Florida. With 45 day advance you can arrange for a 7 passenger jet from New York to West Palm Beach that costs $8,000 each way.

 

$8000.00 Each Way

 

You are probably aware of Abercrombie & Kent as a travel resource but did you know they also have private jet services? Some of the benefits of the Abercrombie & Kent jet system include no annual minimum commitment or advance purchase. They purchase fractional ownership through Bombardier Flexjet in order to provide on-demand fractional jets for their clients without the traditional minimum requirements. The fleet includes Learjet and Challenger planes. It creates a nice synergy with those who already use Abercrombie & Kent for their vacation and concierge services.

$3 Million Lifetime Membership

 

Neiman Marcus and American Airlines have teamed up to offer a special AAirpass which is a lifetime membership on American Airlines flights. The AAirpass lets you travel wherever you want for life on American Airlines flights. AAirpass members also get full use of the American Airlines Admirals Club facilities in major airports. One lifetime membership is $3 million and you can pick up a pair for $5 million. While the service is convenient, you will still have to book in advance in order to make sure you get first class seats. If you are worried that American Airlines might go bankrupt before you get your money's worth, the AAirpass is available in one, two and five year increments. $13,250 gets you 25,000 miles per year which is cheaper than, but not nearly as much fun as, fractional ownership in a private jet.

 

$190,000 Space Ride

 

Maverick billionaire Richard Branson is a man who likes to live on the edge. In the case of Virgin Galactic, he is looking for a few brave, and rich, souls to join him. Branson has tied up with Burt Rutan, the developer of the award winning SpaceShipOne space craft, to design re-usable space vehicles based upon the Space Ship One design. According to a short piece in Popular Science, $190,000 will buy you "a week of preflight training and a three hour vertical cruise complete with three minutes of weightlessness." Pilots from some of Virgin's other airlines will be trained to fly the space craft, starting with the VSS Enterprise by the end of 2007.