Inside Flexjet’s Newest $75 Million Gulfstream G650

As Flexjet looks to make its transition to a publicly traded company later this year through a SPAC merger, it is upping its focus on providing high-touch service and eye-catching cabin design, the latter meant to differentiate its aircraft interiors from the browns and beiges typical of private jets.

While the Cleveland-based fractional operator has been working hard to put an end to the plain plane since unveiling its LXi Cabin Collection in 2015 and dedicated crew Red Label service, its newest cabin design was on display for a customer event this week at Miami’s Opa Locka Executive Airport and Forbes was invited to take a look.

The ultra-long-range Gulfstream G650, which retails for around $75 million new (Controller lists a 2021 pre-owned version for $61 million), can fly up to 16 hours nonstop. Last September, Flexjet registered its first of the type in Europe as it ramps up international expansion beyond its U.S. base. It is now selling to customers based in the Middle East.

The newest design is part of The Bacalar Project, a partnership with high-end carmaker Bentley and includes one of its Sikorsky S-76 helicopters.

You can tell the Bacalar G650s from its Julep sliver-green stripe in place of the standard red-gold. Once inside, there are several configurations. The Bacalar version has a forward galley, crew rest area and lavatory. There are then the typical four club seats facing each other in a 1-by-1 configuration.

When it’s mealtime, the conference table can be extended, and a hidden two-seat divan can be revealed, allowing seated dining for up to six guests. In the rear is a separate cabin with a couch that can be converted to a full-size bed, a club chair and a 42-inch flat-screen television.

Behind the owners/entertainment zone is the main lavatory, and behind that cabin access to luggage storage.

While the design was inspired by Bentley, all materials must comply to safety requirements. A press release notes, “The 5,000-year-old reclaimed river wood that forms the handcrafted veneer of the Bacalar inspired the matching wood veneer species used in both aircraft. Satin Bacalar Bronze fittings adorn the cabins, as well as unique diamond-carved carpet.”

However, the newest interior is just the beginning in Flexjet’s plans to step up its service to even higher levels, Chief Experience Officer Megan Wolf says.

After moving from the Chief Operating Officer role in September, Wolf, a 20-year company veteran, is charged with differentiating the Flexjet experience.

In addition to opening more of its own private terminals in key markets – Bozeman, Miami, London and Scottsdale locations will be added to its current five locations; Flexjet is upping the service quotient across its large cabin and ultra-long-haul fleet.

For example, Vice President, Owner Experience Francesco Vanerio and Wolf are unveiling small touches such as classic European table side preparation onboard.

Vanerio, who was recruited by Flexjet Chairman Kenn Ricci after the two met while he was working at Villa d’Este and where Ricci was a guest, says the idea was accidental.

After noticing guests on a long flight seemed bored with the typical presentation featuring courses that were pre-plated in the galley, he decided to freelance and bring the ingredients for a fresh salad out into the cabin, where he made dressing to order and entertained the guests with his stylish presentation.

Once word filtered back to Ricci, he asked Wolf to figure out how Flexjet could up its game, and now she and Vanerio are testing what’s feasible in terms of pushing the envelope, empowering cabin attendants to source ingredients from local vendors to complement the preordered catering.

“We are starting by offering it as an option. You have to read the room. If somebody is busy working, we won’t interrupt them. But on a long flight to Hawaii, it provides entertainment, a bit of theatre,” she says.

Vanerio says customers particularly like seeing cabin attendants custom-make made-to-order dressings from high-quality ingredients “instead of something that comes from a container.”

Unlike flight attendants from the airlines who often rebel when they are asked to do more, Wolf says that’s not an issue at Flexjet. She says attendants are excited about being able to add new service elements. “It’s part of our passion for service.” Flexjet expects to more than double the count of its current 76 cabin attendants this year.

On the ground, the expanded terminals give Flexjet a way to better build its relationship with fractional owners who spend millions of dollars to buy aircraft shares and then millions of dollars per year flying, Wolf says.

For example, during the holidays, it was able to present owners with gifted picnic baskets from Caviar Russe when they departed or upon arrival. At its Naples location, which sees as many as 40 flights on busy days, it allows owners who live there seasonally to store their cars in a weather protected hangar.