FLYING HIGH*

 *Well, in my personal experience we were - not under the influence of drugs but Champagne, wines and luxury spirits provided some sense of euphoria.

This article in the NZ Herald caught my eye today: 

PRIVATE JETS

"Having your own plane may be the ultimate status symbol, but it’s hugely damaging to the environment.

Some of the world’s richest people, including Elon Musk, have fought to keep their travel arrangements out of the public eye. They want a private jet to be private. But celebrities like Jenner, who give the public carefully curated glimpses of their glitzy fuselages, are at the centre of the private jet paradox: by flaunting their trophy assets they both drive demand for private aviation and create the sort of negative headlines that fuel fear in the private aviation industry."

Fuck 'em I say. These over-privileged prats who, either by deliberate design or circumstance become 'influencers' should know better. They have tons of money made from the backs of employees, dupes or contributors and, if they had any good sense they would keep a low profile when it comes to conspicuous spending. Here's a bit of non news - they don't. These wastrels spend their money and time on luxury yachts, at ridiculous gala events (including that god-awful coronation in England), getting their botoxed faces and scrawny, surgically enhanced bodies into tabloid media and doing anything they can to scream ME ME ME!

You can see from the above that I don''t belong to this set, don't buy into it and certainly at the ripe old age of seventy will never be invited in.

In a small way though, through the circumstance of employment, I was in a position to be indulged by luxury travel in private planes.

The first was when I was a brand manager and later general manager of the specialist division of Allied Liquor Merchants, responsible for the company's Champagnes, luxury spirits, fine wines and liqueurs and other interesting sundries like Martini and Rossi vermouths. I controlled the budget and marketing programmes which I promoted to the sales force and planned the seasonal activity with them. The company was the largest wine and spirit company in New Zealand at the time and had significant and expansive geographical presence. The company was also owned by Rothmans and subsequently Magnum, at the time big players in the beverages market. They had a couple of company planes. I'm not sure what they were - not jets but luxury multi-seater fast and sleek. turbo-prop jobs capable of both domestic and international travel.

Now, I consider myself a kind of socialist with notions of fairness for everyone but I am also an airplane lover having been an Air Training Corp cadet at school and did pilot training later. I jumped at the chance of flying in the company's corporate plane. These were (there were two) the planes that the top dogs in the company flew around the country in, on company business (and took other jaunts in with their wives and mistresses on monkey-business). Also, as the marketing guy directing promotional plans I had  The Martini and Rossi 'girls' (sexist I know but this was the 1980s) for both the winter ski season and summer activities. 

The Martini and Rossi women, selected for their model looks were dressed in white racing driver uniforms with Martini and Rossi logos over them. I admit that they did look damned sexy. The Old Girl wouldn't have approved but I hadn't met her then - mid 1980s.

We flew from venue to venue  mostly in the company plane - Queenstown, Dunedin, Wellington, Christchurch - and drank bubbles on the way. I have happy memories of this.

Later, when working for another wine company purchased by Constellation (USA), the owners - one the CEO and the other the CFO each had a corporate jet - Gulfstreams I think.

Corporate logo on the tail

These guys eschewed travel on commercial airlines and travelled from USA to Australia and New Zealand on these luxury appointed jets. Our head office was in Auckland and we had vineyards and wineries in Hawkes Bay and Marlborough. I often visited these in my marketing capacity and obviously usually travelled by Air NZ. When the 'big boys' were in the country though I would get trips in the Gulfstreams as part of the entourage these guys used to trail along when doing their 'royal visits'. It was a total wank but, as I said, aircraft fascinate me and so I enjoyed the experience of by-passing the terminal and the queues, sitting in cream coloured soft leather seats and enjoying a glass of good wine while being whisked down country.

There are many corporate jets in New Zealand all existing because the big boys have convinced themselves and the shareholders that they and their time are so important that travelling like normal folk isn't on the cards. The wastage of money in business is staggering but also, as the above article states:

"The planes in the sky above us are a constant reminder of how we are polluting the planet and most of us have a nagging sense that we should fly less. Private planes are one of the least sustainable ways to travel. Your carbon footprint is estimated to be between five and 14 times that of someone packed on to a commercial flight with many more passengers."

It's time to see the back of these and, while we're at it let's get rid of those bloody super-yachts.