‘When Vista Jet began its journey 20 years ago, passengers’ priorities were very different,’ says Matteo Atti, CMO of private jet charter company VistaJet. ‘Customers used to care about what champagne they were being served, now they are interested in wellness, the quality of the food and how much sleep they get.’
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Across the luxury sector, wellness reigns supreme. The industry has seen impressive growth in recent years, McKinsey & Company now value the global wellness market at $1.8 trillion, and it’s growing in the US at 5 to 10 per cent each year. It’s a trend that’s set to continue with Gen Z and millennial consumers spending more on wellness than older generations.
On land, this thriving wellness economy is reflected in the amount of money – and space – leading hotels are dedicating to their spa and wellness offerings. The Peninsula London and Raffles London at The OWO both have state-of-the-art, subterranean spas sprawling across thousands of sq ft, while wellness is at the heart of The Whiteley, the UK’s first Six Senses hotel.
Leading the way in the skies is VistaJet, which last year revealed its 360 wellness program — an industry first. The programme aims to comprehensively cover all the bases of wellness before, during and after a flight, from pre-flight consultations with a nutritionist and onboard daylight simulation to reduce jetlag, to working with travel companies like Pelorus and Abercrombie & Kent to present wellness-focused trips to worldwide destinations.
‘Private jets are currently viewed as a timesaving device – we are looking to help transform them into a time-enriching device,’ says Atti. ‘A flight should be a period where you can destress, spend time with your family, get some work done. Whatever it may be, we are looking to take what was once neutral time and turn it into something positive.’
Offering ultra-high-net-worth passengers exclusive deals at wellness retreats and destinations is not a new concept and most charter services provide this in some form.. Air Partner — a subsidiary of Wheels Up — recently announced its partnership with Silver Linings Wellbeing and The Modern Concierge to deliver “bespoke private travel wellness experiences,” while Netjets is partnered with Lanserhof at The Arts Club, the Mayfair outpost of the leading wellness clinic.
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360 wellness
The VistaJet 360 wellness programme diverges from its competitors in the additional efforts that are taken pre and in-flight.
‘A flight should be a natural continuation of our passengers’ lives,’ explains Atti during a recent unveiling of the services at Farnborough Airport. Given VistaJet customers are likely to have a relatively high quality of life, the service and wellness offering on a VistaJet flight should reflect that.
The experience begins with a pre-flight consultation with a VistaJet nutritionist, who reviews the passenger’s dietary requirements and flavour preferences, as well as making suggestions of meals with particular wellness of health benefits.
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VistaJet also offers three set menus: Relax, Rejuvenate and Revitalize. Featuring dishes like Farro salad with pomegranate or Beetroot carpaccio with goats cheese, these dishes are designed to give you the right nourishment pre flight. VistaJet partners with 7,000 food and beverage providers to ensure the highest possible quality of ingredients.
Passengers can even select from wellness dining menus designed by leading athletes like Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc, whose Ferrari team is sponsored by VistaJet.’We are constantly evolving the service we provide, and each year we continue to update and enhance the gains we have made,’ says Atti. ‘Everything is regularly renewed because our goal is to increase the standard of what aviation should be.’
Wellness 360 also tackles jetlag with its ‘dynamic daylight simulation’ offering that aids passengers in acclimatising to the timezone of their destination. This involves doctor-led recommendations on when to sleep, stop/start consuming caffeine, as well as light exposure.
The ageing and damaging effects of air travel on the skin is addressed through a partnership with Parisian skincare giant Guerlain, with its Orchidée Imperial collection specifically targeting the dryness with which many frequent-flyers will be familiar.
Once passengers have landed and entered the post-flight stage, they receive wellness guides from leading physician Dr Jordan Shlain and his team at Private Medical. These guides include further steps on how to minimise jetlag, flight stress and effectively hydrate post-arrival.
Announced in October 2023, VistaJet is now taking this new 360 wellness program forward into this, their 20th anniversary year. ‘VistaJet is all about creating the future of aviation,’ says Atti. ‘For me personally, the best compliment from a client we have received, is when one told us ‘This is exactly what private aviation should be.’
