Seabourn will offer a service to passengers who would like
to take a private jet to and from their cruise rather than fly commercial.
Seabourn Private Air will connect passengers to vetted
private charter firms, which can charter planes accommodating as few as five or
as many as 16 passengers. The service will be offered globally and opens for
bookings Aug. 15. Seabourn will pay 5% commission.
The cost will vary by itinerary and aircraft, Seabourn said,
but specifics were not immediately disclosed.
In addition to flying passengers to and from their cruises,
Seabourn said the service could also be used for mid-voyage overland trips.
Other cruise and luxury segment operators, including
Crystal, have experimented with private air options. Unlike Crystal, Seabourn
will not use a dedicated aircraft.
Seabourn Private Air draws on a global network of operators "who
adhere to the highest international and U.S. Federal Aviation Administration
standards," the company said. Seabourn will facilitate charters of light
jets capable of carrying five to eight passengers, mid-size jets sized for seven
to eight passengers, and heavy private jets with capacity for nine to 16
passengers.
Passenger groups lease the entire jet, not individual seats,
Seabourn emphasized.