As someone who genuinely loves flying – yes, I’m that person who still gets excited about takeoff – spending a day with Jetfly felt like peeking behind the curtain of a world where travel isn’t just about getting from A to B, but about reclaiming those precious hours in between.
Picture this: departing from Luxembourg’s sleek new Skypark facility, boarding a Philippe Starck-designed Pilatus through your own door, and landing 30 minutes later in Épernay, the heart of Champagne country. No connections. No delays. No wrestling with overhead bins.
But what struck me most wasn’t the convenience — it was the pure joy of flight itself.
The Poetry of Low-Altitude Flying
At cruising altitude in the PC-12, you’re close enough to genuinely see the landscape unfold below. Unlike commercial jets that cruise at 35,000 feet above anonymous cloud cover, the Pilatus keeps you connected to the world passing beneath. The 30-minute flight to Épernay becomes part of the experience rather than just transit time.
This is aviation as it was meant to be — intimate, engaging, connected to the journey itself. You feel the aircraft respond to conditions, sense the subtle changes as you cross from one region to another. It’s flying for people who actually love to fly, not just arrive.
The Road Not Taken
While we flew to Épernay in 30 minutes, I couldn’t help calculating the alternative: Luxembourg to Épernay by car means roughly 3.5 hours minimum, assuming perfect traffic and no stops. That’s 7 hours round-trip, plus parking hassles, toll roads, and arriving with that particular brand of road-trip fatigue.
The PC-12 burns fuel more efficiently than most luxury cars per passenger when fully occupied, especially when you factor in the direct routing. No detours, no construction delays, no searching for parking. Just purposeful movement from door to door.
For frequent travelers between key European cities, the mathematics become compelling surprisingly quickly. If you value your time at €200 per hour, that 6.5-hour time saving per round trip equals €1,300 in opportunity cost alone — nearly covering the flight cost before considering fuel, tolls, and wear on both car and driver.
The Champillon Perspective
The Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa perches dramatically on the hillside of Champillon, overlooking the UNESCO World Heritage vineyards that have defined this region for centuries. This isn’t just any luxury hotel — it’s a testament to thoughtful restoration, where contemporary design honors historical significance without overwhelming it.
The hotel offers multiple culinary experiences within its walls, culminating in the gastronomic restaurant overseen by Chef Christophe Raoux. But on this splendid day, with golden sunlight warming the terrace and panoramic views stretching endlessly across the vineyards, our choice to dine al fresco felt perfect. The terrace menu, while more relaxed than the restaurant’s haute cuisine, delivered quality that matched the setting — thoughtful dishes that complemented rather than competed with the spectacular backdrop.
From our vantage point, the view stretches across the Vallée de la Marne, where Dom Pérignon first perfected his craft at nearby Hautvillers abbey. The geometric precision of the vineyard plots creates a living museum of French savoir-faire that has remained essentially unchanged for centuries.
What strikes you immediately is how this setting embodies Jetfly’s core proposition: access without compromise. The alternative route would have meant a 3.5-hour drive through French motorways, or the complex train journey with connections — either way consuming most of the day and arriving fatigued rather than energized for the experience ahead.
A Champion’s Choice
Jean-Baptiste Prevost from Champagne Carbon joined our table, bringing bottles from his collection to share throughout the meal. This wasn’t merely a tasting — it was an introduction to a brand that has made precision its hallmark, much like Jetfly itself.
Prevost’s champagne house gained international recognition as Formula 1’s Official Champagne Supplier, creating bottles wrapped in real carbon fiber — the same material used in F1 cars. Each bottle requires 21 precise steps and a full week to complete, embodying the same obsession with perfection that defines both motorsport and private aviation.
As we sampled his selections against the backdrop of the vineyards that inspired them, the parallels became clear. Like Jetfly’s approach to aviation, Champagne Carbon represents the marriage of traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge innovation.
The Art of Accessible Excellence
What emerged during our conversation was how Jetfly’s model delivers something increasingly rare: access without compromise. Their value proposition isn’t just about luxury — it’s about intelligent design. No positioning fees mean you pay only for occupied flight time. The Pilatus fleet accesses three times more European airfields than equivalent jets, reaching destinations like Courchevel or coastal resorts directly.
The 24/7 operations team ensures aircraft availability anytime, while the generous cabin accommodates up to eight passengers with flat flooring and comforts, and a cargo door ideal for skis, bicycles, or equipment that makes travel worthwhile.
Jetfly’s shared ownership model splits both costs and environmental impact among multiple users. Instead of owning an entire aircraft, you purchase only the fraction you actually need. Entry begins with the compact Cirrus Jet, while the popular PC-12 represents the sweet spot for most European travel patterns.
To put this in perspective: what you might spend annually on luxury cars, fine dining, or premium holidays can be redirected toward reclaiming the most precious commodity of all — time itself. The operational efficiency means no positioning fees, no empty leg charges, and guaranteed availability within 24 hours.
Environmental Innovation
The company’s environmental initiatives feel genuine rather than performative. Their SAF program reduces emissions by 40% for an additional €345 per hour — meaningful investment that demonstrates real commitment. The “Share Your Flight” app encourages owners to split journeys, turning potential solo flights into efficient group travel.
When you factor in positioning flights saved (aircraft stay where passengers disembark) plus direct routing to smaller airports, the environmental equation becomes more favorable than expected. The PC-12 produces 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per flight hour, but when divided among the passengers sharing flights, per-person emissions become comparable to luxury cars on equivalent routes.
The Return Journey
Flying back to Luxembourg in the late afternoon, I fully grasped the Jetfly proposition. This isn’t about avoiding commercial aviation — it’s about rediscovering why flying can be genuinely enjoyable when done thoughtfully.
The approach into Luxembourg felt like a natural conclusion to the day rather than the jarring transition commercial flights often impose. We taxied directly to Skypark’s private terminal, where ground transport waited steps from the aircraft.
Door-to-door, including the extended lunch and champagne appreciation: one complete day well spent. The same journey by car would have consumed similar time with none of the pleasure, while commercial aviation would have added stress, connections, and the particular fatigue that comes from fighting crowds and schedules.
Time as Currency
For executives, entrepreneurs, or families who’ve reached that intersection of means and time consciousness, Jetfly offers something increasingly rare: the gift of hours. Hours to think, to connect, to actually enjoy the journey between destinations.
The investment becomes sensible when you consider the alternative costs — not just financial, but personal. Those hours saved from airport queues, connection delays, and ground transfers represent time with family, opportunities for business development, or simply the luxury of arriving refreshed rather than depleted.
Sometimes the art of flying differently means remembering that travel itself can be rewarding when approached with intention. At cruising altitude over the Champagne region, watching familiar Europe unfold from an entirely different perspective, that philosophy makes perfect sense.
As we touched down in Luxembourg’s late afternoon light, I realised the real luxury hadn’t been the champagne or the Starck-designed cabin — it had been the gift of time itself, and the rare pleasure of a journey that enhanced rather than drained the day.
If you wish to follow my path or simply know more about this experience, follow the links:
Jetfly – Celebrating their 25th anniversary of redefining European private aviation through shared ownership
Champagne Carbon – Where traditional champagne craftsmanship meets Formula 1 innovation, creating bottles wrapped in real carbon fiber
Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa – Perched above UNESCO vineyards in Champillon, offering gastronomic excellence under Chef Christophe Raoux
Or simply drop me an email at maurizio@tasty.lu to share your own experiences with thoughtful luxury travel.
