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- The ultrawealthy are running from private jet-trackers by chartering instead of owning.A private jet CEO said companies have intense security protocols to hide VIP clients' travels.They avoid frequenting the same airport, and some offer armed protection.
The world's top 1% rarely fly commercial. Instead, they jet around the globe in private luxury — but even in the skies, privacy is getting harder to come by.
The ultrawealthy are now navigating the era of jet tracking.
The trend involves tracking the real-time locations of celebrity private jets, prompting more VIPs and corporations to opt for charters that cannot be easily linked to a specific person or entity.
Silver Jets CEO Jason Middleton told Business Insider that rising demand for discretion has pushed charter operators to refine and expand their logistical systems — tapping into the growing market of billionaires and executives willing to pay top dollar for truly private travel.
"The level of security that we have to go through now is wild," he said, pointing to strategies like using random fleets and airports. "Everybody wants a piece of them."
Jet-tracking gained popularity in 2021 after then-college student Jack Sweeney developed a bot that automatically posted the flight paths of high-profile figures like Elon Musk and Taylor Swift on Twitter (now X).
Since then, the online subculture of aviation sleuths has exploded, using radio scanners and free databases like ADS-B Exchange to track celebrity planes in real time.
ADS-B Exchange
And the billionaires aren't impressed. Mark Zuckerberg's Meta and Elon Musk's X have banned jet tracking from their social media platforms, citing concerns about potential physical harm.
Some VIPs use government programs to cloak their travels, but this is only effective on websites that use Federal Aviation Administration data; it doesn't protect from third-party radar.
"A lot of large corporations have shares with us now that they use when they don't want to be tracked," Flexjet chairman Kenn Ricci said at the Corporate Jet Investor conference in November 2024, per Forbes.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has been using private charters since 2017. Brad Pitt deplaned from what appears to be a VistaJet charter flight to Belgium in 2024 (the tail number and cabin crew uniforms match those of VistaJet).
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Swift reportedly also hired VistaJet to fly her to the 2024 Super Bowl.
"Some key [selling points] as to why people fly with VistaJet is for the safety, security, and privacy," A VistaJet spokesperson told BI. "As such, we don't comment on any clients, even if speculated."
Switch up the destination airport
To avoid unwanted attention, Middleton said customers may choose different plane types each trip, and Silver Jets often varies the arrival airports when transporting VIPs.
"Every single time we go into the New York area, we go to a different airport to throw off the paparazzi," he said. "If an individual owns a house in Manhattan, then we'll fly into airports like Teterboro, Newark, White Plains, Farmingdale [Long Island], and LaGuardia."
Private flights use "fixed-based operators" — exclusive terminals that handle services like fueling, parking, and cleaning away from the crowds of commercial airports.
However, most FBOs lack TSA screening checkpoints, meaning no X-ray scans or removing your shoes. And they're often accessible to the public, making it easier for individuals with cameras to stake out nearby.
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Middleton said airports and aviation companies coordinate closely with each client's team and security staff. He added that the airports and FBOs handle much of the ground communication.
"Taylor [Swift] just flew into Santa Barbara for Selena Gomez's wedding the other day," he said, but specified that Silver Jets did not operate that flight. "[The FBO] put the airplane in a hangar before they got her off the airplane; they had all the limos in the hangar, and they put umbrellas up."
This affords celebrities like Swift more concealment from the paparazzi, and it's not an uncommon practice in the private aviation world.
In January, the head of cabin crew at Lithuanian charter company KlasJet, Loreta Krupenkiniene, said in a behind-the-scenes post that KlasJet uses "discreet flight paths" and service providers that "minimize visibility and exposure" for its celebrity clients.
Some clients can request armed protection
Some major operators now offer almost cloak-and-dagger levels of protection.
For example, the world's biggest aviation company, NetJets, has a subsidiary called QS Security that creates specialized security details to protect its clients. These may include armed agents and armored vehicles.
According to NetJets' website, the program, which was utilized more than 6,500 times in 2023, draws expertise from the FBI and other law enforcement partners and is available in roughly 70 global locations.
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Meanwhile, in February, competitor VistaJet announced a "Special Events Unit" focused on efficiency, security, and confidentiality for high-profile travel.
President of Vista America, David Stanley, said the company recognizes that "the demand for precision and discretion in private aviation has never been greater."
Crew and support staff are thoroughly vetted
Middleton said everyone who interacts with Silver Jets' VIP clients, like ground staff and flight crew, is vetted and must sign non-disclosure agreements with both the operator and the customer's team.
The cabin crew, who interact with clients, are highly trained in safety, customer service, and privacy.
Middleton said that clients often request specific crew members for their trips: "Their teams get to know the crew, they trust them."
