Now at Costco: Take Home a Private Jet Membership While Buying A Metric Ton of Toilet Paper
Costco really does have something for everyone. That’s the phrase on everyone’s lips this week as the bulk mega-store announced
Ivy Griffith
Costco really does have something for everyone. That’s the phrase on everyone’s lips this week as the bulk mega-store announced that it will now be offering a membership to a private jet service.
Wheels Up!
If you’re struggling with what to buy that special someone this year, and have an exorbitant budget, Costco may be coming to your rescue. Coscto announced a partnership with private jet company Wheels Up. For the low low price of $17, 499.99, you too can live the life of luxury with access to a private jet. The catch? The cost of membership doesn’t include the price of the flights themselves. Although if you can afford a yearly membership fee of nearly $18K, you may not need to worry about the flight costs.
And Costco offers a partial solution to that with their $18K membership. Each year membership will come with $3,500 on a Costco shop card. But that’s not all. Members also receive $4,000 in flight credits which will help when it comes time to book that luxury jet experience.
If $18K is out of reach, Costco does have options for the more budget-minded. For just $1,994.99, you can purchase a membership to the Wheels Up collaboration. However, it doesn’t come with the Costco shop credit or the flight credit, so you’re footing the cost of the flights out of pocket from the start.
Private Jets More En Vogue Due to Pandemic
Washington Postreports, “Wheels Up advertises an enhanced safety and health program called Safe Passage, which covers things such as coronavirus testing and screening employees. Every 30 days, the aircrafts are treated with an antimicrobial shield that protects against viruses. They are also sanitized between each flight. Instead of a HEPA filter, the pressurization system of each aircraft fully changes cabin air with fresh air every three minutes.
Thanks to the pandemic, concepts like Wheels Up are on the rise because of those health and safety measures. Travelers who can afford the option may seek it out more to avoid coronavirus risks of flying with the masses.”
“Sentient Jet has had record sales during the pandemic, reporting $40 million in sales in October. ‘Right now we’re pushing towards 60 percent of our sales going to new clients,’ Sentient Jet chief executive Andrew Collins says. “I’m getting calls from people that have said, ‘I don’t fly privately or haven’t in the past, but I’m going to moving forward.’”
With the travel industry absolutely devastated by pandemic-related restrictions and people’s fears of spreading or contracting the virus, private jets offer a way to travel far distances in relative safety.
Flights of the Future?
With more people turning to private jets to travel safely during the era of COVID-19, could this be the wave of the future? It seems unlikely. For now, the idea of private air taxis for all is financially out of reach. For business-people and the wealthy, it offers a way to maintain a similar pace of life as before, but much more safely. For the average air commuter, it remains out of reach.
However, with the likelihood of a COVID-19 vaccine on the horizon, travel industry workers have hopes that someday people will be returning to the skies en masse. For now, those with the means are one step closer to an easy private jet membership. All you have to do is duck in to your local Costco and sign up – but don’t forget your wallet!