We're cruising 35,000 feet over the French Riviera, the plane's wing cutting through billows of white. Below us, the sea is sparkling, and I spot a cluster of yachts anchored along the coastline. A ray of light hits my glass of Champagne and turns it to liquid gold. I take another sip. So this is what it feels like to be on cloud nine. I'm flying from London to St. Tropez with the private aviation company Wheels Up, and for the first time in my life, I don't want a flight to end. Once you've gotten a taste of the private jet lifestyle, it becomes easy to understand why wealthy travelers are so taken with it'despite the hefty price tag and contentious carbon footprint. But, as Leona Qi, president of Vista US, a private aviation company that owns VistaJet and XO, tells me, a large group of private jet travelers are not, in fact, ordering Champagne and caviar on their way to the South of France. Instead, they're more likely to be taking board meetings en route to the Midwest for a...
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