REVIEWS
REVIEW
PRIVATE-JET TOURS OPERATOR TCS WORLD TRAVEL INVITED FLORA IOANNOU ON BOARD A LONDON-NEW YORK FLIGHT FOR A TASTE OF ITS TAILOR-MADE ALL-INCLUSIVE TRIPS
T
he Four Seasons jet is not what I am expecting. After checking in – a swift and easy process – at the
private terminal at Stansted, I spot the big black flying machine. It’s a far cry from the small Learjet with three foldaway steps I had envisaged: this looks more like a sleeker version of Air Force One. A short tarmac stroll and a few
red-carpeted stairs later and you’re inside a reconfigured aircraft that could accommodate 233 seats, but instead features just 52 flatbed chairs in a two-by-two configuration. With only a quarter of the seats that the aircraft is designed to offer, everyone has plenty more room – important if you’re going to spend three weeks flying around in the jet. This extra space, of course, includes overhead lockers, so there’s no need to worry if your carry-on
will fit into one of those weird metal baskets.
As I’m 5ft 6ins, the six-and-a-half-
foot-long chairs were more than adequate to stretch out on, while the duvet, pillow and Mongolian cashmere blanket, paired with LED mood lighting, had me swiftly relaxed.
TOP LEFT: The 52-seat Boeing 757 TOP RIGHT: Seats in the TCS World Travel
aircraft are laid out in a two-by-two configuration ABOVE: The Four Seasons-branded cabin
On board are 21 hotel-trained crew and staff including three pilots, a doctor, a lecturer and an executive chef. Four Seasons doesn’t want its 30,000ft service to be the poor cousin of what it offers on land, so these air hostesses are probably the best in existence.
After a glass of Perrier-Jouët, a meal designed by executive chef Kerry Sear follows. He uses the freshest local ingredients, depending on where the jet is. This plane food – I enjoy lobster, steak and Petrossian caviar – is as far
aspire september 2015 — 89
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