Jim Rankin/Toronto Star via Getty Images
- Burning Man, the nine-day art-focused event in the middle of the Nevada desert, is favorite of celebrities and tech CEOs alike.
- Roundtrip private flights from New York to the temporary airport that services the event ground cost $55,000, private jet booking company Jettly CEO Justin Crabbe told Business Insider.
- Some ultra-wealthy burners also opt to stay in luxurious camps that employ private chefs and can charge as much as $50,000 for nine days, according to The New York Post.
- Ultra-wealthy burners have received pushback from other attendees and the event’s organizers alike.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
With enough money, nine days in a remote part of the desert can be a glamorous undertaking.
Most people who attend Burning Man make the 140-mile drive to the event’s location in the Black Rock Desert, pitch tents, and survive off of non-perishable food. Not so for many of the celebrities and Silicon Valley CEOs who attend the event.
The event prohibits attendees, called burners, from buying and selling anything other than ice and coffee, which means that ultra-wealthy burners have to go to extraordinary lengths to maintain the level of luxury that they’re accustomed to.
Keep reading to learn more about how the ultra-wealthy experience Burning Man.
Private jets are the preferred method of transportation to Black Rock City for the 1%.
Shutterstock/Jordan Tan
A private flight on a Super Mid jet that seats eight to 10 people from New York to Black Rock City costs about $55,000 roundtrip for the entire group, private jet booking company Jettly CEO Justin Crabbe told Business Insider.
The company has scheduled at least 20 flights to the event this year.
For Jettly’s ultra-wealthy clients, "the party starts long before they get to Black Rock City," Crabbe said.
Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider
The only thing that isn’t included in chartering a jet through Jettly is catering, Crabbe said — but the company will accommodate guests’ request for an extra fee.
One group requested that their flight be catered by upscale New York City Japanese restaurant Nobu, while another ordered 15 bottles of champagne for the flight, Crabbe said.
When one-percenters step off their flights, they "aren’t going to see much," Crabbe said.
Wikimedia Commons
Burning Man’s organizers set up a temporary airport for ultra-wealthy burners’ jets, according to Crabbe. The airport has two runways and no permanent structures, not even an air traffic control tower. Only specially trained pilots with permits allowing them to fly into the Black Rock desert can land there.
The airport also lacks any formal ground transportation like shuttles or car service, Crabbe said, forcing burners to travel the 20 miles from the airport to Black Rock City in pre-booked cars, golf carts, or on foot.
"It’s no LAX or Teterboro," Crabbe said.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- 11 billionaires who dropped out of college before making their fortunes
- 13 unbelievable facts that show just how much people are willing to spend on Burning Man, from $425 tickets to $14,000 private planes
- Billionaire David Koch owned at least $143 million of real estate in NYC, the Hamptons, Aspen, and Florida. Take a look at his lavish homes, from a $40 million Manhattan townhouse to a 13-bedroom Palm Beach villa.
Source: Business Insider – trogers@businessinsider.com (Taylor Nicole Rogers)