PRIVATE jets are usually thought of as an exclusive means of transport for chief executives, high-paid athletes or A-list actors.

    But a travel blogger has revealed how he and his wife got a taste of the high life and had a jet all to themselves without having to pay a dime.

    By flying in the lap of luxury, Gilbert Ott, 29, and Laura Burns, 28, didn’t have to endure queues or annoying seatmates — and they scored the free flight in a very simple way that even cash-strapped travelers can replicate.

    Ott, a New Yorker and the founder of the website godsavethepoints.com, and Burns, originally from London, should have paid about US$1,500 for the one-way flight from Boston to Washington, DC.

    But the savvy travelers combined online vouchers that covered the entire cost of Wednesday’s 80-minute journey on board a Cessna Citation X aircraft, which costs US$23 million brand new.

    Ott said their first ever private jet trip was eye-opening, with a view into the cockpit, more than enough legroom and luxuries that aren’t afforded to those who fly the same route on commercial aircraft.

    He said, “It was a very surreal feeling. The cockpit door was open the entire flight. We could watch takeoff and landing from the pilots’ view.

    “That’s a unique sensation, especially considering the bumpy wind into Washington, DC. The runway kept appearing and disappearing but in the end the pilot greased the landing, total pro.”

    It truly was the ultimate way to travel. As the only passengers on the eight-seat jet, they could sit wherever they wanted in the 24-foot-long (7.3-meter-long) cabin and didn’t have to fight for space in an overhead bin.

    They passed their time by playing poker, sipping wine that they were allowed to bring on board, helping themselves to on-board snacks, checking their mobile phones (a no-no on a commercial flight) and admiring the scenery from leather seats that swivel.

    (SD-Agencies)