Travel with a private jet

Orient-Express Hotels is offering the “Orient-Express Private Jet Experience.” Flying out of the U.S. by private jet, travelers can design their own itinerary to any destination or choose from a portfolio of scheduled one-week itineraries to Europe and South America with fine hotels, ground transfers and guided tours.

The aircraft are not restricted to conventional routes or commercial airports and can fly at higher altitudes.

A sample itinerary — the 7-night “Romance of Europe” uses Paris as a hub. Guests arrive in Venice, Italy, after a trip on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express luxury train and spend three nights at Hotel Cipriani. They leave Venice on a 14-seat Canadair jet and lunch at Hotel Splendido in Portofino, Italy, before flying to Carcassonne in southern France to spend three nights at Hôtel de la Cité, exploring the medieval city. Then it’s off to Bilbao, Spain, to visit the Guggenheim before returning to Paris. Rates begin at $17,850.

The Orient-Express charter fleet includes the Boeing Business Jet, the Airbus 319 corporate jet, Boeing 727-200s, 737-300s and 757s, Gulfstream IV, Canadair Jet, Falcon 20 and 900, Lear 31, 35 and 45 and more.

Call Orient-Express Hotels at 866/674-3689, e-mail privatejet@orient-express.com.