I hitched a ride on a private jet.
I was seventeen, visiting my grandmother in Stuart, Florida, and staying in her condo. Her next-door neighbor was a pilot who played bridge with her.
I met him near the end of my stay, and when I told him I was headed back to New York the next day, he said, “Save your ticket. You can fly back with me.”
In those days, plane tickets were fully refundable, so this was a big savings. Plus, I didn’t have to wait in lines or sit in the crowded coach section of a big commercial plane.
I don’t remember what kind of jet it was, but it was a luxury model, with plenty of comfortable seating and a lounge. The pilot flew for a wealthy private patron whom he referred to as “Mrs. Payson.” He would fly her down to Florida, leave her down there for a week or so, then fly the empty jet back to New York. So for this trip I had the entire cabin to myself.
This isn’t the model I flew in (we’re talking 1974 or thereabouts), but the general layout of the cabin was something like this…
A while later, I learned that “Mrs. Payson” was actually Joan Whitney Payson, the founder and owner of the Mets.
Flying cross-country by private jet is definitely the way to go, but expensive if you’re the one footing the bill. It’s much better to hitch a ride like I did!
Thank you for the A2A.
EDIT: I had no idea this answer would get so many upvotes. If I did, I would have given more careful thought to my answer.
Hitching a ride on a private jet is the slickest thing I’ve ever done on an airplane, but it’s not the slickest thing anyone I know has done.
That honor would go to my father for commandeering this aircraft here, AKA “The Bunny Jet.”
Read my answer to When did you realize your parents were cool? for the amazing backstory on this little known event in American history.