New York’s super-rich are using private jets like taxis, with trips from Manhattan to relatively close vacation islands like Nantucket soaring, an aviation expert has revealed. 

Star Jets International founder Ricky Sitomer told DailyMail.com he has seen an increase in demand for journeys less than 300 miles rise by around 35 percent over the past three years. 

‘We can provide any jet, any time, anywhere,’ the private jet service CEO said. 

‘We have 1,500 aircraft worldwide which can make use of more than 5,000 airports. Our clients can get an aircraft with as little as two hours’ notice.’

Sitomer’s frequent short-haul flyers are ‘celebrities, athletes, real estate people, and C-level executives’, including hedge fund managers and crypto heavyweights. 

Sitomer said popular trips include ‘helicopters and C-liners to the Hamptons, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and Toronto’. 

He estimates that these kinds of trips have rocketed in demand by 35 percent over the past three years. 

Customers pay thousands of pounds per journey, with a jet for eight people from New York to Nantucket costing around $5,000 each way. 

‘During the summer you get a lot of short trips,’ Sitomer said. ‘In winter you get more demand for long-haul trips to the Caribbean.’

‘Right now, Europe is heating up,’ he added of the long-haul trips. 

‘Formula 1 is around the corner next week in Monaco, so we have a lot of travel there. 

‘There’s demand for the Greek islands, the south of France, Portugal and Spain. London is always popular.’ 

Former stockbroker Sitomer has been providing private jet services since 2001, after spotting a gaping hole in the market when personal flights were much less frequent.

‘Way back when I started in the industry, I was a private jet flyer and I didn’t know where to go for a private aircraft,’ he told DailyMail.com. 

‘The industry has grown and matured tremendously since then. I think there are a lot of operations out there now.’ 

When it comes to on-board demands, Sitomer said he’s had everything from requests for White Castle and KFC to lobster tails and caviar. 

‘I’ve heard it all,’ he said, though he didn’t divulge any specifics out of respect for the privacy of his high-profile clients. 

Of course, private jet travel comes with a cost to the planet as well as the flyer by creating an extraordinary carbon footprint. 

Celebrities like Taylor Swift who are well known for their luxury flying habits are frequently criticized for choosing gaz-guzzling jets over commercial travel. 

A recent study published in the the academic journal Communications Earth & Environment lays bare the figures showing just how much the rich and famous are relying on private jets for short journeys, and what this means for the planet. 

‘Flight pattern analysis confirms extensive travel for leisure purposes, and for cultural and political events,’ researchers Stefan Gössling, Andreas Humpe, and Jorge Cardoso Leitão wrote in the report published November 2024. 

‘Emissions increased by 46 percent between 2019 and 2023, with industry expectations of continued strong growth.’ 

This equates to 15.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide, or around 2 percent of all global aviation emissions. 

Titled ‘Private aviation is making a growing contribution to climate change,’ the study shows that half of these private flights are shorter than 310 miles – the distance from Manhattan to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

Five percent of these flights are shorter than 30 miles, or the distance between Brooklyn, New York, and New Haven in the neighboring state of Connecticut. 

‘In many instances, private aviation options appear to replace cars for time gains or convenience,’ the study reads. 

The authors of the report call for regulation of the sector so that the sky-rocketing emissions it’s responsible for can be capped. 

Out of all celebrities, retired Google CEO Eric Schmidt racked up the most airmiles of in 2024, with a staggering 612,868 air miles across 495 flights, according to an online tracker. 

He was followed by Tesla tsar Elon Musk, who took 320 flights in his luxury Gulfstream G650 last year, and Kim Kardashian who has the same plane and took 236 flights. 

And in January Kim’s sister Kylie Jenner was slammed after reportedly taking a 15-minute flight from Los Angeles to California’s Camarillo Airport.

When asked about the climate impacts of his industry, Sitomer told DailyMail.com: ‘We are cognizant of the environment.

‘There are a lot of things that are not good for the environment and flying private is an important way to save time, and spend more time with your family and colleagues.’