Brazen demands for flying private REVEALED by the woman paid to fulfill them: 'Answer is always yes'
There is one basic rule that binds the brokers who spend their days sending the rich and famous into the air: 'The answer is always yes,' said Brenna Whitehill. She is part of the team at Monarch Air Group, a Florida-based charter company that looks after some of the biggest names in sports and charges up to $56,000 for a one-way trip from New York to Los Angeles. Their brokers work around the clock and around the world - no exceptions. Nothing is too much to ask. This is an industry that runs on dedication - and Whitehill spent a recent vacation on the beach in Florida, accompanied by her family, her laptop and her cell phone. She tried to relax in between managing a client's travels across Europe. Discretion matters, too. 'We like to keep the private in private aviation,' Whitehill said. But the Daily Mail has been offered a peek inside the cabin of this secret world and the reality of ferrying athletes, coaches and high rollers around the globe. From their demands for freshly-caught fish, to the scramble to save a college hockey game, one football star's $50,000 gift to his son... and the last-minute Super Bowl charter even brokers assumed was a hoax. As Whitehill puts it: 'The possibilities are endless in private aviation.' PICKY EATERS These days, the NFL is full of teams within teams. Every player is supported by an entourage of agents, advisers, trainers and hangers on. Every aspect of their lives is micro-managed. Perhaps none is more tightly controlled than food. As a thank you, Monarch clients are typically treated to a branded box of fruit or a board of charcuterie. Perhaps some nuts. But that doesn't cut it with everyone - as brokers discovered when an NFL star was booked on a flight. The player himself was 'very, very easy to work with.' Unfortunately his nutritionist came with a long list of other demands: Organic vegetables that were locally grown. Steak that was organically sourced. Fish caught and prepared that day. A dozen boiled eggs. Dozens of lemons - unseeded - and a couple of cases of bottled water. Fiji water. Oh, and no desserts at all. It was only a two-hour flight. And yet? '[That] is something that we have to honor,' Whitehill said. 'We will always strive to give them the best possible experience. And respect the fact that these are professional athletes that are going to work.' Sports stars will often require a different aircraft to other A-listers, too. They need more space to fit their giant frames, after all. It helps that individual brokers work with individual clients. That way, as Whitehill points out, relationships develop to a point where 'we know exactly what that particular athlete is looking for on every single flight. No matter the route.' Whitehill had the chance to meet one of her clients - and his family - at a recent Masters golf tournament. 'It was really cool to put a name to the face,' she said. Whitehill had already organized a trip for him from Augusta National to an exclusive island in the Caribbean. 'And I know what he wants: his southern comfort food,' she said. 'He just wants his chicken and biscuits and his sweet tea. He wants to know that his golf clubs - his lucky charms - are on that aircraft ready to go. And that his family is comfortable. I just make it happen every time.' GAMETIME DECISION There can be downsides to building up a global base of clients: private jets are a 24/7 business and that means brokers must be on shift or on call every hour of every day. 'Sometimes I have an individual that's in Europe or Australia, and they're needing a certain private charter. I'm their single point of contact,' Whitehill said. 'So they give me a call and I'm there to assist - no matter the time.' Charter companies are rarely busier than in the build-up to the Super Bowl. Every year, airport parking spots become as precious as suites inside the stadium. And many A-listers pay for a whole week of fun. In New Orleans in February, that included alligator tours and DJ lessons. Others prefer to leave their trips to the last minute. 'The night before the Super Bowl... we got a pretty funny call from someone that had had a few toasts,' Whitehill said. That's a polite way of saying they were drunk. 'It was a little hard to understand them, but he claimed to be a certain well-known celebrity... and he wanted to charter a private jet to the game.' At first, they assumed it was a prank: the caller made some 'extravagant demands' over catering and transportation. 'But we quickly realized it was the real deal and made it happen,' Whitehill said. Jetting in for major occasions such as the Super Bowl, Kentucky Derby or Formula One already comes with a surcharge. It's known as a facility fee or a special event fee. It's added when airports are particularly busy. 'That could be anywhere from $8,000-12,000,' Whitehill explained. 'Just to land the aircraft due to high air traffic control.' TRADE SECRETS Thankfully that only applies on certain days in the sporting calendar - chartering a jet can cost enough as it is. One prominent figure in football needed to fly across the country to see his son's debut in the major leagues. Five hours there, five hours back, $50,000 for the privilege. Some clients will give Monarch a couple of months' notice of their travel plans. Others may know a week out. Unfortunately, others decide on a whim. In those emergencies? 'It typically takes about three to four hours - once we have signed paperwork from the clients - to get them wheels up,' Whitehill said. One day, a college hockey team reached out in a panic. They were headed to a big game but their plane - chartered from another company - never showed. The team was stranded until Monarch put them on a flight within hours. They landed in time for face-off. Monarch doesn't own or operate any aircraft but their brokers have access to thousands of planes around the world. 'It does not matter the place,' Whitehill said. 'As long as the runway is long enough for the specific aircraft they are looking for and there's an aircraft available.' If there isn't? Well, they can arrange for a helicopter to pick them up instead. It all starts with a phone call to the client. To find out where they are going, who they are going with, why they are going, how many bags they are bringing and what time they need to arrive. 'From there, I go out and source the best aircraft,' Whitehill explained. 'If this is an ASAP situation? Within about 20 to 30 minutes, I have the options either texted or emailed over to them.' Then comes another call to iron out any lingering issues and, once the client gives the green light, an agreement is sent and signed. 'Then they start moving the aircraft in about three to four hours.' Every summer, soccer fans and internet sleuths across Europe follow the progress of flights carrying new signings into town. On this side of the pond, however, many NFL and NBA trades are struck without anyone knowing. Except the league, the teams, the players, their entourages... and occasionally their brokers. It's not unusual for Whitehill and Co to know when a football or basketball star is on the move before anything has been announced. Not long ago, an NBA star booked a flight to a particular city. Brokers connected the dots and, a few hours later, alerts popped up on their phones: their instincts were correct. The trade was done. FIGHT AND FLIGHT Athletes appreciate the 'white glove service' that comes with private jets and occasionally they become more than customers. Take boxer Teofimo Lopez, the brash two-weight world champion from Brooklyn. 'He reached out to us after winning one of his bouts,' Whitehill recalled. The 28-year-old needed a flight out of Monarch's home base, Hollywood International Airport. 'We had an aircraft ready to go within three hours,' Whitehill said. 'And instead of waiting at the private airport, he actually decided to come hang out with us in our office.' Lopez mingled as Monarch finalized the details of his trip. 'One of our account managers was a massive fan of him, and of course, is now an even bigger fan after getting to meet him.' He now goes to Lopez's fights - 'religiously' - and the boxer still flies with Monarch.
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