British luxury watch brand Bremont's new pilot's watch, the EP120, is made with parts of a famous RAF 1942 Spitfire Mk V fighter plane which shot down six enemy aircraft on a single day during WWII. Original pieces of the Spitfire, which has been featured in films such as The Battle of Britain, salvaged during restoration, are incorporated into the EP120's dial and movement. The limited edition timepiece, which has already been spotted on the wrists of Bremont fans like Orlando Bloom and Ewan McGregor, costs about $12,600 and will be available in September.

[via Men.Style]

The Westin is taking their Heavenly Bed blankets and pillows and White Tea scent into the airport. First and business class customers who fly United's p.s.service between New York and California can snuggle under oversized Heavenly blankets and pillows inspired by the Westin's Heavenly Bed. They will also be offered White Tea scented towelettes and mints, and Westin's stress-relieving video and music content on United's personal media players. United will serve a specialty cocktail inspired by the Westin SuperFoods program. A new cocktail will be unveiled each season and served on a brain-teaser coaster.

Westin has also created branded "Renewal Lounges" within United's Red Carpet Clubs. The San Francisco airport lounge is equipped with a blue-light ActiViva lamp, not yet available for purchase in the United States, which provides phototherapy to make people feel more energized. The lounges are outfitted with plush furniture, fabrics and a nature-inspired color palette along with a LED candle wall and artwork typical of the Westin mellow-you-out-quick style. The Westin signature White Tea scent is diffused throughout the lounges and the televisions play relaxing nature videos. Westin has also created an exclusive, a non-alcoholic SuperFoods elixir to be served in the lounges. Sounds like first class and business passengers will be very chilled out. Economy fliers will remain stressed and frustrated.

This summer, luxury charter service V1 Jets opened up its seaplane service from Manhattan to the Hamptons (formerly reserved for members) to anyone with the price of a ticket, and it's proved to be very popular with the gliteratti. The 40 minute trip on an 8-passenger Cessna, which costs $495 one-way, has been taken by the likes of models Adriana Lima and Petra Nemcova, actors Pierce Brosnan and Jeremy Piven, and mogul Barry Diller. V1 Jets was founded in 2003 by hedge fund manager Andrew Zarrow who envisioned a way to utilize the excessive amount of "dead legs" created by private aircraft returning empty after delivering clients to their destinations, saving money and resources in the process.

Back in May we quoted Adam Katz, founder of on-demand luxury private jet charter and management service Talon Air, to the effect that despite the sluggish economy the luxury travel sector would continue to grow. That seems to be holding true in Katz's case, anyway; the company just added a $4 million Sikorsky S-76B helicopter to its fleet. The S-76 is a twin-engine craft designed to provide premium comfort and privacy for up to six passengers and two pilots in a "jet-like environment." The interior features first-class leather seats, wood paneling and a 4.5-foot tall cabin with more headroom than a typical helicoptert. In October, Katz plans to branch out even further - to sea, with the launch of a 135-foot, 6-bedroom, 5-bath, Serqué yacht.

LuckyJets has just announced its carpool-in-the-skies, ferrying high rollers on private jets from Los Angeles, San Diego and Scottsdale straight to Las Vegas, along with additional popular casino destinations. Though you won't have the wings to yourself, a shared flight to Sin City could be ripe for the networking. And at $2,999 a flight with door-to-door limo service to boot, even if the tables treat you wrong, you're still flying high.

If you get in on the action soon, flying from L.A. or Scottsdale to Las Vegas, you'll receive a complimentary round-trip flight voucher. The deal is first-come first-served for bookings on LuckyJets' inaugural flight to gambler's heaven on August 8. Hey, if you're gonna play the game, boy, better learn to play it right.

Think the airline industry has it tough in the U.S.? Looks like it's no better in Russia. The Russian news agency ITAR-TASS has reported that the Russian aviation industry is in deep trouble and some airlines are facing potential bankruptcy. The reason is the same one that is plaguing the U.S. airlines, jet fuel prices. The cost of aviation fuel in Russia has risen over 70% and even though Russia has its own vast oil deposits, kerosene prices in Moscow are some 5-6% higher than in Europe. Some are predicting that as many as 50% of Russian airlines could go under if conditions don't improve.

In Russia the heaviest demand for air tickets is during the summer peak, and demand falls considerably in the low season October-February, and so some air carriers may be short of revenues to pay to fuel suppliers. Smaller airlines are more vulnerable. Yevgeny Ostrovsky, the director general of a trade house supplying jet fuel to Russian airports, predicts that only five airlines, Aeroflot, S7, Rossiya, Transaero, and YUTair, are likely to survive due to their strong partnership with the government or with large corporations. Even Aeroflot, the largest carrier, has seen the price of jet fuel cut down its profit margin from the 9% it posted in 2006 and 2007 to 3% this year to 2% in 2009.

We first wrote about the PiperJet back in 2006, the small plane is the first pure, jet-powered, turbofan design in the company's 71-year history. The pane has now made its first flight from Piper Headquarters in Vero Beach, Florida. The plane flew for one hour, reaching a maximum altitude of 10,500 feet and a speed of 160 KTAS as per the flight test plan. The PiperJet is powered by a single Williams FJ44-3AP engine and is set to carry six passengers with an option for a seventh or an enclosable lavatory. It will have a range of 1,300 nautical miles and a full-fuel payload of 800 lbs. The jet is priced from $2.199 million and will be certified to a maximum operating altitude of 35,000 feet. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2011.

Of the various things that the first of Emirates' 58 Airbus A380s might be known for, the shower is perhaps the most dramatic. The doubledecker jet landed at Dubai international airport this week in grand style. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, was on board with a delegation of senior Emirates executives that flew in from Hamburg on the aircraft. Gulf News has a first hand account from a journalist on board.

Emirates' first A380 has 489 seats: 14 in first class suites, 76 in business and 399 in economy. The first class passengers on Emirates A380 will be the only ones with access to the shower. Emirates' first A380 commercial service is scheduled for 1 August and will operate between Dubai and New York.

[Thanks, Ben]

New seats have been announced by Continental Airlines for their BusinessFirst cabin on Boeing 787, 777 and 757 aircraft that serve mostly trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific routes. The 180-degree lie-flat seat provides 6 1/2 feet of sleeping space in the extended position. It measures up to 25 inches wide when the the adjustable armrest is positioned flush with the seat cushion. Electronic controls enable customers to move the seats to pre-set upright, cradle and fully extended sleep positions and adjust the seat back, lumbar support and leg and foot rests. The lie-flat seats also offer individual storage space for personal items. Laptop power, headset and USB plugs are tucked above the customer's shoulder and there is additional storage under the ottoman, on a shelf under the monitor and on an amenity storage alcove. BusinessFirst seats on the 787 and 777 aircraft will have a 15.4-inch video monitor while seats on the 757 aircraft will feature 10.6-inch monitors. The seats also have a six-way adjustable head rest and an individual overhead reading light and an adjustable seat light allowing a customer to read in bed without bothering the person next to them. The new seats should start appearing in the fall of 2009.

Flight Design USA announced last week the creation of the CT Partners program. The program is believed to be the first fractional ownership program for light-sport aircraft (LSA) and is designed to help owners share the rising costs of plane ownership. CT Partners will allow up to 10 people to share a new fully loaded CTLS, a light two-seater plane. Each owner will get 50 hours of use per year including 10 overnights per person and contributes about $15,000 to own the airplane with no debt. The CT Partners management company handles the logistics of scheduling, 100-hour maintenance inspections, annuals and will pay the insurance for $350 per month. Light Sport Aircraft also weigh less than most aircraft which means they require less fuel to operate.

CT Partners program developer Robert Mann plans to lease the airplane to New England Flight Services, LLC in order to secure insurance for multiple owners. They will provide flight instruction to make sure each partner is competent in the aircraft. The first fractional ownership program will begin at the Danielson airport in Danielson, CT but Mann is hoping to spread the concept across the country and create a network among independent groups that could share planes.

It's a strange phenomenon but the more big airlines that shut their doors, the more smaller private jet services seem to open up. The latest is Deluge Air (an odd name, in my opinion). Deluge Air plans to offer flights from Wilmington, North Carolina to northern New Jersey, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Nassau, Bahamas. They plan to begin booking flights Aug. 4 on two seven-seat Learjet 35 aircraft, with flights taking off about a week later.The airline will operate out of ISO Aero Service, one of two fixed-base operators, or FBOs, on the grounds of Wilmington International Airport. The service is on deman, customers will pay for private jet service by individual seat instead of booking the entire aircraft and the flights will be operated by private jet companies out of Raleigh and Miami, with Deluge as the sales agent.

According to an article in the Star News Online, fares between Wilmington and Nassau booked seven days or more in advance will be $2,047 each way, with an additional $400 charge for flights booked less than a week in advance. Fares to Teterboro Airport will be $1,075 each way, and $1,398 when not booked at least seven days in advance.

Arrive just 15 minutes before your flight is scheduled to depart. Take off from a private terminal. Avoid TSA shenanigans altogether. Protect conservation land in the Pacific Northwest. The four previous statements more or less define the mission of Portland-based SeaPort Air, a new airline that's trying to bring the jetset experience to the masses (at least if they're flying between Portland and Seattle). To mitigate its fuel consumption (the new "carbon offset"), it has as of yesterday announced its partnership with the Columbia Land Trust, noting the company is determined to give back locally to an environmental organization that will have a lasting impact on the Pacific Northwest. With any luck, SeaPort will initiate flight service near the rest of us.

At the recent Farnborough International Air Show, usually abuzz with the latest in jet envy, market experts were instead agreeing that the U.S. demand for business jets has softened considerably. And some companies are pulling the plug on private jet travel unless the circumstances truly justify it. Supposedly due to the current economic downturn and not a response to surging fuel costs, the decrease in U.S. demand for corporate jets is in stark contrast to burgeoning sales in Russia and the Middle East, whose new moguls are shelling out between $3 and $40 million for aircraft ordered at the air show.

It's not that execs are flying commercial -- the rough equivalent of trading in your Lamborghini for a used minivan full of crying babies -- but they are chartering flights instead of buying their own wings. Business jetsetters are turning more frequently to NetJets fractional ownership or a Marquis jet card, a kind of jet use debit card. Not exactly the Greyhound of the skies just yet, a Marquis jet card starts at $126,900 for 25 hours of flight time. And you won't have the joy of pimping out your cabin like that renowned Airbus A380, whose on-board hot tub and "desert oasis" tacked on an additional $150 million to the aircraft's pricetag.

Despite the glum economy another new manufacturer has announced plans to enter the Very Light Jet market. The Stratos Aircraft is based out of Bend, Oregon. Its Stratos 714 will fill be able to transport four people and their baggage 1,500 nautical miles, at a speed of 400 knots.

The composite-bodied aircraft will be powered by a centerline-thrust FADEC-controlled Williams FJ44-3AP turbofan which produces 3,030 pounds of thrust at sea level. The company's goal is to create an aircraft that is affordable to own and operate. The company is planning a 2010 production date.

The Jet by Cirrus Design, now officially named "The Vision SJ50" is a luxurious small aircraft is designed to be flown by a single pilot. The Cirrus Vision hopes to blend the best of both the high performance single-engine class and the very light jet category. The plane is powered by a Williams International FJ33-4A-19 engine and will fly at about 300 knots at a maximum operating altitude of 25,000 feet.

The body is spherical to allow for more interior space and it has moveable seats to accommodate up to seven people. The plane has a unique V-Tail design and state-of-the-art advanced avionics and flight systems plus the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System. The Cirrus Vision SJ50 had its first flight last week (Aero News Network has a report of the event with action photos). The 45-minute flight was conducted from company worldwide headquarters at the Duluth International Airport, Duluth, MN.