For two decades, Anita Mays navigated the skies as a private jet pilot, encountering a clientele that ranged from music legends to business magnates. Her career, spanning from 1988 to 2010, provided an intimate glimpse into the opulent and often eccentric world of the super-rich.
Mays's first high-profile passengers included Ringo Starr and Diana Ross. She recalled a moment with Ross where the singer, after being provided with delicate canapés, requested tomato soup and fish and chips for a subsequent flight, a request Mays found endearing. "I loved that," Mays stated.
A World of Excess and Entitlement
During her 20 years as one of a few female private jet pilots, Mays observed a unique environment where illicit affairs, clandestine deals, and overt displays of wealth were commonplace. "There’s no better place for them to conduct an illicit affair, put a bounty on the head of an arch-enemy or make a corrupt deal, than 35,000ft up in the air," she noted.
One incident highlighted the extreme sense of entitlement among some clients. An American socialite, traveling from Venice to London with fashion designer Oscar de la Renta, casually asked Mays to delay a Concorde flight to New York so her companion wouldn't miss it. Astonishingly, Mays complied, and the Concorde was held for a few minutes to accommodate the private jet's passenger.
Mays also flew Saudi princesses and other wealthy women who chartered jets for seemingly trivial purposes, such as flying to New York solely to purchase shoes. The global private jet market is now valued at £28 billion, with an estimated 5.4 million flights annually, according to recent statistics.
Celebrity Encounters and Business Deals
Regular passengers included Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler, who enjoyed sitting in the cockpit, and Rod Stewart, who was content with wine and pizza. In stark contrast, one English banking family insisted on having rose petals strewn throughout the plane and spent £6,000 on catering, much of which went to airport staff. Singer Jay Kay of Jamiroquai once sang for the crew, later inviting them to a luxury yacht in Monaco. George Michael was remembered as a particularly gracious passenger with no ego, who provided concert tickets to the crew.
Mays's own journey into aviation began after her dream of becoming an air hostess was dashed due to her not meeting the stringent beauty requirements of the 1980s. A flying lesson in 1984 ignited her passion for piloting, leading her to qualify as a commercial pilot by 1988.
In 1995, Mays began piloting a privately owned Boeing 727, a VIP-configured jet that previously belonged to the Sultan of Brunei. This aircraft, featuring a £7 million interior with 13 seats, a bedroom, kitchen, and office, cost £6,000 per hour to hire at the time—a rate now equivalent to £20,000. This jet was favored by billionaires and Arab Sheikhs, whose behavior often exhibited "rudeness, excess, misery and hypocrisy."
She recounted flying a Syrian arms dealer who frequently chartered the jet, and a Middle Eastern client who required assistance from hostesses to change into traditional attire in the plane's bedroom. Mays also noted instances of businessmen chartering flights to pick up mistresses and a surge of Russian oligarchs in 2006, some of whom treated crew members with disdain, communicating through aides.
Tales from the Skies
Hollywood stars also featured among her passengers. Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, and Jude Law were aboard during their promotional tour for the film "The Holiday" in 2006. In 2007, Mays collected the Beckhams and their three sons from Cannes. That same summer, Beyoncé and Jay-Z flew with Mays from Dublin to Nice, carrying an unusually large amount of luggage for a holiday.
Rolling Stones members Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts were passengers on a flight from Berlin to London in 2008 that experienced severe turbulence. Mays observed that many business tycoons, despite their wealth, seemed less happy than celebrities, driven by a constant pursuit of the next deal or acquisition. She cited the Reuben brothers, who once sold a newly commissioned luxury boat immediately after its launch for a profit, as an example of this acquisitive mindset.
Mays retired from flying in 2010 after 20 years. She now works as an international speaker on cruise ships and is married with no regrets about her career choices. "Although I miss handling £20million jets and the wonderful experiences and perks afforded me as a pilot, I will be forever grateful for the dream life I lived," she stated.