Kylie Jenner recently faced a ton of criticism when she decided to use her private plane for a flight that lasted just 17 minutes. But, while this criticism is certainly warranted, she isn’t the only one. The practice of taking short flights on luxury private planes has always been common among the rich. Despite mounting concerns over climate change, this behavior certainly hasn’t changed.
The 24-year-old billionaire-businesswoman and socialite was put through the wringer on social media criticism when she posted a picture on Instagram. The picture comprised of her and her partner Travis Scott. The caption for the picture was “You wanna take mine or yours?” while two private jets hovered in the background.
According to a Twitter account that tracks the flights of most celebrities, the flight Kylie Jenner took on July 12 lasted just 17 minutes. She went from Van Nuys in LA to Camarillo- a town nearby. The socialite had previously taken a 27-minute trip in her jet from Van Nuys to Thermal in California. The jet that she uses for transportation purposes is a $72 million Bombardier BD 700.
As a result of her opulent behavior, she was attacked by users on Twitter. Some commented that she had “absolute disregard for the planet”, and she was also being a “full-time climate criminal.”According to estimates, the 17-minute flight did result in a ton of CO2 emissions. Now, while it wouldn’t be an obscene amount- but it still would be a lot! In fact, it would be around a quarter of the total annual carbon footprint of an average individual throughout the world. The trip by car would have taken her 40 minutes- and caused just a fraction of the emissions. [1]
Kylie Jenner’s Jet Landed in Van Nuys, California, US. Apx. flt. time 17 Mins. pic.twitter.com/UaigKYnNou
— Celebrity Jets (@CelebJets) July 13, 2022
Read: Martin Lawrence And Will Smith Are Moving Forward With ‘Bad Boys 4’ Despite Oscars Controversy
Kylie Jenner Has Been Facing Massive Criticism For Using Her Private Jet For A 17- Minute Flight
People on Twitter had quite varying reactions to this jaunt from Kylie Jenner. While one user stated, “You all need to do a story on how this chick uses her plane to fly 39 miles all the time. Uses it like a car. Call her out! People are tired of celebs telling us how we are destroying the environment when it’s them!”
Yet, there were others as well, who came to her defense. One user commented, “As much as it pains me to say this, she probably wasn’t on the flight and the plane was just going to VNY for maintenance”. Another user wrote, “I get it having driven the roads/freeway in that area it is horrible. Chill out.” When the captioned picture went on Instagram, she start facing criticism on Instagram as well. A user wrote, “Girl what am I recycling for?”, while another user wrote, “But it’s us who must use paper straws!” A third user mused, “This post just called me poor.”
But blaming Kylie Jenner wouldn’t solve the issue- as she is far from being the only celeb to use her jet for trivial purposes. A review from the tracking account on Twitter has also pointed a finger at Drake. The famous rapper took an 18-minute flight from Hamilton in Ontario to Toronto. A country music singer, Kenny Chesney, also took to the air for just 20 minutes between Akron, Ohio, and Pittsburgh. Even the famous actor Mark Wahlberg is guilty of such fanfare. He took a 23-minute flight from Dublin to County Clare. Most of these flights tend to be brief, as they are about to park the jet at a convenient location. But others don’t seem to have that rationale- like Floyd Mayweather. The GOAT boxer flew 14 minutes from Las Vegas to Henderson and then flew back just a few days later- a trip of 10 minutes.[2]
Kylie Jenner Is Just One Among The Many Celebrities Who Have Used Their Flights For Small Journeys
The creator of the Twitter account- called Celebrity Jets- Jack Sweeney recently mentioned, “I’m not surprised people are upset, they are right to be mad at this”. Sweeney has another account that tracks the flight movement of Elon Musk. The University of Central Florida graduate has a system in place that tracks the private jet of the multi-billionaire head of Tesla. But the reasoning behind this is different. “With Elon, he’s just trying to be as quick as possible and efficient for work, but someone like Kim Kardashian is posting ‘Kim Air’ and flexing and all that”. Back in May, Musk took a Kylie Jenner-esque flight of just 28-minutes. He had to travel from Houston to Austin in Texas.
Researchers have found out that private aircraft create a large section of aviation emissions. This accounts for close to 33 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. And since they carry a marginal amount of individuals, they pollute more than commercial planes. One of the attorneys at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute, Scott Hochberg, recently stated, “These startlingly short flights show the immense impact of the wealthy on overall aviation emissions. The problem starts at the top with Kylie Jenner and other celebrities with private jets, which have a much larger impact than commercial aircraft on a per passenger basis. But it also includes many others, as the US constitutes the bulk of the wealthy elite that have the luxury of flying.
Post-Covid, private flights have increased quite a lot in America, and Kylie Jenner is certainly a big part of the problem. Dr. Debbie Hopkins from the University of Oxford stated, “A huge amount of fuel is used during takeoff and landing of a plane, no matter how many people you have on board. So an already polluting mode of transport becomes even worse.”
Keep Reading: Americans ‘Insulted’ and ‘Shocked’ by Meghan Markle Treatment—Stella Parton
Sources:
- “Kylie Jenner a ‘climate criminal’? Reality star is called out for 17-minute flight” Los Angeles Times July 20, 2022.
- “A 17-minute flight? The super-rich who have ‘absolute disregard for the planet’” The Guardian. July 21, 2022.
