We’re accustomed to hearing about celebrities and their sometimes-outlandish demands in terms of personal transportation, but this is not that. Opera singer Andrea Bocelli, who is blind, is suing a private jet charter company for breach of contract by putting him in an older, noisier plane.
Rich and famous people are very particular about how they want things to be done, from the exact temperature their water must be served to the fragrance of the air they breathe and the kind of cars or planes they use to move about. Not that we’re judging: with a certain status and financial situation come higher standards of living, so it makes sense to expect the best of everything if you pay top dollar.
The same goes for 64-year-old Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli, who booked the services of Private Jet Services for his tour dates in the United States in late 2021. He’s now taking the airliner to court over claims that they did not fulfill their contractual obligations by putting him in a much noisier airplane, Fox reports.
Bocelli is blind, which means he’s more sensitive to auditory stimuli. He’s also not exactly a “keen flier,” as court documents filed last month and seen by the media outlet said. Put the two together, and you get a flier who is prone to in-flight anxiety; add the faulty services he got on his U.S. tour, and you get an anxious, over-sensitive flier who “feared for his safety” during one particular flight from California to Cleveland.
According to the lawsuit, Bocelli’s people and the private jet charter company agreed on the exclusive use of Falcon 2000LX aircraft that were not older than four years for U.S. domestic flights. Instead, on this particular flight, the company put Bocelli on a smaller Falcon 2000 that was manufactured in 1996, which meant it was much noisier and less comfortable.
To boot, one crew member came onboard ahead of the landing to announce turbulence, which further caused Bocelli anxiety – and was in direct breach of the contract, which specified no weather announcements prior or during the flight.
After the incident, the company owned up to its error and apologized but refused to refund Bocelli for the remaining flights. He, on the other hand, was forced to seek the services of another charter to the tune of $300,000. The suit is seeking damages of $569,800, which includes refunds for 15 flights, alternative flight arrangements, and attorney fees.
The same goes for 64-year-old Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli, who booked the services of Private Jet Services for his tour dates in the United States in late 2021. He’s now taking the airliner to court over claims that they did not fulfill their contractual obligations by putting him in a much noisier airplane, Fox reports.
Bocelli is blind, which means he’s more sensitive to auditory stimuli. He’s also not exactly a “keen flier,” as court documents filed last month and seen by the media outlet said. Put the two together, and you get a flier who is prone to in-flight anxiety; add the faulty services he got on his U.S. tour, and you get an anxious, over-sensitive flier who “feared for his safety” during one particular flight from California to Cleveland.
According to the lawsuit, Bocelli’s people and the private jet charter company agreed on the exclusive use of Falcon 2000LX aircraft that were not older than four years for U.S. domestic flights. Instead, on this particular flight, the company put Bocelli on a smaller Falcon 2000 that was manufactured in 1996, which meant it was much noisier and less comfortable.
To boot, one crew member came onboard ahead of the landing to announce turbulence, which further caused Bocelli anxiety – and was in direct breach of the contract, which specified no weather announcements prior or during the flight.
After the incident, the company owned up to its error and apologized but refused to refund Bocelli for the remaining flights. He, on the other hand, was forced to seek the services of another charter to the tune of $300,000. The suit is seeking damages of $569,800, which includes refunds for 15 flights, alternative flight arrangements, and attorney fees.