Elon Musk’s private jet rules: no chit-chat, no help with gadgets

The Tesla billionaire has a set of guidelines for those who serve him onboard his aircraft, covering everything from temperature to fuel use.

Elon Musk arrives on Air Force One. Picture: AP Photo/Chris Szagola

Lights dimmed? Check. Air vents off? Check. Wi-fi on full power? Check ... Elon Musk’s private jet, you are cleared for take-off.

A guide for cabin crew on how to best serve the billionaire Tesla chief executive has revealed his preference for quiet flights with a cool temperature of just over 18C. The document, which appears to date from November, was leaked after a cyberattack on the private jet company NetJets.

It describes Musk, a key adviser to President Trump, as a “nice, laid-back” man who “likes to take a nap, even on day trips”.

However, his supposed easy-going persona should not encourage staff to initiate small talk - or indeed any conversation - unless he starts it, according to the guide. He also has little patience for slow pilots or green-minded aviators attempting to conserve the earth’s natural resources. Musk “wants to fly as quickly and directly” as possible and is “not interested in conserving fuel”, the document states.

Musk’s list of airborne bugbears include dodgy wi-fi (he “does not enjoy unexpected outages"), bright lights and loud air-conditioning. All vents should be switched off as he “does not like noise”, the guide advises.

Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jnr, Robert F Kennedy Jnr, seen onboard the Trump private plane, eating McDonalds. Picture: X

Cabin crew are told to avoid helping Musk if they think he is struggling to operate any of the gadgets available on luxury jets. “Mr Musk considers himself self-sufficient and does not need help with technology - if he does, he will ask,” the document says.

The document, reported by Bloomberg, does not appear to cover other common features of air travel such as food and drink, selections of films and music, lavatory etiquette or mid-flight trips to the cockpit to see how the plane works.

Musk’s use of private jets hit the headlines in 2022 when the X account tracking his plane, @Elonjet, was suspended, apparently at the billionaire’s request.

The account, set up by a student at the University of Central Florida, used public data from plane transponders to track the jet, revealing that it often flew between two airports in Los Angeles even though they were only a ten-minute drive apart.

Musk, who bought Twitter for dollars 44 billion in October 2022, claimed the publication of the location information put his family at risk, including his son X Æ A-12, also known as “Lil X”.

NetJets, the company which drew up the guide, told Bloomberg it was investigating a breach in which a hacker stole information from “a very small number of owners” in a phishing scam.

The Times