Jet set

In journalism, jet set was a term for an international social group of wealthy people who travelled the world to participate in social activities unavailable to ordinary people. The term, which replaced café society, came from the lifestyle of travelling from one stylish or exotic place to another via jet plane.

The term "jet set" is attributed to Igor Cassini, a reporter for the New York Journal-American who wrote under the pen name "Cholly Knickerbocker".

Although jet passenger service in the 1950s was initially marketed primarily to the rich, its introduction eventually resulted in a substantial democratization of air travel. Hence though the term "jet set" is still in some use, its literal meaning of those who travel by jet is no longer relevant. It continues however to refer to those who have the independent wealth and time to travel frequently and widely for pleasure.

BOAC inaugurated the world's first commercial scheduled jet service on 2 May 1952, using the de Havilland Comet, followed by the introduction of the Comet 4 in 1958 after a series of accidents in 1953-1954. The first successful service, from October 1958, was the typical "jet set" route, London–New York City. Pan Am followed suit with the Boeing 707, making its first scheduled flight between New York City and Paris on 26 October 1958.

Other cities on the standard jet set routes were Los Angeles, Paris, and Rome. Jet set resorts, invariably with white sand and salt water, were circumspect by modern standards; Acapulco, Nassau with Huntington Hartford's new Paradise Island (opened in 1962) were taking the place of Bermuda. Meanwhile, Cannes, Capri, St. Tropez, Marbella, Portofino, and selected small towns on the French and Italian Riviera were on the jet set itinerary. Greek Islands such as Mykonos were included in the loop around 1974.

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