Andrea Bocelli, an opera singer from Italy, is suing a luxury jet service, claiming it gave him a flight on an older, louder aircraft than was originally planned.
The 64-year-old filed a lawsuit against Private Jet Services of Seabrook, New Hampshire, and is demanding $569,000 in compensation for 15 trips that were canceled, the cost of finding replacement flights, attorney costs, and other damages.
According to the terms of the contract between Bocelli and Private Jet Services, a jet’s model and year of production should “preferably” not be “older” than 4 years.”
Additional guidelines include that the pilot is not permitted to discuss air turbulence or make any on-board statements concerning weather conditions “to minimize unnecessary distress to Mr. Bocelli.”
The complaint claims that during a trip on December 2, 2021, Bocelli received a Falcon 2000 made in 1996 rather than the agreed-upon Falcon 2000LX.
The flight attendant on that occasion reported turbulence that “led (Bocelli) to be nervous and to worry for his safety throughout the final 20 minutes of the trip,” flying from Santa Ana, California, to Cleveland.
Due to his dread of flying, the well-known tenor was explicit in his demands for the jet service, according to attorney Michele Kenney.
He also isn’t a big flier since he has a phobia of flying and has anxiety while traveling by plane, according to Kenney.
He is particularly sensitive to the louder noise an older aircraft makes when flying, and this louder noise makes him feel more anxious.
During his 2021 trip, Private Jet Services decided to employ Falcon 2000LX models for shorter, local flights and other airplanes for transatlantic flights.
A firm spokesperson was contacted by DailyMail.com for comment, but they did not answer right away.
The firm expressed regret for both the wrong aircraft and the attendant’s error, according to the complaint.
It doesn’t specify if it was able to provide the appropriate aircraft at any point throughout the trip.
A business spokesperson said that for Bocelli’s remaining five tour dates, no suitable aircraft could be found.
Bocelli had to pay over $300,000 to charter additional planes with a different operator after the business cancelled the last flights without offering a refund.