SKY HIGH: Inside the Jet Business Empire of Steve Varsano

When you meet Steve Varsano, you instantly feel like you’ve known him forever. With his rugged good looks, finely tailored Savile Row suit, crisp white shirt, and engaging New York accent, he draws you in immediately. Straightforward, honest, and polished, Varsano approaches every sales pitch the way a Ferrari takes a curve—effortlessly.



Varsano is a born seller—likely one of the best in the world. He has to be. His clients include kings, CEOs, global corporations, celebrities, and billionaires. These are people who know exactly what they want, often regardless of cost. But that doesn’t mean Varsano’s job is easy.

“When they ask how much, no matter what I say, most of them instinctively respond, ‘That’s too much.’ Of course they do. They didn’t get where they are in life without negotiating,” he says. “My job is to show them that what they’re buying is the right choice in every aspect of the decision.”

Steve Varsano is the founder of The Jet Business—a deceptively simple name for a remarkably complex operation: selling multimillion-dollar private jets to the world’s wealthiest and most discerning clients. He’s done just about everything in life—from sweeping floors in a beauty salon to waiting tables, before moonlighting with a jet agent as an unpaid salesman while working as a lobbyist in D.C. After eventually working his way into a commissioned position, he ultimately decided to open his own venture from an extraordinary showroom office on Park Lane, near London’s Hyde Park.

“I was selling jets and met a beautiful woman who lived over here,” he recalls. “London wasn’t just her home—it turned out to be the perfect base of operations for someone with clients all over the world. I can reach the Middle East, Europe, the U.S., and the Far East far more easily than I could from New York or L.A.”

Initially, Steve opened a comfortable office in the building that was later torn down to make way for the Peninsula Hotel. Looking out his window each day, a great space just across the street kept catching his eye.

“The space at 25 Park Lane was vacant,” he says. “I kept looking at it from my window. After a year of planning, one day, I took a huge leap of faith and said, ‘I’m going all in.’”

What came next was nothing short of spectacular. Varsano installed the actual fuselage of an Airbus A319 in the showroom’s front window—60 feet of street-front aviation luxury, curbside amongst pedestrians and double-decker buses. Inside, it’s decked out in fine leather, plush carpeting, sleek wood, polished chrome, Bentley-quilted lounge chairs, couches, and even a full conference room. It’s an authentic, full-scale replica of a super-premium private jet interior.

Step inside, and you’re transported. One side of the aircraft looks out onto bustling London; the other shows a serene digital sky floating by, as if the plane is descending to a far-off, unknown destination.

“We want clients to experience the comfort and beauty of the space,” he explains, “and imagine what their lives could soon look like.”

But the true salesroom lies just beyond that, down a short exit stair: a sleek lounge area featuring a 40-foot digital video wall. It’s here that Varsano really works his magic.

“I start with a few basic questions,” he says. “‘What’s your budget? What’s your longest flight? How old a jet are you comfortable with? And how many people will you typically travel with?”

As the client answers, Varsano clicks through a custom interface that instantly displays tailored options: a Gulfstream G550, Embraer 600, Falcon 10X, or perhaps a Boeing Business Jet/737 or Airbus 380 for the ultra-elite. Using a laser pointer, he highlights the specs of each aircraft, standing virtually inside the plane: ceiling height, aisle width, seat dimensions, table space—each rendered to scale in vibrant colors behind him.

Want a bedroom in the back? No problem. Varsano cycles through options, showing layouts with single, double, or king-sized beds. Pricing adjusts in real time as features are added or removed. Fuel costs and maintenance are calculated to further guide the client toward a decision. This process sorts through the nearly 150 private jet models manufactured, narrowing the field until the buyer hones in on a selection. With a final click, the digital wall in front of them displays global availability—live—showing where that exact jet is currently parked and ready.

It’s mesmerizing. And Varsano does it all with ease and transparency.

“Our sales and research teams constantly monitor the global database of corporate jet owners,” he says. “We probably have one of the most complete inventories of aircraft for sale around the world. And being based in London gives us not just U.S. coverage, but a comprehensive international view, which is a huge competitive edge.” That edge, data, presentation, and education, is the heart of Varsano’s unique selling proposition, or USP.

“No one else in our business has a showroom like this, or takes the time to truly educate clients,” he says. “There are a lot of first-time buyers these days, and we don’t just sell them a plane—we empower them. We tell them the questions they should be asking. We answer them honestly and directly. That builds confidence. Some of the most successful people in the world are afraid to ask what they think might be a ‘stupid’ question. But if they don’t get the answers, they won’t move forward.”

He smiles. “When I was a kid in New York, there was a clothing store called Sy Syms. Their slogan has stuck with me my whole life—and it’s how we do business: ‘An educated consumer is our best customer.’”

And nobody is more educated or more eager to share that knowledge than Steve Varsano. From his opulent London showroom, he’s not just selling jets. He’s changing the way high-end aviation is experienced and understood.