Wealthy Asians consider private jets to avoid swine flu risks

Private jet service Asia Jet has seen a 40-per-cent rise in inquiries about its flights, at a cost of 5,900 US dollars an hour, since the swine flu scare spread Monday to Asia, the South China Morning Post reported.

 Enquiries had come from across the region for the Hong Kong-based company's fleet of Gulfstream jets, said chief executive Justin Lee Firestone.

 "This is not about people wanting to be uber-flashy," he told the newspaper. "The private jet is a controlled environment. You know who your colleagues are."