Reba McEntire Once Revealed She Owns a Private Plane but Flies Commercial to Be ‘More Economical’

Reba McEntire once said she prefers the freedom of owning a private plane but the economic value of flying with commercial airlines when it works.

Was she on the list of top celebrity jet polluters? Plus, why did she develop a preference for flying, how did that change after a tragic plane crash, and how did she say owning a private plane helped her iconic career? Read on to find out.

Reba McEntire is not on the list of top private plane polluters

The internet went into a frenzy when Taylor Swift’s private jet was revealed to be a major polluter, and the singer topped a list of highest-use celebrities. Her team argued that she loaned the aircraft out and therefore wasn’t responsible for all of its mileage.

According to The Guardian, private jets emit more greenhouse gases than the country of Denmark each year. Their smaller passenger loads create more pollution per passenger, allowing one percent of the global population to produce half of the emissions associated with flying.

Reba McEntire once said ‘it’s more economical to fly commercial’ than traveling by private plane

In 2012, McEntire talked to Jetset about owning her plane and why she didn’t always use it. “We have a Phenom,” she shared, adding she had a Hawker for a long time.

While McEntire wasn’t thinking about high-profile carbon footprints at the time, she did say there was a reason she liked leaving her private plane in its hangar. She said, “… When we’re going cross-country, it’s more economical to fly commercial.”

Of course, flying in a private plane had a few advantages, too. McEntire explained, “Our plane works great when we’re touring and need flexibility on our schedule. I haven’t had a bus of my own since 1989.”

Reba McEntire said having her own plane lengthened her career ‘by a decade’

In her autobiography, Reba: My Story, McEntire wrote about the perks of being a country music superstar with the choice to travel by private plane. After the birth of her son, Shelby, in 1990, flying allowed her to return to him more often.

While touring, McEntire could fly home to sleep in her bed and be there in the morning when Shelby woke up. Many artists complain about feeling as though they have to choose between career and family, and using her plane allowed her the freedom to have both.

Even after a March 1991 plane crash killed several members of her band, she kept flying by keeping her faith. “I remember flying home alone for the first time on our new airplane in June 1991, not long after the crash, to return to Nashville …,” she wrote. “Before I got on I walked up to the plane, and I asked God to bless it.”

In 2012, McEntire told Jetset: “[Having a plane] lengthened my career by a decade. Because of having a plane, I can do so many more things to promote my career in between the jobs I have. Plus, it allowed me to do my concerts and fly home after the show.”