Poll results: Should private jets be banned?

In August 2024 it was reported that incoming Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol would be commuting to the company’s Seattle HQ by private jet from his California home. What’s more, the former Chipotle boss (is there no end to this man’s talents?) would be making the journey up to three times a week, as per Starbucks’ hybrid workplace policies. 

Naturally, Starbucks will be footing the bill for the private jet, alongside Niccol’s bumper pay packet, which could be worth up to $113m in the first year with bonuses. Interesting reading for the Starbucks workforce in the US that has been trying to unionise – in the face of massive opposition from the company – since the 1980s.  

Union busting aside, how Starbucks decides to fire and hire and wield its corporate power should largely be a matter for the coffee giant itself. However, the company has been keen to position itself as a sustainable business in recent times. In 2018, Starbucks announced a $10m initiative to ‘develop a fully recyclable and compostable global cup solution’ – a solution that has yet to materialise. One estimate puts the cost of Niccol’s private jet commute as high as $8m per year, with CO2 emissions in excess of 700 tons. Make sure you don’t use a plastic straw next time you order a caramel frappe though, yeah?