America’s most secret airline is Area 51’s ‘Janet’
- Janet Airlines was designed to ferry US Defense Department employees from A to B
- They are known to fly to the secretive base of Area 51
- All staff – including cabin crew – require top-secret government security clearance
Published on Feb 08, 2024 at 8:21 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Feb 08, 2024 at 9:29 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Alessandro Renesis
If you’ve ever spotted a Boeing 737-600 with no livery except for a red line running from nose to tail, you might have just met ‘Janet’ – or Janet Airlines to be precise.
An acronym for either “Joint Air Network for Employee Transportation”, referencing the operator’s activities and fake identifiers to shield operational details.
Or “Just Another Non-Existent Terminal”, referencing the lack of public-facing documentation.
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The carrier was designed to connect US Defense Department employees with weapons ranges and research centers.
What we do know is that Janet flights are known to fly from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada in the US.
In fact, there’s an entire terminal and parking lot dedicated to ‘Janet’.
What’s more, the mysterious carrier is sometimes spotted flying to the secretive confines of Area 51.
The secret U.S. Air Force military base in a remote area of southern Nevada is shrouded in mystery, but a military historian has finally unveiled the ‘real secrets’ of Area 51.
Highly classified, its existence and name was not actually acknowledged by the U.S. government until 2013.
The information was finally made public via several documents that were released via a Freedom of Information Act request.
Due to secretive testing of the U-2 spy plane, reports took flight of unidentified flying objects in the 1950s and 1960s.
And, of course, tales of aliens still persist.
In an effort to maintain national security, you can only get to Area 51 via the airline.
In the same vein, ‘Janet’ also flies to Tonopah Test Range.
The F-117A Nighthawk, RQ-171A Sentinel reconnaissance drone, and other stealth aircraft are taken from the initial idea to the skies above the base.
The airline’s Boeing 737s – a craft which has also been found lurking mysteriously in a field – have also been seen supporting other military ranges and research facilities.
These include Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, US Air Force Production Flight Test Installation (Plant 42), and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
It seems one mission of ‘Janet’ could be to ferry aviation technicians working in the military to ensure maximum operational security.
Want to fly with Janet?
Sorry, it’s not available to the civilian population – plus you’ll likely be detained when you get there.
In addition to the six Boeing 737-66N, there are five twin-engine Beechcraft turboprops for when there’s a shorter runway to play with or the mission needs to be kept on classified.
The 737-66Ns flew for Air China until 2008.
Their crew and other aviation employees are not only trained for the job, but they also must have top-secret clearance.
Even flight attendants “must qualify for and maintain a top-secret government security clearance and associated work location access,” per Business Insider.
Makes sense when they might hear a confidential and potentially sensitive nugget on info as they ask: “Chicken or fish?”
They have to know that information won’t end up in the press, on social media or in even more dangerous hands.
It was revealed this month that the the Air Force is considering replacing the operator of the ‘Janet’ service.
Replacements must be “FAR Part 121 certificated and be a member of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF).”
Legacy carriers including United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines are all contenders.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
