When it comes to winter luxury, one ski destination continues to rank top of the list – Courchevel in the French Alps, according to leading private air charter broker Oxygen 4, is the ski resort at which to see and be seen.

And even this year, with the credit crunch biting, some of the resort’s most sumptuous hotels were already fully booked six months ago for the peak January fortnight 2-14th with some guests paying upwards of €50,000 to ensure the best accommodation.

Increasing numbers of travellers from Russia are discovering the likes of Courchevel, booking private charters for flights into nearby Chambery Airport, together with the other luxury winter destinations making up the top three – St Moritz and Sion.

Kitzbühel and Bolzano in northern Italy rank fourth and fifth, the UK-based broker asserts.

“We are still getting steady enquiries for winter flights,” said Mark Green, Oxygen 4 Director. “But a clear trend we note, is that most clients are booking their trips later.

This time last year and in 2006, we already had more than 20 bookings for that peak January fortnight. We are not there yet this year. There is definitely caution out there, however, certain clients are less concerned.

We assisted one particular client to secure rooms at one of the most elite hotels at Courchevel 1850 that was comfortably upwards of the figure mentioned above.”

For the uber rich though, and the heavy jet users, it’s very much business as usual. Last summer, maintaining its cosseted position at the top of the European luxury list was the Cote d’Azur, with Antibes and Cap Ferrat being especially desirable.

Coming in as second favourite is Sardinia, closely followed by Tuscany in Italy and Gerona in Spain.

An increasingly popular private jet destination is the Greek island of Crete – bolstered by the construction of some world-class resorts.

Furthermore, notes Green, discerning private jet clients are selecting the aircraft type they want to take them to their destinations.

The Challenger 604 (pictured above) is very popular, but the Challenger 300 is less costly to charter, has the same size cabin and eight full size sets and is still capable of flying seven hours from one end of Europe to the other without refueling.

Oxygen 4, which to date has specialised in Russian and European markets; and increasingly to the Middle East, also notes that on short-range flights the Cessna Sovereign is gaining in popularity with its range of up to 5,000km.

Oxygen 4 was established in 2005 and has a young and energetic approach to business.

While UK-based, the company is especially active in Europe, primarily chartering private jets from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with Russia, the Middle East and Asia pinpointed to provide growth opportunities over the coming months.