There’s no avoiding it — private jets took a big hit recently, what with the economic crash, the questionable PR move by the executives of Ford, GM, and Chrysler to come to their bailout meeting in their jets, and the general populist anger that’s (unjustifiably) settled upon the personal plane as the ultimate in excessive decadence.

And yet private jets remain important for thousands, and many big figures are using their planes unapologetically. To show you why the market is still vibrant, we’ve taken 3 of the most visible celebrities and profiled them below.

#1. President Bill Clinton Uses One.

The former president has never stopped using his private jet, as his breakneck schedule, endless speeches, and dozens of fund raising efforts pretty much require him to be in as many places, as quickly as possible.

Plus, his recent diplomatic mission to North Korea — to negotiate the release of two American journalists — was done entirely by private plane. Clinton is the best example of a celebrity who uses his plane to get real business done, at a speed that would be completely unfathomable by flying commercial.

#2. Roger Federer.

One of the top tennis stars in the world uses a private plane, and doesn’t apologize for it. He travels to many of the tournaments on the tennis circuit this way, but in recent months a private charter has been doing something else.

While occasionally using commercial flights on his own, Federer is now looking after his two identical twins, which means he commissioned a private jet to bring his wife and kids on the tennis circuit with him. This near-impossible task is made easy thanks to his private plane.

#3. T. Boone Pickens.

While the world’s most famous Texas oil tycoon — like every other rich person in the world — saw his fortunes take a big hit during the recent crisis, he recently told the New York Times that one thing helped him stay focused and optimistic: watching the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

He’s donated a large amount of cash to his former university, and one of the ways he was asked to contribute was to be at each home game, there in the stadium. The head coach even requested it personally. Because of his private jet, he is.

Never mind the negative publicity — the people using private charters for frivolous, flashy reasons are too damaged from the crisis to deal with them anymore — but those people, like the three mentioned above, who need the convenience of private charters are easy enough to find riding one.