For much of his career, the famously globetrotting chief executive often had an empty business jet follow his GE-owned Bombardier or Gulfstream to far-flung destinations, just in case there was a mechanical issue that could lead to delays. The spare planes started flying early in Immelt’s tenure and continued to follow him in his travels into the months before his resignation. It was an unprecedented and highly unusual practice. Even heads of state didn’t get such treatment, not because they were less important, but because it just wasn’t practical. In case of emergency, there would always be
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