What Are the Real Costs of Traveling on a Private Jet? (You Might Be Surprised)

In an era where commercial flights are plagued by lengthy airport queues and a slew of cancellations and delays, many travelers may be questioning whether flying privately is worthwhile. Naturally, the expenses involved must be taken into account—private jet travel is typically not inexpensive. However, a variety of options are emerging, including some that are more budget-friendly. Here’s a comprehensive guide to private and semi-private flying.

What is the cost to charter a private jet?

As stated by Delta Airlines partner Wheels Up, a membership and charter service for private jets, the cost to charter a private jet ranges from $5,000 to $15,000 per hour, depending on its size.

Here’s the hourly rate for five different types of private jets:

Besides Wheels Up, other firms like PrivateFly and Jettly provide platforms for booking on-demand private jet charters.

It’s no surprise that numerous private jet charter companies, along with luxury resorts and villas, offer direct flight services to exclusive villas or resort locations.

For $148,000 per person, you can embark on a two-week private jet itinerary organized by Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, featuring stops in Greece, Egypt, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zambia, and South Africa. The 13-day African Wonders journey occurs aboard the Four Seasons private jet, with guests enjoying stays at Four Seasons luxury properties worldwide. Four Seasons hosts various private jet journeys throughout the year.

Which companies provide semi-private flights and what are their prices?

An increasing number of companies are allowing travelers to reserve a single seat on a semi-private flight, much like booking a ticket on a commercial flight. The price for a seat on a semi-private jet starts at just $249 one-way with JSX.

• Aero: The semi-private luxury airline Aero operates from L.A. and offers one-way flights to Aspen beginning at $1,950, to Los Cabos starting at $2,250, and to Napa for $725. Prices include one checked bag and one carry-on for aircraft that seat up to 16 passengers. Aero services Aspen, Colorado; Los Angeles; Los Cabos, Mexico; Napa, California; and Sun Valley, Idaho.
• Blade: A helicopter and semi-private flight service, Blade runs flights between Monaco and Nice, France; Vancouver and Victoria, Canada; New York City and East Hampton; and New York City and Atlantic City, New Jersey. It also provides helicopter transfers from Manhattan to John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark International Airport, with one-way flights from NYC to East Hampton starting at $1,050.
• JSX: JSX is considered one of the most affordable options for semi-private travel, with one-way fares beginning at $249 on 30-seat Embraer E135 aircraft, which includes up to two checked bags, onboard snacks and drinks, and complimentary Wi-Fi. JSX connects various California hubs including Burbank, Carlsbad, Concord/Napa, Los Angeles, Monterey, Orange County, Oakland, and San Diego. The carrier also flies to Dallas, Denver, Gunnison/Crested Butte (Colorado), Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando, Scottsdale, Reno–Tahoe, Taos (New Mexico), and Westchester County in New York, with seasonal international flights to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico from L.A. and Dallas.
• Surf Air: Surf Air offers a jet membership service that features both scheduled semi-private flights (similar to JSX flights) and on-demand jet service. The scheduled semi-private flights operate from Truckee, San Carlos, Santa Barbara, and Hawthorne in California, while on-demand flights with commuter airline Southern Airways Express can be booked to and from hundreds of hubs across the United States. Membership costs $295 per month for access to the inventory, with additional fees per flight.
• Tradewind Aviation: Based in Oxford, Connecticut, Tradewind Aviation offers both on-demand and scheduled flights throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean. Scheduled services include flights to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard from Westchester County in New York, Marsh Harbour and North Eleuthera in the Bahamas from Palm Beach, Florida, and flights between Caribbean destinations such as Anguilla, St. Bart’s, the British Virgin Islands (Virgin Gorda and Tortola), San Juan, Antigua, and St. Thomas. Caribbean flights start at $129 one-way, Bahamas flights begin at $229 one-way, and Northeast flights start at $419 one-way, depending on the date and route. The aircraft depart from private terminals and offer in-flight snacks and refreshments, including wine and beer.

There’s an app for booking private jets

Several startups are emerging in the private jet industry, utilizing a sharing economy model for reservations. One notable example is XO, an app that enables users to book private or charter flights as well as seats on available private jets. XO offers two payment options: a membership model and a pay-as-you-go option. Memberships start at $595 annually, which waives the $395 service fee typically charged for individual private flight bookings. Alternatively, you can pay a $395 fee per seat plus an additional $995 for the trip. For $995 per year, the XO Reserve membership provides set hourly pricing for private charters, requiring a minimum deposit of $250,000 and incurs no extra fees.

The private jet app UberJets assists users in finding and booking chartered aircraft. It doesn’t operate its own fleet but serves as a platform for making bookings.

What does an empty leg deal mean?

An empty leg refers to a nonrevenue repositioning flight of a private jet—a jet that has delivered passengers on a one-way trip and is returning to its base without passengers. Since these flights are uncommissioned, they can often be accessed at significantly reduced rates compared to standard private jet flights, as operators are eager to recoup costs and sell these flights at a bargain—essentially a deal for an entire private jet.

Private jet services like Jettly and XO frequently showcase their current empty leg deals and routes on their websites.

What is a private jet card membership and how does it function?

A popular method to access private jet services is via a private jet card membership. You make an upfront payment—usually between $100,000 and $200,000, as noted by Private Jet Card Comparisons, a resource for comparing various programs. Your private jet flights will then be deducted from this initial deposit, generally at a fixed hourly rate. Hourly costs can vary from approximately $2,000 to $4,000 for turboprops or smaller jets, to $20,000 or more for midsize or larger jets capable of longer flights.

A jet card is essentially a debit card-style program that typically allows you to prepay for private jet flights at a predetermined hourly rate with guaranteed availability,” explains Private Jet Card Comparisons on its website.

Numerous companies offer private jet cards, including Airshare, Airstream Jets Inc., Alliance, Charter Flight Group, Flexjet, International Jet, Magellan Jets, Netjets, PrivateFly, Quantum Jets, Sentient Jet, and Unity Jets, among many others. Some specialize in shorter domestic flights, while others provide access to international destinations, such as VistaJet.

For a fee of $500, Private Jet Card Comparisons provides a detailed analysis of the available options and what each card and program offers.

Is flying private truly worthwhile?

Two primary advantages of private flying are a more relaxed experience and the ability to get closer to your final destination, allowing you to spend more time enjoying your journey and less time navigating airport security.

Skip the airport crowds

When you fly privately, you bypass the usual check-in processes and security lines that everyone else endures at the airport; instead, you’ll enjoy a dedicated, quieter area exclusively for private travelers. Be sure to check the specific luggage restrictions and pet policies, as these can differ based on aircraft size and operator, although many have standard luggage allowances and permit pets.

Access to a wider range of destinations

Private jet flights often avoid the busy major airports, opting instead for smaller, less crowded airstrips. These smaller airports can bring travelers much closer to their final destination than larger hubs. Additionally, flying privately grants access to locations that lack regular commercial flights or any service at all, which is a significant advantage.

The ecological implications of private flying

Let’s be honest: private flying isn’t great for the environment. An April 2021 report from the European Federation for Transport and Environment revealed that private jets can be up to 14 times more polluting per passenger than commercial flights, and 50 times more so than trains.

The report calls for a swift transition to electric power in the private jet industry, highlighting it as the sector of aviation most likely to embrace full electrification in the near future.

Major companies like Boeing, Airbus, NASA, and Toyota, along with startups such as Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation in California, Germany’s Lilium, and England’s Vertical Aerospace, are investing in electric aircraft technology.

This article was initially published in 2019 and updated on September 23, 2024, to reflect the latest information. Reporting contributions were made by Sophie Friedman.