Private Jets and Business Aircraft

This is a question that we hear quite a bit, as we talk to people who are looking at private jets and other private aircraft. So this article walks you through the different factors and provides some pricing indications. At the bottom of the page is a pricing tool to give you a quote on a custom flight.

To start off you should have in mind:

- Where you want to go, since the distance between these two locations helps define the size of aircraft you will need. The longer the distance the larger the size of aircraft you will need, unless you are happy to stop for refueling.

- The number of people and the amount of baggage you will be traveling with. Very simply, more people and/or more baggage will require a larger, more expensive aircraft

Other items that can affect the price are the departure time and date since prices increase during periods of peak demand. Your return plans are another key pricing element, so if the plane just takes you one way and has to fly back empty you may end up covering the cost of that empty flight.

For a full list of the types of things that you could be charged for, see our earlier article Private Jet Charter Costs - What's on the Invoice?

Having said all the above, we asked Patrick Harris, President at Velocity Jets to provide some examples of typical flight costs in a range of light, mid, and heavy jets. The prices below are all inclusive prices, for one-way flights.

• Miami (MIA) to Los Angeles (VNY) flight time 5.2 hours,  light jet $29k, mid jet $35k and heavy jet $44k
• New York (TEB) to London (EGLF) flight time 6.5 hours,   heavy jet $63-90K
• Chicago (MDW) to New York (TEB) 2-hour flight,    light jet $15k, mid jet $18k, heavy jet $22k
• St. Maartin (TNCM) to Miami (KOPF) 3-hour flight,   light jet $20k, mid jet, $23k heavy $27-29k
• Chicago (MDW) to Los Angeles (VNY) 4-hour flight,   light jet $22k, mid jet $30k, heavy jet $35-39k

Some other examples of prices come from Avinode, which powers a charter marketplace for brokers and operators and gathers a large amount of data on pricing. Their recent data shows the average price per hour for return trips, for various aircraft. As noted above, these rates can vary depending on when you fly, where you fly and if your flight is one way or return, plus landing fees, ramp fees and any repositioning can all add to the costs. Always ask for a fully inclusive quote from your broker or operator.

Midsize Jets

Heavy Jets

Also, note that hourly rates can vary quite a bit depending on the age and condition of the aircraft.

If you're looking at chartering a plane and plan to use a charter broker, there's good list of questions to ask a private air charter broker or service in this article.

Use the instant flight quoting tool below, to obtain prices on specific flights you are planning. Just input your starting and end locations and expected dates of travel. Please contact us with any questions.

If you're seriously reviewing private aviation options and comparing charter, jet cards and fractions, then download our free in-depth Guide to Private Aviation here. It includes the pros and cons of different products, and profiles of some leading providers. We do ask you to register for this Guide.