Yes, You Can (Probably) Afford to Take a Private Flight

We’ve all seen the paparazzi photos: celebrities and corporate execs saunter to their waiting Jetstream and take off for exotic locales at their leisure. Such freedom of mobility used to belong solely to one-percenters, but thanks to the burgeoning charter flight industry, we lesser beings can fly private now, too.

When you charter a private flight, you pull up to an office and hangar outside of the main airport complex, where a valet takes your car and parks it. No navigating a busy terminal, no lengthy TSA lines.

You can arrive as late as 20 minutes before your scheduled flight… instead of three hours early. While you wait to board, you can relax in a private lounge with free WiFi. No crowds, because the jet only seats 30. And there are no concerns about lost luggage—you can watch your bag being loaded. Generally, the ticket price includes the cost of two checked bags plus a personal item…so no need to pack light, either.

Once you’re in the air, you’ll enjoy comfortable seats and the same legroom you’d get in business class, plus full flight attendant service with complimentary snacks, beverages, and cocktails.

Most flights also have free onboard WiFi, too.

When you land, it gets even better—no long lines to get your passport stamped and no standing by the carousel waiting for your bags. You can even arrange to have a driver meet you at the hanger through a handy app—and be off to your vacation abode in mere minutes.

While admittedly such services still tend to be expensive, the price has been slowly falling over the past decade as more and more companies become involved in offering private charters. This trend was once reversed by the COVID-19 pandemic, when there was a rise in the demand for less crowded and more protected travel, but now prices have begun moderating once more.

Fly Close to Home… or Make an International Getaway

Services are prevalent in the U.S. with over a dozen companies offering flights to major cities within the continental states. A few have also begun offering flights to parts of Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. JSX for example offers flights to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico from Dallas and San Diego. Aero Jet also offers service from the West Coast to Cabo and is expanding to Europe, servicing London, Geneva, Ibiza and Nice. Another company, Trade Wind Aviation offers island-hopper flights to over 20 Caribbean destinations.

Right now the prices may seem a little high to the average traveler, but there are some deals in the mix. Take, for instance, the flight offered by JSX between Dallas and Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. A quick look on their app informs me that I could book a one-way flight for my selected date at $599 per person, a price which includes two bags up to 50lbs each and carry-on items.

For comparison, I searched a commonly-used flight aggregate website. There I found a major U.S. commercial carrier that could fly me one-way on the same day for $310—almost half the charter price. However, I would have to pay an extra $30 for each checked bag, plus a fee for seat choice, which brings the total closer to $400 each. If I wanted more legroom and upgraded to business class, luggage and seat choice would be included, just like the charter—but now I would have to pay $585 per person, just $14 less than the private jet. And of course, the price of a private charter in this case is much less than the price of a first-class ticket.

That’s a lot more convenience and a lot less stress for a $14 upgrade from business class!

Are Charter Flights the Next Netflix?

In addition to the companies that provide the flights, there are businesses that offer subscription services. SetJet and JetASAP are just two of these membership clubs. Typically, you pay either a monthly fee between $80 to $100 or an annual charge of $360 to $1400, depending on the membership level.

Membership brings you access to an app that lets you search for flights to your destination in the required time frame. Members also get a discount for booking, but don’t get too excited… seats on oneway flights can still run as high as $10,000 or more!

Obviously, these plans are for the rather well-heeled who travel often (and preferably at their employer’s expense). But like any other commodity, the more private flights that enter the arena, the more competitive the pricing. According to Forbes, pricing for private jet services peaked during the pandemic, and although the average cost per hour is still higher than pre-pandemic levels, it’s dropped 10-29% from its peak.

The Future of the Charter Flight Industry

There seems to be a difference of opinions as to the future of the market. Demand has started to drop a little in the early 2023 marketplace, although some industry insiders remain confident that this is a temporary setback fueled by worries about the global economy. The emergence of sites dedicated to searching for available charter flights is definitely trending upwards. The largest of these, Jettly, searches a database of over 22,000 possible charter jet options within the continental US. For international travel, Jet Finder can hook you up with destinations like London, Dubai, Mykonos, Ibiza, or Geneva.

Although there are options available in Europe, they are largely priced outside the reach of the average traveler’s pocketbook. For example, I used SimplyJet to see about booking a flight for a trip we have planned this fall from Vienna, Austria to Prague in the Czech Republic. Although with a 55-minute flight we would save a lot of time over the four-plus hour train ride, I was quoted a price of €7,000 to €9,500 per person—or about $7,500 to $10,200.

Needless to say, we will probably opt for the $36 train tickets.

I spoke with Dominique Rabezato of SimplyJet over WhatsApp in his office in Paris, France. Although he admitted that this flight would not be our best budget option, he was nevertheless enthusiastic about the future of his company. “We have over 5,000 aircraft all over the world,” said M. Rabezato. He went on to report that compared to the U.S. market, private charter jets in Europe are still in the early stages. He believes that prices will fall as more aircrafts are added every month.

Empty Legs… The Best Option for Last-Minute Travelers

Edward Reid of Villiers Jets, the European search engine for private charters, had a similar take. Villiers searches 10,000 aircraft serving destinations in Europe, but it is rare to find a one-way ticket costing less than $1,800. Most are $5,000 and up. However, he did bring up a Villiers search feature which can get you discounts between 40% and 75% off one-way fares by booking what’s called an “empty leg” flight.

If a person or a group charters a flight, say from Prague to Vienna, the jet may have to return to its home base in Prague before selling out all available seats. In some cases, the jet may even be forced to make the return leg completely empty of passengers… hence the term “empty leg.”

In these cases, you can book your flight for a fraction of the cost. Jets hate to fly empty and Villiers will even allow you to negotiate the price. Both Villiers and SimplyJet apps allow you to search specifically for empty leg options, and you can inquire about this option at most agencies.

The downside, of course, is that these are last-minute offerings. Flights become available only a day or two in advance, which makes it next to impossible to plan ahead. However, empty leg flights are much more useful for quick exits than their commercial counterparts.

Essentially, empty leg and charter flights are ideal for a particular set of travelers. One expat couple we met while living in Ecuador was ahead of the curve, booking charter flights from the U.S. to Guayaquil years ago because of another perk of flying private: Most charter companies don’t charge extra to transport a pet as long as it can fit in a travel carrier under your seat.

Like many pet owners, the couple felt it was worth the extra fee to minimize the time, trauma, and hassle of taking pets on commercial flights.