Hiring a private jet is partly about luxury and partly about convenience.
It is needless to mention that private jets are more comfortable than commercial airplanes, be it airbuses or jets. Only business class can be compared with private jets but the commercial flights would always be subjected to schedules.
You can fly from your chosen airport to any destination you want regardless of the flight plans of commercial airlines.
You can have absolute control of your schedule.
Your itinerary would be nominally affected by prevailing flight plans depending on the airport or airfield you choose.
The actual takeoff and landing may only be a few minutes off from your preference in some cases.
Since you can land smaller private jets on narrower runways and smaller airfields, it is not necessary to fly to one of the major airports and this allows you to get closer to your eventual destination in many cases.
Private Jets are Costly.
You need to factor in the cost of hiring the jet and then there is fuel, fees for the airway and airport, clearance charges and storage costs, crew and passenger safety, additional expenses such as for catering and the required ground transport.
There are various types of private jets, some more expensive to hire than others.
The longer you fly or the farther your destination, the more you shall pay for fuel, crew and airway.
Additional expenses may also be greater since you will need in flight food and beverage, which can be avoided when you are only flying for half an hour or an hour.
If you are planning a trip with multiple stops, then the cost would increase proportionately. You may want to get insurance and that would cost extra.
When you hire a private jet, all these costs are usually included unless mentioned otherwise.
Some private jet operators may tell you that ground transport and various fees to be paid at airports, perhaps involving customs too if you are importing something in case of international travel.
Cost of private jet varies considerably among countries.
The cost would also vary among operators. The quantum of luggage and the number of people flying would also have a bearing on the cost.
You may also choose not to opt for an exclusive private jet.
There are some operators that would sell every seat of a private jet to people traveling from the same place to the same destination.
The storage cost comes in if you have to park the private jet at the hangar of an airport for a while if you want to fly back the same day or have an arrangement wherein the plane would wait for you for a specific period of time and this can be a few days.
The latter would escalate the cost substantially since the private jet would not be able to cater to other clients.
Average Cost of Hiring a Private Jet
- You may hire a helicopter for three to five passengers and fly up to three hundred and sixty eight miles for a cost of $1200 to $1800.
Common helicopters are Bell 206BIII and Bell 206L-1. - You may hire a turbo prop for six to eight passengers and fly up to fifteen hundred miles for $1800 to $2200.
King Air 200 is a common private jet in this category. - There are light private jets such as Citation Jet Series, Learjet 45 / 75, Hawker 400 XP and Phenom 300 for six to eight passengers and you can fly up to twenty one hundred miles for $2100 to 2800.
- There are midsize jets like the Citation XL/XLS, Hawker 800XP, Hawker 850XP, Hawker 900XP, Gulfstream 150 and Learjet 60 / 60XR suited for seven to nine passengers for a distance of up to twenty seven hundred miles for $2700 to $4000.
- Super midsize jets like Citation Latitude, Challenger 300/350, Falcon 50EX, Citation X / Sovereign, Gulfstream 200 / 280 and Legacy 450 / 500 are suitable for eight to nine passengers flying up to thirty six hundred miles for $3500 to $4500.
- Heavy private jets like Challenger 604 / 605, Gulfstream IV / IVSP / 450 / 400, Falcon 2000 EX / LXS and Legacy 600 are suitable for nine to sixteen passengers flying up to forty five hundred miles and they usually cost $4500 to $6500.
- There are ultra long range private jets for twelve to seventeen passengers flying up to seventy five hundred miles for $7000 to $9000.
These planes are usually Falcon 7X, Global and Gulfstream V / 550 / 650.
The cost can vary substantially depending on the choice of jet, the facilities you would want onboard, any special amenities or services that you may require and of course the choice of operator.
Not all operators have all these options but most would provide you at least one private jet in the common light, midsize and super midsize categories. Helicopter operators do not necessarily have private jets.
Private jet operators do not necessarily conduct helicopter tours.
There is a distinction between city based tour operators or even a nationwide company operating local and regional tours and long distance private jet operators.
You are likely to get heavy and ultra long distance private jets from the latter type of operators.
Some of the largest private jet companies or operators are NetJets, XoJet, Stratos, PrivateFly, Jettly, JetSuitex, Victor, GlobeAir, VistaJet and Magellan.