Main factors of private jet charter cost
Determining the cost of a private jet rental is no easy feat. We can divide the main factors that are determining the cost of a private jet into four main categories:
1. Price of a private jet charter flight
Length of the journey
The biggest factor that determines the cost of your flight is the distance between your takeoff and landing point. More specifically, the time it takes to cover it. Whether you’re flying from Los Angeles to Tokyo, San Francisco to Panama, or Las Vegas to Venezuela for the most part it doesn’t matter.
What’s important is flight time. The total billable flight time includes positioning fees, air time, and the minimum standard, which is a minimum of two hours per day. It’s usually based on the hourly rate of the private jet and the number of flight hours. For example, a light jet at $2,000 per hour with a range of three hours would cost $6,000.
Aircraft type
The second biggest factor that goes into determining the cost of your flight is the type and size of the airplane. The simple rule is: the bigger the plane, the more expensive it is.
For example, light jets can seat three to four passengers, costing $2,000 to $3,500 per flight hour. Midsize jets can seat up to 10 passengers and cost between $3,000 to $6,000 per hour. Large jets seat 10+ people and cost $5,000 to $11,000, while VIP airliners can seat anywhere from 16 to 80 people and cost $15,000 upwards per hour.
2. Concierge services
When flying private you have the option to book a range of additional services to make your travel even more comfortable and relaxing. For example, you can order custom in-flight catering with beverages and snacks and spend $600 to $1,000 for lunch for four passengers. If you request ground transport, you can pay from $100 to $1,000 based on your needs and preferences.
It’s also possible to arrange additional services with your flights. Whether you’d like a five-star hotel, a celebrity to fly with you, or something else, for a certain fee, we’ll try and help you arrange it.
3. Fees
When trying to estimate the final cost of the private jet you have to consider different fees that you might have to pay. They include:
- Airport fees: Airports have set usage fees for airplanes landing and departing from there. These fees go towards maintaining the airport and will differ by the airport. Depending on aircraft size and weight, landing fees are between $150 to $500. Ramp and handling can range from $100 to $500 per visit.
- Short leg fees: Using large airplanes for short leg flights is inefficient and impractical from the viewpoint of the plane. However, some customers still require this for one reason or another. If you’d like a short-term flight with an extremely large airplane, expect a higher quote than usual.
- Hangar fees: If you’re planning a short-term stay, the plane might stay at the airport for the duration. This will incur additional fees that can range from $500 to $1,500 per day based on the aircraft size.
- International fees: If you’re flying internationally your flight will incur some additional costs. This will be for various permits, customs, immigration fees, and anything else your country of destination requires. Depending on the region and event, international fees can range from $500 to $5,000 or higher.
- Crew fees: Crew overnight: If you’re making a return trip then you will need to pay for crew overnight fees. The cost of this will be made up of a fee for the pilots and an additional fee for hotels, food, and expenses. While the pilot fee is fixed, the others can vary significantly. In total this can range from $400/ crew to over $2000.
- Plane fees or airline fees are covering the cost of the luggage but when flying private the only thing you have to be concerned about is luggage capacity in a plane. One more extry cost can be cleaning which can cost up to $500 or more.
4. Additional costs
Alongside concierge and airport fees there will be additional costs to consider. Once all of your requirements are discussed, all of these will be included in your price. However, it’s great to be transparent so that you know what the price of your flight is made up of.
- Ground transportation: If you’d like assistance with travel to and from the airport, then this can also be arranged. As with catering, almost anything can be achieved. Whether you’d like to be taken to the airport in a limousine or a Lamborghini this can be arranged. Luxury transportation to and from your accommodation will make sure you always arrive in style. If you’re making a round trip, depending on the airport, it’s also possible to arrange secure parking.
- Onboard services: Most airplanes come with inflight entertainment services. However, if you’d like to use WiFi then this can be expensive while flying. In-flight entertainment can also have additional costs. Wi-Fi can cost from $3.00 to $8.5 per megabyte.
- Cleaning and de-icing: All airplanes require cleaning after a flight. This is done by professional crews with huge attention to detail. Additionally, if you’re flying from a cold location your plane might require de-icing which can cost anywhere from $1000 to $10000.
- Fuel surcharge: Fuel prices change regularly. While this isn’t as noticeable with a car, it can make a huge difference with a plane. Just a 10-cent increase in fuel price can mean a $5000 difference in pricing. The closer you book to your flight date, the smaller the included fuel surcharge will be.
