How much does a private jet charter cost?

The cost to charter a plane can range anywhere from $1,200 – $10,000 per billable flight hour. That range includes a wide variety of aircraft from small turboprops to the most expensive luxury business jets.

Aside from the hourly rate of the aircraft, there many factors which affect private jet charter pricing.

Private Jet Charter Costs — The Full Picture

The main components of a private jet rental cost are:

  • Billable Flight Time – Based on the hourly rate of the aircraft and the number of flight hours.
  • Fuel Surcharge – Charges vary by type of plane, distance flown and the cost of fuel.
  • Crew Fees – Per diem payments, hotel fees, meals, etc.
  • Landing, Handling & Incidental Fees – Charges vary by type of plane, airport and other details.
  • Federal Excise Tax (FET) – Domestic flights incur a tax of 7.5% on top of all charges.

Want more detail on these fees and other useful info? Visit our Glossary for more information.

Private Jet Rental Cost Breakdown

Here is a sample breakdown of the cost to charter a jet from LA to Aspen, round-trip:

Trip Details
Routing Los Angeles, CA to Aspen, CO
Flight Time 2.5hrs each way
Aircraft Type Midsize Jet
Hourly Rate $3,400
Duration 2 Days / 1 Night
FEE TYPE AMOUNT
Flight Time (5hrs) $17,000.00
Fuel Surcharge $550.00
Crew Fees $600.00
Landing Fees $750.00
Subtotal $18,900.00
Federal Excise Tax (7.5%) $1,417.50
GRAND TOTAL $20,317.50

This sample breakdown shows all the anticipated fees involved in the average jet rental price.

Clearly, the largest expense is the Flight Time charge.

How is billable flight time determined when flying private?

Billable flight time fees make up the bulk of any private jet charter cost. This cost is paid to the owner of the plane in the form of an hourly rate.

Billable flight time is time in the air plus any additional repositioning fees and/or daily minimum flight time adjustments. Time on the ground does not count toward billable flight time.

Example:

  • You book a one-way flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
  • The flight time is approx. 1hr in a Light Jet.

Since most aircraft have a 2-hr daily minimum flight time commitment, your billable hours may be invoiced like this:

FEE TYPE Hours
Flight Time (live) 1.00
Daily Minimum 1.00
BILLABLE FLIGHT TIME 2.00

Private Jet Hourly Rates — Pricing by Aircraft Type

The following hourly rates represent a range of prices for aircraft within each major category. Exact rates for specific aircraft within each class will vary:

Aircraft Type Example Aircraft Max Passengers Ballpark Hourly Rate
Turboprop Pilatus PC12 6-8 $1,200 – $1,800
Very Light Jet Phenom 100 4-5 $1,500 – $2,250
Light Jet Hawker 400XP 6-8 $2,200 – $3,000
Midsize Jet Lear 60 7-9 $2,800 – $3,800
Supermidsize Jet Citation Sovereign 8-10 $3,800 – $5,000
Heavy Jet Gulfstream G-IV 10-16 $5,000 – $8,000

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