For the first-time private jet flyers, getting started might feel daunting. But it opens the world to you: Chicago to L.A. and back by tee time? Omaha to Aruba for the weekend?
When contacting a jet provider, you’ll be asked to provide specific details and your travel needs. These questions are near-universal in the private jet industry and are needed to provide the appropriate type of plane and level of service you’d expect (since excellent, personalized service is the point).
1. Where and When Are You Going?
The most important question is where you plan to go and when. While commercial airlines are mostly restricted to a handful of larger or hub airports, private jets can fly into smaller municipal and private airports.
This is to ensure you get the right plane to match your needs. For example, when flying at sea level to Los Angeles or Miami, a Cessna Citation V only requires a runway of slightly over three thousand feet for takeoff. To take off at higher elevations, such as Colorado Springs at five thousand feet, the same plane needs a five thousand foot runway.
Since many airports have runways of at least five thousand feet, your options are wide open. There are around five thousand airports in the United States, and about three thousand of those can handle private jets. This means the chances are great that you can fly precisely where you want to.
2. Do you want a one-way or round-trip flight?
This is to determine if the plane and crew need to wait for you to board your return flight, or will be available after bringing you to your destination.
3. How many passengers?
With private jets coming in many different sizes, it’s crucial to find an available plane that can accommodate you and anyone you’re flying with. For example, a Gulfstream G650 is ideal for larger groups and longer flights, while a light jet like a Citation Mustang can carry four people.
4. How much baggage?
Just like with passenger size, your plane must be able to carry your baggage. This includes both by weight and size, so any larger items – such as golf bags or skis – can fit.
5. What size of aircraft do you want (or need)?
After accounting for passenger size and baggage weight, you may want the extra space larger aircraft provide. The operating limits of different planes are also a major factor.
For example, if you want to fly out of a hot airport at a high elevation, you might not be able to use a certain jet with every seat and cargo bin full. Also, you may not be able to take off with full fuel, which will necessitate additional fuel stops. Private jets give you unmatched flexibility but are much more sensitive to minor weight adjustments.
6. What is your budget?
Several factors go into the private jet charter cost you’ll face: the size of the plane and model, trip distance, and demand. Here’s our in-depth look at how private jet rental prices work.
Advantages of Renting Private Jets
Major airlines have dominated air travel for decades, but the pandemic has changed things forever. When entire fleets were grounded, it was obvious that the airline industry was not impervious.
At the same time, local airports buzzed on as they always have, including all types of private aircraft.
Flyers who had typically flown commercial – in first class or business class – and dealt with the crowds, long waits, and security lines switched to air charter services for air travel and haven’t looked back.
So what are the key benefits that keep private jet users coming back?
Here are the key advantages when you rent a private jet:
- You choose the airports: Instead of operating out of a maze of terminals, you can choose the airport size based on your proximity to it. Even if you choose a major hub airport, they have separate ramps and terminals for private jets, which are small, easy to navigate, and avoid the crowds and long waits of commercial airlines. Smaller airports have the equivalent of terminals, known as Fixed Base Operators (or FBO’s.)
- Fly on your schedule: You have a say in your flight plan and itinerary. Do you want to stop in Des Moines on the way to Flagstaff? If you need to take off at 3 a.m. to make it for a 7:30 client meeting or to close an important deal client, you can do that. You can greatly reduce flight times when flying on a private jet.
- Save Time and Avoid Airport Crowds: You don’t have to arrive hours early in order to park, ride the shuttle, find the right terminal, then wait in long TSA lines. Private jets operate out of small terminals with a limited client base, so security is a breeze. Plus, you can usually drive right up to the private terminal or FBO. There is usually dedicated parking right at the terminal building, and the timeframe from parking to boarding is measured in minutes, not hours.
- Covid Safety: There are far fewer high-risk contact points for the spread of COVID-19, and the aircraft is thoroughly cleaned after every flight, along with a control roster of who is in contact with the aircraft. You also get to choose who you fly with. While the risk isn’t eliminated entirely, you can greatly reduce it.