See what your flight costs, before anyone calls you
Search any route for an indicative private jet charter price by aircraft category. Most short domestic hops run $5,000 to $12,000 one way in a light jet. What moves the price is flight time, aircraft size and repositioning — not how many people are on board.
104 routes priced from live charter data, captured . We are not an air carrier and do not operate aircraft.
What drives the price of a charter
- Flight time, not distance
- Charter is priced by the hour. A headwind, an airway detour or a fuel stop all add hours, and all add cost.
- Aircraft category
- Moving from a light to a heavy jet roughly doubles the hourly rate. Cabin size and range, not seat count, decide the category you need.
- Repositioning
- If the aircraft is not already near you, someone pays for it to get there. This is the single largest hidden variable in any quote.
New to charter? The glossary defines the terms you will meet in a quote, from block time and positioning to Part 135.
Empty legs departing soon
Repositioning flights sold at a discount because the aircraft is moving anyway. You take the operator’s route and date, and the flight can change if their original charter does.
KLBB → KHOU
· Cessna Citation Ultra · 7 seats
$4,515
KAUS → KSGF
· Cessna Citation Ultra · 7 seats
$4,838
SADF → SGAS
· Learjet 60 · 8 seats
$6,665
EGGW → LFPB
· Pilatus PC12 · 6 seats
£6,988
Common questions about private jet charter
- How much does it cost to charter a private jet?
- For a light jet, most short domestic routes fall between roughly $5,000 and $12,000 one way; midsize jets typically run 1.5 times that and heavy jets around 2.5 times. Price is driven by flight time, aircraft category and whether the aircraft has to reposition to reach you, not by the number of passengers.
- What is an empty leg flight?
- An empty leg is a repositioning flight an operator has to fly anyway, with no passengers on board. Because the aircraft is moving regardless, these are sold at a substantial discount. The trade-off is that you take the route and date the operator needs, and the flight can be cancelled if the original charter changes.
- Is a private jet cheaper than first class?
- Almost never per person for one or two travellers. It can become competitive for a group of six or more on a route with poor scheduled service, once you count the time saved and the connection avoided. We will tell you when scheduled service is the better answer.
- How far in advance should I book?
- Most charters can be arranged within 24 to 48 hours, and sometimes within hours. Booking a week or more ahead widens the choice of aircraft and usually lowers the price, because the operator has more scope to avoid an empty repositioning flight.