Private jet charter glossary

52 terms you will meet when chartering a private jet, from empty legs and block time to Part 135 and FBOs, each defined in plain English. Price figures come from the charter estimates this site publishes, and the regulatory entries link to the rules themselves.

Updated September 14, 2026

Aircraft types and sizes

Turboprop: An aircraft whose turbine engine drives a propeller. Turboprops such as the Pilatus PC-12 and Beechcraft King Air are slower than jets, but many can use shorter runways, which suits short regional trips and small airports.
Very light jet (VLJ): The smallest class of business jet, typically seating four to six passengers on short trips. The Embraer Phenom 100 and the HondaJet are examples. The estimates on this site start at light jets.
Light jet: A small business jet that typically seats four to eight passengers on trips of up to about three hours, such as the Cessna Citation CJ3 or Embraer Phenom 300. It is the least expensive jet category in the estimates on this site.How much a private jet costs
Midsize jet: A business jet that typically seats six to nine passengers, with a taller cabin and longer range than a light jet; the Hawker 800XP and Learjet 60 are examples. Across the 45 routes in our price index, a midsize jet costs about 1.5 times as much as a light jet on the same trip.Private Jet Price Index
Super-midsize jet: A class between midsize and heavy jets, such as the Bombardier Challenger 350 or Gulfstream G280, usually with a cabin most adults can stand in and the range to cross the United States nonstop. The estimates on this site cover light, midsize and heavy jets only.
Heavy jet (Large-cabin jet): A large business jet with a stand-up cabin that typically seats ten to sixteen passengers, with the range for coast-to-coast or transatlantic trips; the Gulfstream G450 and Dassault Falcon 900 are examples. In our price index a heavy jet costs about 2.5 times as much as a light jet on the same route.Private Jet Price Index
Ultra-long-range jet: The longest-range business jets, such as the Gulfstream G650 and Bombardier Global 7500, able to fly more than 6,000 nautical miles without refuelling.
VIP airliner (Bizliner): An airliner, such as a Boeing Business Jet or an Airbus ACJ, fitted with a private cabin. Airliners are also chartered whole for large groups, sports teams and tours.
Stand-up cabin: A cabin with roughly six feet of headroom or more, tall enough for most adults to walk upright. It is common from super-midsize jets upward; light jets usually have lower cabins.

Prices, fees and taxes

Hourly rate: The price an operator charges per flight hour for a particular aircraft. Charter quotes are built mainly from the hourly rate multiplied by flight time, plus fees and taxes, which is why the same route costs more in a larger aircraft or against a strong headwind.How much a private jet costs
Block time: The time from when an aircraft first moves for departure until it stops at its destination, including taxiing. Some operators bill on block time rather than time in the air, so it is worth checking which your quote uses.
Positioning (Repositioning, Ferry flight): Flying an aircraft without passengers to where your trip starts, or back to its base after you land. Its cost is often the largest hidden variable in a quote, and it is the reason empty legs exist.
Empty leg: A flight an aircraft has to make without passengers, usually to position for its next charter, sold at a discount. The operator sets the route, date and time, and the flight can be cancelled if the charter it depends on changes.Current empty-leg flights
One-way charter: A charter for a single journey. In the estimates on this site, a round trip is priced at exactly twice the one-way figure.
Round trip: An outbound and a return flight, usually on the same aircraft. For a stay of several days the aircraft may fly home empty and come back for you, or wait with crew costs accruing; which costs less depends on how long you stay.
Multi-leg trip: An itinerary of three or more flights, such as New York to Aspen, Aspen to Los Angeles, then home. Each leg is priced on its own flight time.
Federal excise tax (FET): The US federal tax on commercial air transportation, which applies to most charter flights. Domestic flights pay 7.5% of the amount paid plus a flat fee per passenger for each flight segment, adjusted annually for inflation; international flights pay a per-passenger arrival and departure tax instead.Source: 26 U.S.C. § 4261
Fuel surcharge: An extra charge some operators and programmes add when fuel costs rise above the level their hourly rate assumes. Other quotes include fuel in the price; the quote should say which.
Landing and handling fees: Charges for landing at an airport and for parking, handling and facilities at its FBO. They vary widely from airport to airport and are usually passed through on the quote.
Crew overnight fee: A charge that covers the pilots’ hotel and expenses when the crew stays away from base overnight, common when a round trip includes a night or more at the destination.
De-icing: Removing frost, ice or snow from an aircraft before take-off, which is required whenever it has built up on the wings and other critical surfaces. Because the need depends on the weather on the day, it is usually billed afterwards rather than quoted in advance.
Estimate (Indicative price): On this site, a price range for a route and aircraft category, drawn from charter data and labelled with the date it was captured. It is not an offer: a confirmed quote comes from an operator with an aircraft available on your dates.Get a quote
Cost per nautical mile: A charter price divided by the route’s distance, which lets routes of different lengths be compared. In our price index, trips under 400 nautical miles cost about 2.3 times more per mile than trips over 1,200, because taxi, climb and descent take much the same time on every flight.Private Jet Price Index

Ways to fly private

On-demand charter: Hiring a whole aircraft for a particular trip and paying for that trip alone, with no membership or prepaid balance. It is what the estimates on this site describe.How private jet charter works
Jet card: A prepaid or membership programme that buys flight hours, or a fixed hourly rate, in an aircraft category, often with guaranteed availability on set notice. It suits people who fly often; occasional travellers usually find on-demand charter simpler.
Fractional ownership: Buying a share of a specific aircraft, commonly sold in fractions such as a sixteenth, through a programme that manages it. The share brings a yearly allowance of flight hours in return for monthly management fees and hourly charges.
Charter broker: A company that arranges charter flights for customers on aircraft operated by others. A broker does not operate aircraft; in the United States, air charter brokers are regulated by the Department of Transportation under 14 CFR Part 295.Source: 14 CFR Part 295
Referral site (Affiliate site): A site that sends visitors to a charter broker and is paid a commission when a booking completes. This site is one: it refers enquiries to Villiers Jets and is neither a broker nor an air carrier.Affiliate disclosure

Operators, rules and safety

Operator (Air carrier, Certificate holder): The company that holds the certificate to fly an aircraft commercially and is legally responsible for the flight, including maintenance, crew training and operational control. Before booking, ask which operator will fly your trip.Operator safety ratings, explained
Part 135: The US Federal Aviation Regulations for commuter and on-demand commercial flights, including private jet charter. Compared with private flying under Part 91, they impose stricter rules on pilot duty and rest, training, maintenance, and drug and alcohol testing.Operator safety ratings, explained · Source: 14 CFR Part 135
Part 91: The general operating and flight rules for aircraft in the United States, and the rules private and corporate flights fly under. An aircraft operating only under Part 91 may not be offered to the public for hire.Source: 14 CFR Part 91
Air Operator Certificate (AOC): The certificate a national aviation authority issues to a commercial operator. Charter operators outside the United States fly under their own country’s AOC; the US counterpart for charter is a Part 135 operating certificate.
Operational control: Authority over starting, conducting and ending a flight, as the FAA defines it. On a Part 135 charter it rests with the certificated operator, not with the broker or the passenger.Source: 14 CFR 1.1
ARGUS rating: An independent safety rating of charter operators from ARGUS International, in three tiers: Gold, Gold Plus and Platinum. It draws on safety history and pilot background checks, and the higher tiers add an on-site audit.Operator safety ratings, explained
Wyvern Wingman: An operator audit standard from Wyvern. Wyvern also produces per-trip reports confirming that the aircraft and pilots assigned to a specific flight meet its criteria.Operator safety ratings, explained
IS-BAO: The International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations, a code of practice run by the International Business Aviation Council. Operators are registered rather than rated, progressing through three stages built around a safety management system.Operator safety ratings, explained
Safety management system (SMS): A formal, organisation-wide process for finding hazards, assessing risk and checking that safety controls work. It underpins IS-BAO registration and the ARGUS Platinum rating.

Airports and the ground

FBO (Fixed-base operator): The private terminal at an airport that serves business aircraft, with a passenger lounge, parking, fuel and ground handling. Private jet passengers usually check in at the FBO rather than at the airline terminal.
General aviation (GA): All civil flying other than scheduled airline service, including private and charter flights. Airports such as Teterboro, Van Nuys and Opa-locka serve mainly business aircraft rather than airlines.Charter airports by city
ICAO code: The four-letter airport code used by pilots and air traffic control, such as KTEB for Teterboro. In the contiguous United States it is usually the three-letter code with a K in front.
IATA code: The three-letter airport code used on airline tickets and baggage tags, such as TEB or LAS. Some small airports used by private jets do not have one.
Port of entry (Customs airport): An airport where US Customs and Border Protection clears international arrivals. A private flight arriving from abroad must first land at an airport with customs service, which can decide where it lands.
eAPIS: The US Customs and Border Protection system through which private aircraft operators submit passenger and crew details before a flight enters or leaves the United States.
Airport slot: Permission to land or take off at a congested airport at a set time. Some busy airports require slots or reservations for private flights too, which can decide when your aircraft arrives.
PPR (Prior permission required): An airport rule that aircraft must get permission before arriving. It is common at private or restricted airfields and during major events.
Noise curfew: Hours when an airport restricts or bans flights, or particular aircraft, to limit noise. A curfew can set the latest time you can depart or arrive.
Ramp (Apron): The paved area where aircraft park, board, load and refuel. At some FBOs a car can drive onto the ramp to meet the aircraft, subject to airport and FBO rules.

Distance, speed and performance

Nautical mile (nm): The unit of distance in aviation: exactly 1,852 metres, about 1.15 statute miles. Route distances on this site are great-circle distances in nautical miles.Every route and its distance
Knot: A speed of one nautical mile per hour. Business jets typically cruise at around 400 to 500 knots; turboprops fly more slowly.
Range: How far an aircraft can fly without refuelling. In practice it falls with more passengers and baggage, headwinds, and hot or high airports, so a route near an aircraft’s limit may need a fuel stop.
Fuel stop (Technical stop): A landing made only to refuel, needed when a route is longer than the aircraft can fly nonstop. It adds time and usually a landing fee.
Hot and high: An airport at high elevation, or in hot weather, where thinner air reduces engine and wing performance; Aspen is a well-known example. Aircraft may need to carry less fuel, baggage or passengers to take off safely.