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