Private jet rental cost calculator
Choose any two of our 40 US and resort cities — the estimate updates live from great-circle distances and real fleet hourly rates. No email required to see numbers.
All-in quotes
Crew, fuel and standard catering included in every estimate.
Hourly rates, side by side
Typical 2026 US charter rates per flight hour. The single biggest cost driver is aircraft size — everything else is routing, positioning and dates.
| Category | Typical hourly | Seats | Example models | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turboprop | $1,500 – $2,300 / hr | 6 – 8 | Pilatus PC-12, King Air 350i | Short hops under 500 nm, small airports, ski & golf trips |
| Light Jet | $2,600 – $3,800 / hr | 6 – 8 | Embraer Phenom 300, Citation CJ3+ | Regional trips of 2–3 hours — NYC–Miami, LA–Vegas |
| Midsize Jet | $3,800 – $5,200 / hr | 7 – 9 | Citation XLS+, Learjet 75 | Stand-up cabin comfort on 3–4 hour sectors |
| Super-midsize | $5,200 – $7,500 / hr | 8 – 10 | Challenger 350, Citation Latitude | Coast-to-coast nonstop with a full load |
| Heavy Jet | $8,000 – $13,000 / hr | 10 – 14 | Gulfstream G450, Global 6000 | Transcontinental groups, overnight international legs |
| Ultra-long-range | $12,000 – $16,000+ / hr | 12 – 16 | Global 7500, Gulfstream G650ER | New York–London, LA–Tokyo nonstop in a stateroom cabin |
Rates are indicative market ranges for 2026 and exclude positioning, de-icing and peak-date premiums. Your estimate above prices specific aircraft from our network.
What each aircraft costs per hour
Select a model for the full picture. Set a route and party size to see flight time, estimated trip cost and nonstop range fit per aircraft.
Route prices, coast to coast
Starting prices per aircraft class on America's most-chartered city pairs — computed from the same data as the calculator above.
New York → Miami
997 nm · ~2h 42m by light jet
Los Angeles → Las Vegas
208 nm · ~0h 58m by light jet
Dallas → Aspen
651 nm · ~1h 56m by light jet
New York → Los Angeles
2,231 nm · ~5h 26m by light jet
Chicago → Nashville
363 nm · ~1h 18m by light jet
Houston → Scottsdale
918 nm · ~2h 32m by light jet
Miami → Nassau
168 nm · ~0h 52m by light jet
San Francisco → Los Angeles
317 nm · ~1h 12m by light jet
Atlanta → Palm Beach
503 nm · ~1h 37m by light jet
Boston → Nantucket
81 nm · ~0h 41m by light jet
Denver → Vail / Eagle
94 nm · ~0h 42m by light jet
Seattle → Napa
587 nm · ~1h 48m by light jet
What drives the price
Two quotes for the same route can differ by thousands of dollars. These are the six variables that explain almost all of it.
01
Aircraft size
The single biggest lever. A light jet burns roughly a third of the fuel of a heavy jet and needs smaller crews and lower landing fees — hence $3,000/hr versus $10,000/hr.
02
Distance & routing
Charter is billed per flight hour, so block time rules. Headwinds, ATC routing and altitude restrictions can add 5–15% to the great-circle distance on a given day.
03
Positioning & empty legs
If the jet isn’t based at your departure airport, you pay to move it there. One-way trips often include the cost of returning the aircraft to base.
04
Airport & FBO fees
Landing, ramp, handling and overnight fees range from a few hundred dollars at reliever fields to $2,000+ at Teterboro or Aspen in peak season.
05
Peak dates & demand
Holidays, the Super Bowl, Art Basel, major golf weekends — demand spikes can lift prices 20–40% and tighten minimum daily charges.
06
Catering & crew overnights
Standard snacks and drinks are included. Special catering is billed at cost, and multi-day trips add crew hotel and per-diem charges of $300–$600 per night.
Three ways to pay less
- Empty legs — repositioning flights sold at 30–60% off when your route and dates are flexible. The best value in private aviation.
- Jet cards — pre-purchased hours (typically 25) at a fixed rate, from roughly $150,000 for light jets. Worth it past ~20 hours a year; below that, on-demand charter usually wins.
- Memberships — annual fees of $3,000–$15,000 that unlock capped rates and guaranteed availability. Compare the break-even against pay-as-you-fly quotes first.
Same jets, half the price
Every one-way charter leaves an aircraft that has to fly back empty. Operators sell those repositioning legs at deep discounts rather than fly them vacant.
If your dates flex by a day or two and your route matches, an empty leg is the cheapest way to fly private — full aircraft, full crew, a fraction of the price.
−60%
Typical maximum saving vs. standard charter
Teterboro → Palm Beach Light jet · 7 seats
Sat, Feb 14
$11,400 was $19,000
Van Nuys → Las Vegas Light jet · 7 seats
Sun, Feb 15
$4,900 was $8,200
Dallas Love → Aspen Midsize jet · 8 seats
Mon, Feb 16
$9,800 was $15,500
Chicago → Scottsdale Super-mid · 9 seats
Wed, Feb 18
$16,200 was $26,000
Miami → Teterboro Heavy jet · 13 seats
Fri, Feb 20
$24,500 was $39,000
San Francisco → Kahului (Maui) Super-mid · 9 seats
Sat, Feb 21
$31,900 was $52,000
Sample listings for illustration. Live empty-leg availability changes hourly — ask our dispatch desk what’s currently open on your route.
Cost questions, answered
Most US charters fall between $5,000 and $30,000 one-way. A light jet for a 2-hour regional trip runs $6,000–$12,000; a super-midsize coast-to-coast flight is typically $25,000–$35,000; ultra-long-range international trips start around $90,000. Use the calculator above for a route-specific estimate.
Turboprops: $1,500–$2,300/hr. Light jets: $2,600–$3,800/hr. Midsize: $3,800–$5,200/hr. Super-midsize: $5,200–$7,500/hr. Heavy jets: $8,000–$13,000/hr. Ultra-long-range: $12,000–$16,000+/hr. Minimum daily charges of 1.5–2 flight hours usually apply.
Below roughly 20 flight hours a year, on-demand charter almost always wins: you pay only for what you fly and can shop every trip. Jet cards (25-hour blocks from ~$150,000 for light jets) buy rate locks and guaranteed availability — convenience you pay a premium for.
Membership programs charge $3,000–$15,000 per year for access to capped hourly rates, priority booking and empty-leg alerts. They make sense for frequent flyers on specific routes; for occasional trips, pay-as-you-fly charter has no fixed cost at all.
Typically 30–60% off standard charter rates. The trade-offs: fixed dates, fixed routing, and the possibility of cancellation if the original charter changes. Flexible travelers get the best deals in private aviation here.
Combine three tactics: choose the smallest aircraft that fits your party, fly out of reliever airports instead of major hubs, and watch empty-leg listings on your route. Semi-private by-the-seat services on popular corridors can drop the per-person cost under $1,000.
Our quotes include fuel at current rates. During price spikes, some operators add a fuel surcharge of $200–$800 per hour — always ask whether a quote is all-in. De-icing in winter ($1,500–$10,000 per event) is the other common extra.
Flight time (block hours) × the aircraft’s hourly rate, plus positioning legs to reach you, landing and FBO fees, crew overnights on multi-day trips, catering upgrades and federal excise tax of 7.5% on domestic legs. Our calculator models the first and largest component; an advisor firms up the rest within 30 minutes.
Know your number in thirty minutes.
Tell us the route and the budget — a charter advisor replies with firm, all-in options from vetted Part 135 operators, day or night.
National dispatch · 24/7 (800) 555-0163