How Business Travelers Access Private Jets

Forget the days when private aviation was reserved solely for celebs, royals and high-powered CEOs. You don’t have to be a Logan Roy scion to travel on your terms. In 2024, private jets are taking off as a viable option for business travelers, shifting toward flexibility, cost sense, ease of use, and convenience. For those itching to ditch the lines and layovers of commercial travel, we look to new ways to take to the skies.

How Do You Book a Private Flight?

Unlike commercial flights, you cannot just book a ticket. The cabin may no longer be exclusive, but access is granted through a hefty list of companies operating and managing planes on increasingly competitive tarmacs.

Jet Cards

Companies such as Volato and Jet Linx offer prepaid hour programs with guaranteed access to a range of aircraft for a fixed price. This eliminates the uncertainty of on-demand charters and allows travelers to budget their flying costs. Jet card rates can be pricey, but they offer a smart way to control private aviation fees compared to full or fractional ownership. Volato offers an Insider Program that presents capped charter rates for highly trafficked routes, adding some benefits to the jet card concept through its tiered deposit program.

Memberships

Wheels Up pioneered the membership model, providing access to a fleet of jets for an annual fee, ideal for frequent flyers with flexible schedules.

Charters for Large Groups

Splitting the cost among a team or delegation can bring private flights in line with commercial business-class prices, especially on longer routes. Companies such as Air Charter Service and Empty Leg create matches between travelers and available planes or seats to locate the right aircraft at the best price.

Empty Legs

One-way repositioning flights are the true treasure of private aviation. Travelers can fly in comfort at a fraction of the cost with providers such as Empty Leg, Flexjet or Vaunt if flexible with times and locations. While jet services like Jettly and XO often list their current empty-leg deals online, aggregator apps such as Catch-a-Jet or Mercury Jets may be the best option for frequent users.

Flex Travel

New programs from companies such as Blade allow travelers to book private flights with fewer restrictions on departure times and aircraft types. This often translates to lower prices compared to traditional on-demand charters.

XO offers luxurious flights on top-class aircraft, such as the Challenger 300/350, with a capacity of up to eight passengers / Photo: Courtesy of XO

Private Aviation Apps

Private jet companies are embracing app technology, making it easier to find flights and secure the best deals. Apps from XO, Vaunt and Wheels Up provide real-time availability, pricing comparisons and flight booking capabilities.

Flights on the smallest and lightest jets are apt to cost at least $2,000 per hour. A four-seat Citation Mustang rents for approximately $2,900 per hour through Paramount Business Jets, but split four ways, it can be below the cost of most business class seats for a regional trip. Similarly, a Falcon 7X can seat up to 16 people, and with a price per hour of $11,400, it comes out to just over $700 per person, with a bevy of perks.

The Benefits of Flying Private

While a comfortable seat on a small plane may be the prize, plenty of benefits add to the point of spending for a private flight. You do not have to shell out extra fees for amenities, luggage, preferred seating or libations.

Often, a dedicated concierge service makes sure all goes well. Private or secondary airport facilities are small and calm. Security is quick. And luggage? Done for you. As for pets, most planes welcome them with a seat and a snack.

Hidden Perks

Many of the companies offering private air services may not be household names—and seem to come, go, merge and lurch onto the scene with the speed of a magician’s hand—but commercial airlines are not ignoring partnership opportunities this fast-growing transport is creating. JSX, a visionary “hop-on, hop-off” semiprivate air carrier with a menu of scheduled flights with private air advantages, teamed up with United Airlines to offer MileagePlus points.

The Dallas-based airline runs flights on 30-seat Embraers starting at $149 each way on some routes within a robust coast-to-coast map. JetBlue, as a minority stakeholder, offers JSX flyers TrueBlue points, all with generous multiplier factors. Similarly, Wheels Up has a partnership with Delta SkyMiles. Although commercial reward miles can be accrued, they cannot be used for private flights.

VistaJet offers passengers trips to such destinations as Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Hawaii / Photo: Courtesy of Four Seasons

Bonus Bundles

Several private aviation companies, including JSX, Aero and XO, have partnered with luxury resorts to offer bespoke flight/hotel packages and curated experiences. Tradewind Aviation has a choice of exclusive vacation experiences in the Caribbean. VistaJet presents Four Seasons resort vacations in Hawaii, or you can fly JSX to Los Cabos for a luxe stay at Nobu, with all details managed door-to-door.