Private jet travel took off in a big way during the pandemic. Flying private, which has long been viewed as a swanky, sometimes out-of-reach indulgence, suddenly became much more attractive in the era of social distancing. And as a flurry of new players entered the market in response to demand, the prices, long considered sky-high, became more accessible as well.
These days, relaxing in privacy at 35,000 feet no longer requires access to your own personal G5. There are now dozens of options for travelers looking to take to the skies in seclusion, many of them with ticket prices that deliver less sticker shock than you might expect. And the fact that most services operate out of smaller airports and private terminals has become even more appealing since the start of the pandemic, increasing demand.
Air Charter Service, the world's largest private aircraft broker, saw its new clients increase 25 percent in 2021. Many of them made the leap to private because it offered a pathway to reunite with family, says Caitlin Uhlmann, CEO of the company's Chicago office. In 2022, one in four of those first-time clients went on to book again and are now repeat clients.
“Being in the industry over 12 years, I’ve never experienced the wave of new clientele and limited aircraft availability due to demand as I had in the last two years,” Uhlmann says. “It doesn’t seem that private travel will slow down in the near future.”
Learning to navigate the multitude of companies and different categories of private air travel—from fly-share services to fractional ownership—can feel overwhelming. Below is a primer on some of the ways to score a seat on a private aircraft.
Charter open marketplaces
These days, all it takes is a strong Wi-Fi connection (and a handy app or two) to get yourself into a private plane. A number of newer services are connecting fliers directly with charter operators, allowing you to browse, book, and buy within minutes.
JetASAP
JetASAP, a free, self-service app that defines itself as an “Airbnb for air travel,” launched in November 2020, allowing fliers to secure and book private flights directly from their smartphones. There’s a free feature to search in both the app and website, and unlimited access is available for $79.99/month or $399.99/year. Fliers are never required to pay a commission—just punch in a flight request, which includes your airport of departure and preferred flight times. Live operators respond with quotes and can answer any questions, and members get access to an exclusive list of more than 1,000 bookable daily trips.
FlyJets
Another newcomer to the private aviation sphere, FlyJets debuted in January 2020. The platform operates like a travel search engine, allowing customers to filter results via their preferred aircraft size, location, and desired departure time. An app, with features including automated scheduling, is set to debut before the end of 2022. Prices can be as much as 50 percent lower than the costs of an average charter, and booking options include full charters, seats on shared charters, and group-purchases. Travelers can even bid on flights that lack a fixed price. They can also earn rewards for flying green, with carbon offsets delivered directly to their user dashboard.
Traditional chartering services
If you want to get in the air without strings attached, but need a little more guidance in which plane to choose, charters are a great option. Charter companies work with dozens of private air operators to locate your ideal flight and manage door-to-door logistics, with no long-term commitment required. Many also offer the option to purchase a jet card, which you can load up either with a fixed number of flight hours or with money you spend like a debit card. The field is a crowded one: along with Wheels Up and Blade, there’s also Air Partner, Private Fly, and Jettly, among others.
Aero
Founded in 2019, Aero offers white-glove service on a fleet of sleek 16-seater black jets. The company flies to Aspen, Colorado; Los Cabos, Mexico; Sun Valley, Idaho; Los Angeles (Van Nuys and LAX); San Francisco; London; Ibiza; and Nice, France. Flights to Switzerland are coming at the end of 2022. Tickets on most routes run $1,000 per leg.
Blade
Blade is a popular choice for city-based travelers. It connects fliers not just with jets but also turboprops, seaplanes, and helicopters in their contracted fleet via a user-friendly app. Its Blade One planes offer seasonal service from NYC to Miami, Palm Beach, and Aspen. A jaunt from NYC to Miami on BladeOne starts at $2,975 per leg. There's no membership required and fliers can purchase multipacks of flight passes on certain routes.
Wheels Up
Founded in 2013, Wheels Up provides access to more than 1,500 aircraft, with a fleet that includes gold-standard planes like the King Air 350i and Citation X. Initially, its offerings were only accessible via three tiers of membership. But late last year, it rolled out the Wheels Up app, which also allows non-members to browse and book one-off flights. Wheels Up Connect memberships have a $2,995 initiation fee plus annual dues of $2,495, and rates jump up from there. Core memberships, which cost $17,500 plus $8,500 in annual dues, include guaranteed access to certain tiers of aircraft plus access to bespoke partners like Abercrombie & Kent, Hertz, Tropic Ocean Airways, and more.
Fly-sharing
Fly-share companies are the easiest on the wallet. Companies like Surf Air, and JSX enable travelers to snag a coveted seat on a private jet charter—sometimes for as little as $100 each way—sharing space with only a handful of other passengers and enjoying perks like no security lines and departure from private terminals. Here's an in-depth breakdown of popular fly-share operators and what each one offers.
Hop-on
JSX, a semi-private carrier, offers flights on 30-seat jets, out of private terminals, starting at $249 each way. The company currently serves 18 markets including Austin, Texas; Los Angeles; Miami; and Westchester County, New York. Thanks to a new partnership with United Airlines, travelers can earn United MileagePlus miles for their flights.
Membership programs
For more frequent fliers, membership programs can be attractive. Through tiered subscription programs, you’ll pay a monthly or annual fee that unlocks access to an entire fleet of aircrafts that can then be booked on demand.
VistaJet
Interest in this company is skyrocketing—new client memberships are at the highest they have ever been, and sales in the first months of 2022 were up 185 percent from the same period in 2021. VistaJet’s fleet of silver and red aircraft includes corporate jets and the long-range Bombardier Global 7500, which has a bedroom and full-size kitchen. Membership options include VistaJet VJ25, a three-year private flight subscription for those who fly between 25 and 49 hours per year.
Set Jet
With a $100 monthly membership fee and one-way flights starting at $750, Set Jet is one of the most affordable private air travel options on the market. Founded in 2014, the West Coast-based company currently offers domestic routes from Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, Scottsdale, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Cabo San Lucas, with seasonal charters to Aspen and Salt Lake City. And it’s growing fast—its fleet of Bombardier aircraft will soon also be taking off from New York, with expansions into Florida and Texas also in the works. It offers good news for spontaneous travelers, too: Set Jet members can book a new flight up to 24 hours before takeoff and snag a seat on an existing flight up to 30 minutes before wheels go up.
XO
One of the largest private aviation firms globally, XO Members and clients have access to more than 2,450 private jets across cabin classes. Seats or entire charters can be booked via the XO mobile app. XO Shared Membership is $595 per year, reducing the seat price for every booking including flights between New York and South Florida that are now offered up to four times daily, seven days a week.
Sentient Jet
Sentient Jet is the inventor of the Jet Card, which allows users to buy 25 hours of flights at a time and choose the aircraft size that fits their needs. The SJ25 Card offers access to light aircraft at a price of $174,375 for 25 hours; SJ25+ gets you 25 hours on mid, super-mid, and large-cabin jets for $224,622.
Magellan Jets
This Boston-based private aviation provider also offers charters, but an easier entry point is their membership program. Explorer100 Private Jet Members receive fixed-rate pricing across four cabin-size categories. With a starting account of $100,000, members receive a 12-month rate lock, guaranteed WiFi on flights, and long-leg/round-trip discounts.
Fractional ownership
With fractional ownership, your piece of the pie is allocated in hours. Owners purchase a portion or share of an aircraft, which is doled out in hours of flight time. The bigger the share, the more hours you get in the air; and unlike membership programs, it's a one-time investment. Companies like NetJets, the granddaddy of private aviation companies, and Flexjet, whose young fleet includes Embraer's super-light Phenom 300 and the ultra-long-range Gulfstream G450, offer ownership starting at a one-sixteenth interest in an aircraft. Buyers should still be prepared to shell out at least $500,000 and often much more.
This story has been updated with new information since its original publish date.