Private jet charters: how do they work and can they be affordable?

There has been an increase in claims that private jet charters are becoming more affordable these days. But are they really cheap enough for an everyday traveller, or is it just a cleverly worded hook designed to grab your attention and raise your hopes? Our expert investigated the world of private jet charters to find out.

There are plenty of reasons people choose to charter a private jet. You’ll leave from your own private terminal, saving time at the airport, and it offers an unrivalled sense of exclusivity and luxury. For business travellers, the superior facilities aboard a private jet make for a much more conducive working environment. Plus, there are far fewer (or perhaps no) fellow passengers to distract you if you need to get work done.

A sense of occasion is another reason to fork out thousands. Some fly by private jet to make a grand romantic gesture, whisking their partner off to Paris for a long weekend. For others, a chartered group flight is a great way to sweep guests off for a destination wedding or an extravagant stag or hen party.

Then there are the animal lovers. If you’re travelling within Europe, one of the most attractive advantages for those with furry friends is that aboard a chartered flight, your pet can travel with you. There’s no stressful situation avoiding a small box and the hold. You can simply walk onto the plane.

Ultimately, whatever the purpose of the flight, it’s the sheer indulgent luxury of the whole experience that’s so appealing. Check out some of these extravagant jets for inspiration...

There’s no easy answer to this question. As with all flights, it depends on your destination, journey time, the number of passengers and the type of aircraft. You can also expect plenty of additional costs such as passenger taxes, landing fees and parking fees.

You’ll often be quoted on different types and sizes of planes, so it’s worth briefly brushing up on your aviation knowledge. In simple terms, there are five common types of private jet charters with four smaller options (small turboprop aircraft, small jets, medium jets and long-range jets) for groups under 15, and airliners for larger groups. You can find out more on the PrivateFly website.

Price-wise, a small turboprop jet (think propellers and space for up to nine passengers) for the one-hour flight from London to Manchester will set you back over £3,800, usually just £50 each way with British Airways. A two-hour flight from London to Nice in a light jet for up to eight passengers costs from £8,000, and the seven-hour flight aboard a heavy jet to New York for up to 18 people will mean parting ways with at least £75,000 of your hard-earned cash.

When you break it down to a per-person cost, it rarely works out. For example, flying with a group of eight from London to Nice will cost around £1,000 each. You can fly the same route with a budget airline for as little as £35, though you don't get all the perks of private flying, of course. 

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However, if a private jet charter is on your bucket list and you don’t happen to buy that winning lottery ticket, there are a variety of options that are making the experience more affordable than ever. Although don’t check your passport is in date just yet – they’re still not cheap...

Companies like Surf Air are bringing the subscription-style packages that have been so successful for the likes of Amazon Prime and Spotify to the airways. Becoming a member costs a cool monthly fee of £1,750 (that’s just under £58 a day) for flights within Europe or £3,150 a month (almost £104 a day) for all European and US routes. You can travel as often as you like with up to seven other passengers and, according to their website, you can book in as little as 30 seconds.

Alternatively, there are membership options available that come with an annual price tag rather than a monthly fee. An app-based platform, JetSmarter is the most successful of these with backing from big-name celebs such as Jay Z. Selling itself as the ‘Uber of private jets’, it costs $15,000 (around £11,500) for the first year.

The app allows you to charter a private jet at a reduced price and then crowd-share the flight by offering seats to other JetSmarter members for a fee. It also provides JetShuttle flights (a single seat on an already scheduled private jet) for free if less than three hours, with longer flights incurring a surcharge of up to $3,000 (around £2,250).

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While these options are indeed cheaper than hiring a private jet on a regular basis, they’re really only a viable option for flyers who regularly travel in either Business or First Class.

If you’re considering signing up to one of these schemes, do your research: in the last five years, multiple startups, such as BlackJet and Beacon, have folded due to poor membership sales and various financial problems, with customers having lost their money irrevocably.

If you love a bargain, it’s worth looking for what are known in the industry as ‘empty leg’ flights. Aircraft are often chartered one way from specific airports, meaning that there are times when a plane is flying empty in order to collect its next passengers. Rather than covering the cost of relocating the aircraft, charter companies can cut the price of these flights by as much as 75%.

Companies like Air Charter Service, Victor (whose app is much better than their website), Air Partner and Stratajet all offer this service with many of them posting dates, destinations and prices on their websites. However, it’s good to be flexible if you decide to pursue this option. With almost 4.5 million airfields in Europe alone, the chances of finding a specific journey on a specific date are pretty slim.

If you’re looking to invest a little more, companies like NetJets offer the option of shared ownership on a plane. This works almost like a timeshare: every “share” that you own has a time value – the more you own, the more hours you are entitled to fly in that particular type of aircraft.

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While we often hear that private jet charters are becoming more affordable – they’re as much as 20% cheaper than they were five years ago – there’s still a long way to go before they can be used by the average traveller.

Subscription options can help to spread the cost, but unless you’re regularly making trips of three hours or less in Business or First Class, they’re hardly worth it. Even with the comparatively cheaper JetSmarter membership, you’d need to be spending at least £1,000 a month on short-haul flights to make the annual fee worth it.

If you’ve really got your heart set on that bucket-list private jet experience, your best bet is jump on the Victor app and start looking for the perfect empty leg flight. Alternatively, round up a group of friends and split the cost of chartering a small plane on one of Europe’s shorter routes.