Time and money compared
Enter your travellers, first-class fare, flight time and connections. See total cost and door-to-door hours for each option, and the cost of every hour saved.
One-way comparison. The private estimate picks the smallest category that seats your group and flies the distance nonstop.
Private jet
- Estimated cost
- — Enter your trip to compare.
- Door to door
- — Arrive 15 min ahead; 10 min to the car
First class
- Total fares
- — Travellers × fare
- Door to door
- — 90 min ahead, taxi queue, 30 min after landing
—The extra cost of flying privately, divided by the hours it saves.
How the numbers are built
First class is your fare multiplied by the number of travellers. Door to door, it allows 90 minutes at the airport before departure, 15 minutes of taxi queue, 90 minutes for each connection and 30 minutes from landing to car.
The private jet uses the smallest category that seats your group and covers the distance nonstop: light jets for up to six travellers and about four hours, then midsize, super-midsize, large cabin and ultra long range. Cost is flight time, with a one-hour minimum, at typical US hourly ranges plus the 7.5% federal excise tax and about $5 per passenger in segment fees. Door to door allows 15 minutes before departure and 10 after landing.
Both sides assume the same drive to the airport, though private airports are often closer. The private estimate leaves out repositioning, daily minimums and airport fees, which a real quote includes; a one-way trip can cost more if the aircraft returns empty.
Reading the result
The cost per hour saved divides the extra cost of the private option by the traveller-hours it saves. If it is below what an hour of your group’s time is worth to you, private makes sense on these numbers. If private comes out cheaper, the comparison is easy; if it is far above, keep your tickets.