The aircraft
These are the planes that fly this kind of trip. Six to nine seats, a door you walk straight onto, and no security line.
Which one you get depends on how many of you there are and how far you're going — we put every trip on the smallest aircraft that fits, because that's the one that costs the least to split.
Pilatus PC-12 NGX
TurbopropShort, unpaved and high-altitude runways other aircraft can't use. Slower than a jet, but it lands closer to where you're going.
Typical layout — 8 seats, front four facing each other across a table. Flight deck at the left, door behind it, lavatory and baggage aft; the bigger cabins have a galley forward as well. The thicker edge of each seat is its back, so you can see which way it faces. Individual aircraft vary by operator.
- Seats
- 8
- Cruise
- 290 kt
- Range
- 1,800 nm
- Bags
- 40 cu ft
- Cabin height
- 4′ 10″
- Cabin width
- 5′ 0″
- Cabin length
- 16′ 11″
- Lavatory
- Enclosed lavatory
Food and drink
Self-serve. Cold drinks, coffee and snacks are aboard; there's no cabin attendant on an aircraft this size. Ask and most operators will load whatever catering you want.
Luggage
A cargo door big enough for skis, golf clubs and a dog crate — the reason this aircraft owns mountain-town flying.
Lavatory
Enclosed lavatory at the back
Cabin height is measured floor to ceiling at the centre. Anything under 5′ 6″ means you stoop on the way to your seat and sit comfortably once you're in it.
Beechcraft King Air 350i
TurbopropTwo engines and a big cabin for a turboprop. A workhorse on 300–700 mile legs.
Typical layout — 8 seats, front four facing each other across a table. Flight deck at the left, door behind it, lavatory and baggage aft; the bigger cabins have a galley forward as well. The thicker edge of each seat is its back, so you can see which way it faces. Individual aircraft vary by operator.
- Seats
- 8
- Cruise
- 312 kt
- Range
- 1,800 nm
- Bags
- 55 cu ft
- Cabin height
- 4′ 9″
- Cabin width
- 4′ 6″
- Cabin length
- 19′ 6″
- Lavatory
- Aft lavatory
Food and drink
Self-serve refreshment centre with ice, drinks and snacks. No attendant.
Luggage
Deep aft baggage bay. Skis and golf bags are routine.
Lavatory
Aft lavatory, belted
Cabin height is measured floor to ceiling at the centre. Anything under 5′ 6″ means you stoop on the way to your seat and sit comfortably once you're in it.
Embraer Phenom 100EV
Very light jetThe cheapest way to move four people at jet speed. Cabin designed by BMW, and it shows.
Typical layout — 4 seats, front four facing each other across a table. Flight deck at the left, door behind it, lavatory and baggage aft; the bigger cabins have a galley forward as well. The thicker edge of each seat is its back, so you can see which way it faces. Individual aircraft vary by operator.
- Seats
- 4
- Cruise
- 405 kt
- Range
- 1,178 nm
- Bags
- 70 cu ft
- Cabin height
- 4′ 11″
- Cabin width
- 5′ 1″
- Cabin length
- 11′ 0″
- Lavatory
- Aft lavatory
Food and drink
Self-serve. Drinks and snacks aboard, catering on request.
Luggage
Nose and aft holds. Roomy for the size of the aircraft.
Lavatory
Aft lavatory, curtained
Cabin height is measured floor to ceiling at the centre. Anything under 5′ 6″ means you stoop on the way to your seat and sit comfortably once you're in it.
Cessna Citation M2 Gen2
Very light jetQuick, cheap to run and gets into short runways. Good on 400–900 mile legs.
Typical layout — 6 seats, front four facing each other across a table. Flight deck at the left, door behind it, lavatory and baggage aft; the bigger cabins have a galley forward as well. The thicker edge of each seat is its back, so you can see which way it faces. Individual aircraft vary by operator.
- Seats
- 6
- Cruise
- 404 kt
- Range
- 1,550 nm
- Bags
- 46 cu ft
- Cabin height
- 4′ 9″
- Cabin width
- 4′ 10″
- Cabin length
- 11′ 0″
- Lavatory
- Aft lavatory
Food and drink
Self-serve refreshment cabinet. Catering on request.
Luggage
Aft hold. Fine for roller bags and a set of clubs, tight for skis.
Lavatory
Aft lavatory, curtained
Cabin height is measured floor to ceiling at the centre. Anything under 5′ 6″ means you stoop on the way to your seat and sit comfortably once you're in it.
Cessna Citation CJ3+
Light jetThe default American light jet. Coast-to-coast with one stop, and it takes the same short runways as the M2.
Typical layout — 7 seats, front four facing each other across a table. Flight deck at the left, door behind it, lavatory and baggage aft; the bigger cabins have a galley forward as well. The thicker edge of each seat is its back, so you can see which way it faces. Individual aircraft vary by operator.
- Seats
- 7
- Cruise
- 416 kt
- Range
- 2,040 nm
- Bags
- 65 cu ft
- Cabin height
- 4′ 9″
- Cabin width
- 4′ 10″
- Cabin length
- 15′ 8″
- Lavatory
- Enclosed lavatory
Food and drink
Self-serve galley with ice, hot drinks and snacks. Catering loaded on request — this is the smallest cabin where a proper hot meal makes sense.
Luggage
Big aft hold plus in-cabin storage. Skis fit.
Lavatory
Enclosed lavatory at the back
Cabin height is measured floor to ceiling at the centre. Anything under 5′ 6″ means you stoop on the way to your seat and sit comfortably once you're in it.
Embraer Phenom 300E
Light jetThe best-selling light jet in the world, and the fastest thing in this list. Airstair door, quiet cabin, big windows.
Typical layout — 8 seats, front four facing each other across a table. Flight deck at the left, door behind it, lavatory and baggage aft; the bigger cabins have a galley forward as well. The thicker edge of each seat is its back, so you can see which way it faces. Individual aircraft vary by operator.
- Seats
- 8
- Cruise
- 464 kt
- Range
- 2,010 nm
- Bags
- 84 cu ft
- Cabin height
- 4′ 11″
- Cabin width
- 5′ 1″
- Cabin length
- 17′ 2″
- Lavatory
- Enclosed lavatory with a belted seat
Food and drink
Self-serve galley, hot and cold. Catering on request; some operators carry an attendant on longer legs.
Luggage
84 cubic feet — the most in its class. Skis, boards and golf all fit.
Lavatory
Enclosed lavatory with a belted seat
Cabin height is measured floor to ceiling at the centre. Anything under 5′ 6″ means you stoop on the way to your seat and sit comfortably once you're in it.
Cessna Citation XLS+
Midsize jetNearly stand-up headroom and a real cabin. The most comfortable aircraft most people on this site will ever be booked onto.
Typical layout — 9 seats, front four facing each other across a table. Flight deck at the left, door behind it, lavatory and baggage aft; the bigger cabins have a galley forward as well. The thicker edge of each seat is its back, so you can see which way it faces. Individual aircraft vary by operator.
- Seats
- 9
- Cruise
- 441 kt
- Range
- 2,100 nm
- Bags
- 90 cu ft
- Cabin height
- 5′ 8″
- Cabin width
- 5′ 6″
- Cabin length
- 18′ 6″
- Lavatory
- Full enclosed lavatory with a vanity
Food and drink
Proper galley. A flight attendant and hot catering are available and common on longer legs — this is where private flying starts feeling like a restaurant.
Luggage
90 cubic feet. Nothing reasonable won't fit.
Lavatory
Full enclosed lavatory with a vanity
Cabin height is measured floor to ceiling at the centre. Anything under 5′ 6″ means you stoop on the way to your seat and sit comfortably once you're in it.
Bombardier Challenger 350
Super-midsize jetThe most-chartered aircraft in North America in its class, and the first one on this list where ten people can sit down without anyone taking the belted lav seat. Flat floor, stand-up cabin, coast to coast non-stop.
Typical layout — 10 seats, front four facing each other across a table. Flight deck at the left, door behind it, lavatory and baggage aft; the bigger cabins have a galley forward as well. The thicker edge of each seat is its back, so you can see which way it faces. Individual aircraft vary by operator.
- Seats
- 10
- Cruise
- 470 kt
- Range
- 3,200 nm
- Bags
- 106 cu ft
- Cabin height
- 6′ 1″
- Cabin width
- 7′ 2″
- Cabin length
- 25′ 2″
- Lavatory
- Full aft lavatory with a vanity and a window
Food and drink
Full galley with an oven and an espresso machine. A cabin attendant is normal on anything over about two hours, and hot catering is the default rather than a request.
Luggage
106 cubic feet, reachable in flight. Two sets of golf clubs and a week of luggage for ten.
Lavatory
Full aft lavatory with a vanity and a window
Cabin height is measured floor to ceiling at the centre. Anything under 5′ 6″ means you stoop on the way to your seat and sit comfortably once you're in it.
Embraer Praetor 600
Super-midsize jetTwelve seats and enough range to cross the country against a winter headwind without stopping. Active turbulence damping, which you notice.
Typical layout — 12 seats, front four facing each other across a table. Flight deck at the left, door behind it, lavatory and baggage aft; the bigger cabins have a galley forward as well. The thicker edge of each seat is its back, so you can see which way it faces. Individual aircraft vary by operator.
- Seats
- 12
- Cruise
- 466 kt
- Range
- 4,018 nm
- Bags
- 155 cu ft
- Cabin height
- 6′ 0″
- Cabin width
- 6′ 10″
- Cabin length
- 27′ 5″
- Lavatory
- Full aft lavatory
Food and drink
Full galley, cabin attendant on most legs. The quietest cabin in the class — a normal conversation across the aisle actually works.
Luggage
155 cubic feet, the biggest hold of anything under a heavy jet.
Lavatory
Full aft lavatory, and a wardrobe
Cabin height is measured floor to ceiling at the centre. Anything under 5′ 6″ means you stoop on the way to your seat and sit comfortably once you're in it.
Gulfstream G450
Heavy jetA forty-foot cabin split into zones — work up front, eat in the middle, sleep at the back. Gulfstream's signature oval windows, and enough range for anywhere in the country plus most of the Atlantic.
Typical layout — 14 seats, front four facing each other across a table. Flight deck at the left, door behind it, lavatory and baggage aft; the bigger cabins have a galley forward as well. The thicker edge of each seat is its back, so you can see which way it faces. Individual aircraft vary by operator.
- Seats
- 14
- Cruise
- 476 kt
- Range
- 4,350 nm
- Bags
- 169 cu ft
- Cabin height
- 6′ 2″
- Cabin width
- 7′ 4″
- Cabin length
- 40′ 4″
- Lavatory
- Two lavatories
Food and drink
Full galley, dedicated cabin attendant, proper plated meals. Three living areas, so fourteen people are not all in one room.
Luggage
169 cubic feet, accessible in flight through the aft cabin.
Lavatory
Two lavatories, forward and aft
Cabin height is measured floor to ceiling at the centre. Anything under 5′ 6″ means you stoop on the way to your seat and sit comfortably once you're in it.
Bombardier Challenger 850
Heavy jetA regional airliner converted to a private cabin: forty-eight feet long and over eight feet wide, so it is the widest thing you can charter short of a bizliner. Shorter legs than the G450 — it is built for moving a group, not for crossing oceans.
Typical layout — 16 seats, front four facing each other across a table. Flight deck at the left, door behind it, lavatory and baggage aft; the bigger cabins have a galley forward as well. The thicker edge of each seat is its back, so you can see which way it faces. Individual aircraft vary by operator.
- Seats
- 16
- Cruise
- 459 kt
- Range
- 2,811 nm
- Bags
- 202 cu ft
- Cabin height
- 6′ 1″
- Cabin width
- 8′ 2″
- Cabin length
- 48′ 5″
- Lavatory
- Two lavatories
Food and drink
Full galley and a cabin attendant. Conference seating for eight in the middle zone — this is the aircraft sports teams and boards of directors charter.
Luggage
202 cubic feet. Sixteen people's ski bags is not a problem.
Lavatory
Two lavatories, one of them full size
Cabin height is measured floor to ceiling at the centre. Anything under 5′ 6″ means you stoop on the way to your seat and sit comfortably once you're in it.
Bombardier Global 7500
BizlinerThe largest purpose-built business jet flying, and the only aircraft on this list with a proper bed. Fifty-four feet of cabin and the range to reach anywhere in the country non-stop against any headwind. It prices like what it is.
Typical layout — 19 seats, front four facing each other across a table. Flight deck at the left, door behind it, lavatory and baggage aft; the bigger cabins have a galley forward as well. The thicker edge of each seat is its back, so you can see which way it faces. Individual aircraft vary by operator.
- Seats
- 19
- Cruise
- 488 kt
- Range
- 7,700 nm
- Bags
- 195 cu ft
- Cabin height
- 6′ 2″
- Cabin width
- 8′ 0″
- Cabin length
- 54′ 5″
- Lavatory
- Two lavatories
Food and drink
A real kitchen with an oven, a steam oven and a wine cellar, and a dedicated cabin attendant. Four separate living zones, so nineteen people are not sitting in one room for six hours.
Luggage
195 cubic feet, walk-in and reachable in flight.
Lavatory
Two lavatories, the aft one full size with a shower option
Cabin height is measured floor to ceiling at the centre. Anything under 5′ 6″ means you stoop on the way to your seat and sit comfortably once you're in it.
Who flies them
Not us. Every aircraft on this page belongs to an FAA-certificated charter company with its own crews and maintenance. We check the certificate, the DOT registration and the insurance before an operator can see a single trip, and the captain decides whether the flight goes.