Are chartered flights only the realm of sports teams and the super wealthy? Maybe not.
You can purchase seats on a chartered flight individually or get a group rate. If you've got a group, you might find a charter flight surprisingly within reach. And if you fly more than 150 hours a year, private jets are likely less expensive than commercial, says an article in Forbes.
Options include booking individual flights or joining a private jet club. Memberships typically start at about $1,000 a month plus charter fees. If you book it by the hour, a chartered flight can easily run $4,000 an hour (for a turboprop) or more.
The website aircharterserviceusa quotes a five-and-a-half-hour flight from LA to Washington in a midsize Learjet 40/40XR at about $30,000 for up to six passengers; a nine-seat Hawker Beechcraft 900XP is about $38,000. Split nine ways and no security line? Could be worth it.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
