Can renting a private jet be cheaper than booking a plane ticket on a commercial line?
Private aviation retains more the image of a luxury mode of transport, reserved for a privileged few of the planet, than that of a real means of strategic displacement.
This is the question regularly asked by our entourage or our prospects: “Rent a private jet? It’s out of my reach.”. There is a lot of clichés on the subject and this means of transport does not always have a good reputation especially in Europe, and particularly in France: wrongly and it’s a pity.
The price of renting a private jet depends on many factors:
- The key parameter that affects the price of a flight is the size of the jet: it depends on the number of passengers and the number of baggage (despite despite, sometimes, a spacious cabin, the luggage compartment can be restricted) / time of the flight. Flying hour rates can range from € 1,800 to € 20,000.
- Another element will affect the final cost, which is the number of days of travel and the number of flying hours that the jet will make. The shorter the duration of the trip, the cheaper the price will be. Why ? Because the operators will leave the private plane in immobilization and the private jet will not have to perform double rotation billed to the customer.
- The positioning of the device will affect the price too. If, at your request, the private jet is already at the airport of departure, the price will be automatically lower, because the airline will not have a set-up fee to bring the plane to your location. departure.
- There are variable factors related to your destination, such as the cost of fuel, air taxes, airport taxes or customs duties.
- Other technical factors may affect the final fare of a flight such as whether or not night parking is available.
Some airports are limited in terms of space, this is indeed the case for summer resorts that are in great demand in summer, such as La Mole – Saint Tropez, Ibiza or Mykonos. These airports have strict operating regulations that we take into account, as a broker, to avoid additional costs on the price of your rental. It happens that the price of renting a private jet is close to a business class ticket including a trip to Europe from 4 passengers.
When chartering a private plane, the fare is sent in global format. If this price is related to the number of passengers, the price per passenger, when the plane is filled to the maximum, becomes more economical than if there is only one passenger on board.
Here are some examples of where private aviation is more interesting than conventional commercial aviation:
1) Flights with stopover
Many destinations can not be reached directly with a regular commercial line, which adds significant costs to the overall amount of the trip (taxi fees, hotels, loss of time and productivity)
In this case, tailor-made aviation will make it possible to go directly to the place of arrival. With flexible schedules, the traveler will, then, save time and money by using this private jet rental service
Commercial flight : Take an example, to get to the airport X would have required two stops to go (Y and Z) and one to return (Y), for a flight time of 18 hours in total. The best available price for the requested dates was £ 2,129 (€ 2,970) per person.
Private Flight: We booked a CJ2 Citation of 6 seats for £ 10,700 (€ 14,915), which was £ 1,730 (€ 2,486) per person if all seats were occupied. The duration of the direct flight was two hours each way.
2) Groups
In France, during the strike action of the SNCF and Air France last May, we organized the chartering of a Fokker 50 for 50 people. This company transported employees and its best customers to a seminar in Linz, Germany. The flight from Paris to Frankfurt, of these passengers was canceled.
Regular flight: A last minute ticket on a low cost airline would have cost between 300 € and 350 € per person to go to Frankfurt. A ticket reserved the day before for the next day from a regular regular company represented an expense ranging from € 550 to € 1,100 depending on the category chosen. Not to mention that it would have been impossible to book 100 seats on the same flight!
Private flight : The charter of a regional plane cost 28 000 €, or 560 € per passenger: a cost lower than that of a regular flight ticket, which would have also added more than 15 hours to the journey time.
3) Turboprops
Propeller (or turboprop) aircraft are very advantageous on short links and the comfort of their cabins is close to that of private jets.
Renting a King Air Beechcraft is an inexpensive option to travel, for a weekend in Ile d’Yeu, with all the flexibility in the schedule that entails.
Regular flight: A return ticket between Paris and La Rochelle purchased, at the last minute, would cost 495 € per person, including the cost of checking baggage. Without counting, that between the arrival before the embarkation, then the time of transfer to join Ile d’Yeu, the route rises quickly to 5-8 hours of travel.
Private flight : Chartering a King Air 200 for the weekend would amount to € 4,390. If all eight seats are occupied, the return trip costs € 548 per passenger. A price a little higher than that of a regular flight, but offering much more flexibility, saving time and comfort!
4) Vacuum flights
If you want the best rates for private jet travel, the no-load option is the most competitive option. If your schedule is flexible, this option is for you.
Most are one-way trips, you will also need to buy a ticket on a regular commercial flight.
Regular flight: The price of a regular flight from London to Biarritz, booked with a conventional airline is 350 €, including luggage registration fees.
Private flight : We recently proposed an empty flight on the same trip aboard a Hawker 900 to € 3,060 (instead of € 13,920) or € 340 per passenger if all seats were occupied.
Our flight on demand service is available 7 / 7-24H / 24, contact us at + 33 (0) 1 44 09 91 82 .
