Private Jet Charter: How to Hire a Private Jet (Costs, Options and How to Compare Providers)

Private jet charter means paying an aircraft operator to fly you, with its crew, on a whole aircraft, for a trip whose route and timing you set. In US regulations this is an on-demand operation, which a certificated operator conducts under 14 CFR Part 135. You pay per trip, with nothing committed in advance. This guide treats "private jet hire" and "private jet rental" as the same purchase, with one caution about leases explained below.

On-demand charter is booked trip by trip. Jet cards, memberships and fractional shares all require money or a commitment up front.
A charter quote is more than flight hours. Ask whether positioning flights, airport and handling fees, crew overnight costs and taxes are inside the headline figure.
On taxable US domestic flights, federal excise tax is 7.5% of the amount paid, plus a per-segment tax that is multiplied by the passenger count on charters ($5.30 per segment for 2026).
The operator holds the certificate and controls the flight. A US broker arranges flights and must name the operator before you contract (or, if not yet known, within a reasonable time).
Compare quotes for the same aircraft type and the same itinerary, on the all-in total.

What private jet charter is

The FAA's definition of an on-demand operation covers flights "for compensation or hire" in which "the departure time, departure location, and arrival location are specifically negotiated with the customer or the customer's representative" (14 CFR § 110.2). That is the core of private charter: you set the trip, and an operator flies it.

The operator is the company in charge of the flight. A direct air carrier must hold an FAA Air Carrier Certificate and operations specifications, and conducts on-demand flights under Part 135 (§ 119.21). Each Part 135 certificate holder "is responsible for operational control," which the FAA defines as "authority over initiating, conducting or terminating a flight." The FAA also says Part 135 charter requires a higher level of pilot training and certification, maintenance procedures and safety rules than a pilot taking family or friends for a ride.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority says a paid flight in a business jet "is recognised in law as commercial air transport and should never be considered as a private arrangement," and that the operator "must have the correct certificate, insurance and licences." In Europe, EASA describes the air operator certificate (AOC) as a certificate that "allows an operator to perform specific operations of commercial air transport."

Charter, hire or rental: one caution

The US rule itself uses the phrase "compensation or hire". The caution concerns arrangements that look like renting the aircraft itself. The FAA tells consumers that before entering an aircraft lease, they should "ensure you understand and are willing to accept your responsibilities for compliance with air safety regulations." It also lists as a red flag a company that provides the aircraft and at least one crew member "yet attempts to transfer operational control to a consumer via any document." If a seller asks you to sign something that makes you responsible for the flight, ask what it means before you pay.

Charter, jet card, membership or fractional ownership

Charter is one of several ways to fly privately without owning a whole aircraft. The difference is what you commit up front.

On-demand charter

A contract for a specific flight or series of flights, priced per trip, with nothing paid beyond each trip.

Jet card

A jet card is a prepaid or pre-committed program. You buy a block of flight hours or deposit a dollar balance, then fly an aircraft category on terms set in advance. Rates, availability terms, fees and refund rules are set in each program's agreement. The jet card hub explains how cards work, and the jet card comparison sets published program terms side by side.

Membership

Pay-as-you-go memberships charge an initiation fee, annual dues or both, then price each flight on member terms. Some plans add a deposit.

Fractional ownership

A fractional share is ownership or a multi-year lease of an interest in a program aircraft. FAA rules set the minimum at one-sixteenth of a fixed-wing aircraft, under multi-year program agreements and a "dry-lease aircraft exchange" that makes program aircraft available to owners as needed. Fractional programs have their own FAA rules, in Part 91 subpart K.

Private jet charter cost: how a quote is built

PJReviews does not publish charter prices, because every quote depends on the specific trip. What can be explained is how a quote is put together.

The aircraft's cost and the trip's costs

In an October 2025 AvBuyer article on how charter quotes are built, three industry executives described two layers. The first is the cost of the aircraft itself, including fuel, crew, maintenance and insurance. The second is specific to the trip: fees at each airport's FBO (the private terminal and handling company) for parking, refueling and passenger handling, landing and navigation charges, de-icing when needed, and crew accommodation and expenses on overnight trips. They added that on short flights an operator applies a minimum charge below which it will not quote.

Positioning and repositioning

The aircraft may not be based where your trip starts. The same article explains that, particularly when you do not return the same day, the operator must fly the aircraft to your departure airport and then reposition it or keep it on the ground at your destination, and that the cost of positioning flights is built into the overall quote. Ask each seller where the aircraft is coming from and whether positioning is included in the price.

Empty legs

When an aircraft flies without passengers to reach its next job, that ferry flight is what sellers call an empty leg. VistaJet's empty-leg guide says such flights have a pre-determined aircraft type, departure date and time, and destination, and that details generally are not released until a few days before departure. It also says the empty leg is no longer available if the original flight is cancelled, and that you must arrange your return separately. Our guide to empty-leg flights vs on-demand charter covers the trade-off.

Taxes: the US federal excise tax

The IRS Instructions for Form 720 (revised June 2026) state: "The percentage tax is 7.5% of amounts paid for taxable transportation of persons by air," and "For calendar year 2026, the tax on the amount paid for each domestic segment of taxable transportation is $5.30." When an aircraft is chartered, the segment tax "is figured by multiplying the tax by the number of passengers transported on the aircraft." In the IRS's own example, a $1,000 charter carrying seven passengers over two segments owes $149.20 in tax. The segment tax does not apply to a segment to or from a rural airport. International flights that begin or end in the United States carry a separate tax, generally $23.40 per person for 2026.

The FAA lists "a lack of Federal Excise Tax charged to the consumer" as a red flag that a company may not be a legitimate operator. For trips outside the US, ask each seller to list taxes and government charges as separate lines.

Published jet card rates

Some jet card programs publish hourly rates. Those are program rates with their own fees and terms, not charter quotes. The jet card cost guide shows each published rate with the date it was checked and what it leaves out.

Private jet categories and how to choose an aircraft

Sellers group jets into categories such as light, midsize, super-midsize, large (sometimes called heavy) and ultra-long-range. These are market labels, not FAA categories: the terms light jet, midsize jet, super-midsize and heavy jet do not appear in the FAA's regulations, and sellers do not draw the lines in the same place. In PJReviews jet card data checked in October 2026, one program lists the Learjet 70/75 as a light jet and another lists it as midsize.

Choose for the trip rather than the label. For each quote, ask for:

the exact aircraft type and, for a US operator, its registration (N-number), which you can search in the FAA's Part 135 list;
the number of passenger seats as configured, and how much baggage it can carry for your party;
whether it can fly your route without a fuel stop;
whether the operator may substitute another aircraft, and of what category.

Broker or operator: who you are dealing with

An operator holds the certificate and has operational control of the flight. An air charter broker, in the federal definition, "holds out, sells, or arranges single entity charter air transportation using a direct air carrier." Under 14 CFR Part 295, a US air charter broker must:

state in its advertising, including web pages, that it is an air charter broker and not a direct air carrier in operational control of aircraft (§ 295.23);
before you contract, give you the operator's corporate name, the capacity in which the broker is acting, and whether it holds liability insurance covering you and your passengers, with the limits; anything not known at signing must follow within a reasonable time (§ 295.24);
on request, disclose the total cost including fees and government taxes, and any fees you will pay third parties directly (§ 295.24);
arrange flights only with carriers holding the required authority from the Department of Transportation and the FAA (§ 295.20), and refund promptly when a flight cannot be performed (§ 295.26).

Neither model is better in itself. A broker can arrange flights with different operators. An operator flies aircraft authorized under its own certificate. Our guide to private jet charter brokers vs operators covers roles, rules and liability in detail.

How to charter a private jet: request and compare quotes

What to put in a request

Precise requests produce comparable quotes. Send every provider the same details: departure and arrival airports or cities, dates and preferred times, passenger count, baggage (including anything oversized), any pets, and how flexible you are on timing and aircraft.

Questions to ask before you book

Who is the operator, and may I see its Air Carrier or Operating Certificate? The FAA advises consumers to ask for it. Its Part 135 operators and aircraft list can be searched by operator name or N-number, and the FAA says to contact your local Flight Standards District Office if an operator or aircraft is not listed. In the UK, the CAA says "by law you must be told the name of the operator" and publishes a list of AOC holders.
Are you acting as the operator, as my agent, or as the operator's agent?
What does the price include: positioning flights, crew overnight costs, airport, handling and de-icing fees, catering and taxes?
For US flights, is federal excise tax included, and on how many segments and passengers is it calculated?
What are the cancellation, change and aircraft-substitution terms, and when is payment due?
What liability insurance covers me and my passengers, and with what limits?

Compare like with like

Line quotes up by aircraft type, itinerary and all-in total. A lower headline figure that leaves out positioning or tax is not a lower price. If one quote sits far below the others, keep the FAA's warning in mind: "If the price is too good to be true, it probably is."

How to use PJReviews to find charter providers

PJReviews is a directory of private aviation businesses. It lists companies and does not assess their safety, and you book directly with the provider.

Search by city or service. City pages such as London, Miami and Dubai list providers by location, and the on-demand charter directory lists providers by service. Each listing shows the services offered and where the company is based.
Where a provider's profile has flyer reviews, read them to see what other travelers experienced.
Request a quote with your trip details. The request goes only to listed providers whose services match your trip, and each provider replies to you directly.
If you fly often enough to consider prepaying, compare programs in the jet card hub.

Private jet charter FAQ

What is private jet charter?

Paying an operator to fly you, with its crew, on a whole aircraft for a trip whose route and timing you set. In the US, certificated operators conduct these on-demand flights under 14 CFR Part 135.

Is private jet hire the same as private jet rental?

On this page both mean charter: paying an operator to fly you on an aircraft it operates. Be cautious about any document that makes you the party responsible for the flight. The FAA treats an attempt to transfer operational control to a consumer as a red flag.

How much does it cost to charter a private jet?

There is no single price, and PJReviews does not publish charter prices. Each quote is for a specific aircraft and trip. Ask for quotes on your exact trip, ask whether positioning flights, airport fees and taxes are included, and compare the all-in totals.

What taxes apply to a private jet charter in the US?

According to the IRS, taxable domestic flights carry a 7.5% tax on the amount paid plus a segment tax of $5.30 for 2026, which on a charter is multiplied by the number of passengers. Segments to or from a rural airport are exempt from the segment tax.

What is an empty leg?

A flight an aircraft makes without passengers to reach its next job, offered to travelers whose plans fit its fixed route and time. If the original flight is cancelled, the empty leg is no longer available, and the return trip is up to you.

Should I book with a broker or an operator?

Either can work, as long as you know which one you are dealing with. A US broker must say in its advertising that it is a broker, and before you contract it must name the operator and state the capacity in which it is acting.

How can I check that a charter operator is legal?

Ask to see its Air Carrier or Operating Certificate, and search the FAA's Part 135 list by operator name or N-number. In the UK, check the CAA's list of AOC holders.

Is a jet card cheaper than chartering?

It depends on how much, when and where you fly, and PJReviews publishes no break-even number. Price a card for your likely trips against charter quotes for the same trips, using the jet card cost guide.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Explore private jet providers on PJReviews.com, compare provider reviews and see how booking works, and book directly with a provider.