March 2, 2024
Private Jet Card Comparisons has identified over 65 variables between the over 40 jet card providers and 250 programs we track, and while some points are not important to everyone, each variable can impact the programs that best fit your needs. That said, some variables are universally important, two of the biggest ones being guaranteed availability and a fixed one-way hourly rate.
Briefly, guaranteed availability means in your jet card contract there is the stipulation that if you reserve your flight X hours ahead (typically eight to 48 hours), your provider will guarantee your aircraft type or better. Fixed one-way rates mean that when you call up to book your flight, you have a contracted hourly rate and you won’t have to pay for deadheads and repositioning flights. Some programs have peak-day surcharges, fuel surcharges, CPI escalators, surcharges to fly to the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada as well as discounts for qualifying roundtrips or long-distance flights. Some include the 7.%% FET when quoting rates. Others don’t. Still, getting guaranteed availability and a fixed one-way rate enables users to budget private flying in advance, something that is particularly valuable to companies.
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Air Charter Service (Broker)
Founded: 1990
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 440
The company recently launched a jet card that offers both dynamic pricing and an hourly price cap. Air Charter Service says its goal is that you pay a lower on-demand priced rate, but at the same time know you won’t’ pay more than the lid. It offers the program in both the U.S. and Europe.
Air Partner, Inc. (Broker)
Founded: 1961
Ownership: Public Company (U.K)
Number of Employees: 270
Starting at just 10 hours, with service areas in North America, Europe, and the Middle East, you can use money in your jet card account for on-demand charter. If you’re not happy, you get a refund of your unused balance.
Airstream Jets Inc. (Broker)
Founded: 2008
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 10
If you are confused by figuring out flight hours, go with miles. Airstream’s Distance Cards are priced at $25,000 and $100,000 plus Federal Excise Tax, and they use a mile based formula to figure out what you will pay.
Concord Private Jet (Broker)
Founded: 2007
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 10
A boutique family owned provider – it’s a husband, wife and son affair, Concord even offers turboprop options.
Delta Private Jets, Inc. (Managed Fleet)
Founded: 1984
Ownership: Subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Number of Employees: 400 +
A subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, you can get Diamond Status on the airline and you can also use your SkyMiles to buy jet cards. If you don’t collect the flight currency, transfer your Membership Rewards points from American Express to Skymiles, then use them to buy jet cards. The managed fleet runs from light to large jets, all WiFi enabled. Starting price recently jumped from $100,000 to $150,000.
ECOJETS (Broker)
Founded: 2015
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: N/A
Its program offers rebates of up to 35% for choosing older jets, booking at least a week in advance and flying on qualifying roundtrips. You get the money paid into a debit card. A hotel bankruptcy and accusations of fraudagainst its CEO Edgar Costa, which he denies, are clouding this option.
Executive AirShare (Fractional Fleet)
Founded: 2000
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 185
Serving the Midwest and parts of the Great Lakes, Executive AirShare offers a jet card program based on days and hours, starting with 10 days per year focused around the Embraer Phenom 100, 300 and Learjet 45XR.
ExpertJet (Broker)
Founded: 2014
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: Under 10
When regional airline and executive jet pilot Andrew Flaxman was grounded with kidney stones, it was the start of ExpertJet where all the brokers are pilots and they sleep with their phones. Lunch with Flaxman means a steady stream of breaks as he takes calls from his jet-card customers explaining the ins and out of various aircraft options as only a pilot can.
Flexjet (Fractional Fleet)
Founded: 1995
Ownership: Directional Aviation
Number of Employees: 1,200
Part of Ken Ricci’s Directional Aviation, a sister to Sentient Jet, Flexjet offers only two jet cards, mainly focused on supporting the needs of its fractional ownership and lease customers. Still, the offer of either the Phenom 300 or the Bombardier Challenger 300 provides aircraft specific options for two of the most popular business jets in the light and super-midsize categories.
Fly Aeolus (Owned Fleet)
Founded: 2009
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 10
Operating in Europe with a fleet of Cirrus SR22 single-engine props, Fly Aeolus offers a cost-effective way to hop between the Continent’s numerous small airfields with programs starting at just 10,000 Euros and 580 Euros per hour for up to three passengers.
GlobeAir (Owned Fleet)
Founded: 2007
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 123
Exclusively operating the four-seat Cessna Citation Mustang in Europe, Globe Air offers a series of innovative add-on options that even includes deicing insurance. You pay more if you start or end your trips outside of its hubs where the aircraft are based.
Jet Aviation Flight Services, Inc. (Managed Fleet)
Founded: 1967
Ownership: General Dynamics, Inc.
Number of Employees: 4,500
A subsidiary of General Dynamics, Jet Aviation offers a discount of 40% on qualifying roundtrips, which means at least two billable flight hours on consecutive days, with additional conditions. Its programs start at 10 hours and span from light to large jets.
Jet Linx Aviation (Managed Fleet)
Founded: 1999
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 490
The company only sells jet cards exclusively in 14 markets where it operates bases managing aircraft for owners. At each base, there is a private terminal for owners and jet card members only. While you are away, they detail your car and return it to you when you get back, so no walking through a snowy car park. Its network has reached as far west as Denver and Scottsdale and as far east as Atlanta and Washington D.C. New York, Chicago, and Boston are all expected to launch in the near future.
Jetlogic, Ltd. (Broker)
Founded: 2009
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 8
The Scotland-based charter broker recently launched its Jetlogic Jetcard in 15, 25 and 50 hours providing guaranteed availability with a 24 hour lead time for reservations across the European Union. Prices start at Euros 5,400 per hour for a light jet ranging to Euros 11,700 per hour for large aircraft. It also offers an escrow account option on request.
Jet the World (Broker)
Founded: 2009
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 10
In addition to being a jet card broker, Jet the World advises on sales, acquisitions, and management. Its card programs start at 25 hours.
JetSet Group (Broker)
Founded: 2011
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 11
One of two jet card companies from former Blue Star Jets’ broker Steve Orfali (Wholesale Jet Club is the other), JetSet offers traditional 25-hour cards across jet categories from light to large.
Jets.com (Broker)
Founded: 2008
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 37
Perhaps one of the most valuable names at least when it comes to Google, Jets.com is a broker program with plans to expand to management.
JetSuite (Owned Fleet)
Founded: 2006
Ownership: Private with investments from JetBlue and Qatar Airways
Number of Employees: 300
JetSuite has long marched to the beat of its own drummer. Yes it had fixed rates with over five million point to point fares, and no it didn’t have guaranteed availability, a key component of offering fixed prices because what good is a fixed rate if you can’t use it. The company earlier this month said it will offer $4,600 per hour on its Phenom 100s and $6,500 on the Phenom 300, plus FET, with guaranteed availability at 48 hours.
Luxury Aircraft Solutions (Broker)
Founded: 2011
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 10
Luxury Aircraft Solutions, like more than half of jet card players, is new since the Great Recession. It offers turboprops as well as jet categories with programs starting at just five hours.
Magellan Jets (Broker)
Founded: 2008
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 42
At the Magellan Jets site, you can build your own jet card selecting specific jets types as well as cabin size categories. There is also a helicopter card program in the Northeast. During the last 10 days of the calendar quarters during 2018, it is offering special deals to celebrate its 10th anniversary.
NetJets (Fractional Fleet)
Founded: 1963
Ownership: Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.
Number of Employees: 6,000
It may surprise you that NetJets is fairly new to selling jet cards. The king of fractional ownership only entered the jet card space via its 2010 acquisition of Marquis Jet Partners, which had been selling cards using hours from shares it was buying on the NetJets fleet. Cards come in 25 and 50-hour denominations, and NetJets is one of only two card programs that offer transatlantic flights without ferry fees (Gulfstream G450). It also has a European service area you can access. Cards are aircraft specific, but its Combo Card enables you to split 25 hours between two types of your choice.
Nicholas Air (Owned Fleet)
Founded: 1997
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: N/A
Programs start at 15 hours and provide fixed rates for a variety of aircraft types, starting with the Pilatus PC-12 and Embraer Phenom 100 ranging up to the Citation Latitude. You choose which type you want for each mission. The fleet is all less than five years old.
Northern Jet Management (Fractional Fleet)
Founded: 1995
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 75
Serving Michigan and adjacent areas, its 25-hour cards are specifically targeted for folks who need a private jet solution to escape the Midwest winters and head to Florida during the colder months.
ONEFlight International (Broker)
Founded: 2011
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 33
Denver-based ONEFlight offers aircraft specific rates across more than 50 types from turboprops to the Gulfstream G650. If you want to test out the service, there is a five-hour light jet card for $15,000 that must be used in a single trip.
Private Jet Service Group (Broker)
Founded: 2003
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 55
After making its name by flying sports teams, rock groups and politicians, Private Jet Services Groups (PJS) is a recent jet card entrant. Cards normally start at 25 hours, but from time to time it offers promotions where you can buy in at 15 hours. Last year it introduced the Jackson Hole Rendezvous Card for ski buffs.
Prive Jets (Broker)
Founded: 2007
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 20
The Florida-based is a preferred supplier of the Virtuoso network of luxury travel advisors, offering cards beginning at just 10 hours.
ProspAir Jet Charter (Managed/Owned Fleet)
Founded: 2016
Ownership: Dumont Aviation
Number of Employees: 185, including Dumont
Part of Dumont Aviation, another upstart in jet cards, ProspAir offers several aircraft specific jet cards across size categories and the industry’s most flexible roundtrip discounts – 5% off any flight that starts and ends at the same airport. Its largest aircraft is the Gulfstream G450. There is WiFi across the fleet.
Sentient Jet (Broker)
Founded: 1999
Ownership: Directional Aviation
Number of Employees: 100
Sentient claims to have started the jet card, and if it wasn’t first, it was at the very beginning. Owned today by Directional Aviation, lifestyle perks for members are valued at over $1250,000 if you can take advantage of all the freebies, discounts and upgrades. It also has an intensive in-house safety program for sourcing the planes it uses. Its cards start at 25 hours and it offers a guaranteed WiFi card for super-midsize aircraft.
Silverhawk Aviation (Fractional Fleet)
Founded: 1992
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 100
Targeting customers in Nebraska and the environs, Silverhawk offers light jets and turboprops in its jet card program.
Solairus Aviation (Managed/Broker Fleet)
Founded: 2009
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 500
Solairus sells jet cards by both dollar denominations – starting at $100,000 – and hours – beginning at 25 hours. It sources aircraft from both jets it manages for owners and third party operators.
Star Jets International LLC (Broker)
Founded: 2016
Ownership: Public (OTC)
Number of Employees: Under 25
Blue Star Jets founder and super broker Ricky Sitomer is back with Star Jets International, offering a number of fixed rate and guaranteed availability jet cards by both size category and aircraft specific options.
Tee Bee Jets (Fractional Fleet)
Founded: 2016
Ownership: TeeBee Aviation, Inc.
Number of Employees: 50
Serving customers in Tennessee and North Carolina, Tee Bee Jets offers a light jet program around the Beechjet 400A starting at 25 hours.
Velocity Jets (Broker)
Founded: 2007
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 4
A Florida-based boutique broker, the company offers limited time specials for both super midsize and large-cabin jets making it a good mailing list if you are a price shopper.
VistaJet (Owned Fleet)
Founded: 2oo4
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 1,000 +
The only jet card program with a worldwide footprint offering both guaranteed availability and fixed one-way pricing – in other words, no ferry fees, it is focused mainly on large long-haul Bombardier Global Express jets, although it also offers super-midsize aircraft. It’s known for its luxurious approach to the private travel experience.
Wheels Up (Owned Fleet)
Founded: 2013
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 150 +
While Wheels Up built its position in the market with the King Air 350i, it recently added the Citation X to compliment the Citation Excel/XLS meaning it how has cross country solutions. You pay $17,500 to sign up and then pay as you go. Its fleet is operated by IS-BAO Stage 3 Gama Aviation and pilots get simulator training twice per year. There are also perks such as members-only parties at The Masters, Super Bowl, and other high-profile events.
Wholesale Jet Club (Broker)
Founded: 2016
Ownership: Private
Number of Employees: 7
Wholesale Jet Club offers both fixed price, guaranteed availability cards and an option with wholesale pricing on a flight by flight basis with a membership and service fee. It is a sister to JetSet Group.
XOJET (Owned Fleet/Broker)
Founded: 2006
Ownership: TPG, Mubadala (Private Equity)
Number of Employees: 350
XOJET sells jet card programs onto its fleet of Citation X and Challenger 300 super-midsize jets, and last year rolled out brokerage midsize and light jet card programs targeting users east of the Rockies and east of the Mississippi, respectively. It has recently been bulking up its lifestyle partnerships.
Start Comparing Over 250 Programs Online With Our Exclusive 65+ Point Checklist Now
