Private jet charter price climbs 6% in Q2 as demand remains strong

By Doug Gollan, July 5, 2022

The average jet card private jet charter price increased 6% from Q1 to $10,770 per hour, a 28% increase from the end of 2020

Demand for future flights remains strong with Private Jet Card Comparisons subscribers expecting to spend $427,569 on private flights in the next 12 months

The cost to charter a private jet using fixed or capped rate jet card programs with guaranteed availability increased 6% in the past three months. It follows a 5% increase in Q1. The average hourly private jet charter price for the fixed-rate memberships is now $10,770, up 28% from December 2020.

Still, there is some good news. Fixed and capped rate jet cards remain at the lower end of the cost spectrum compared to on-demand dynamic pricing.

On-demand means booking flights that are priced trip-by-trip.

The average jet card flight price for 12 scenarios we tracked was $27,551, while dynamic pricing quotes ranged from $24,367 to $48,375.

Despite the inflation, demand remained strong.

Video: Behind the Q2 Private Jet Numbers

Subscribers to Private Jet Card Comparisons expect to fly privately 39.7 hours in the next 12 months, in line with the trailing 12-month average of 41.7 hours.

The number of subscribers who expect to need 75 hours or more of private jet access in the coming year remained virtually flat at 10.7%, compared to 10.3% in Q1 2022.

Translated into dollars, Private Jet Card Comparisons subscribers will spend an average of $427,569 on private flights in the next year.

However, all things are not equal.

Private jet inflation for fixed-rate membership charters varied widely between aircraft types. For example, turboprop prices only increased 1% in the quarter while very light jets were up 15%.

At the same time light jets passed the $8,000 per hour mark after seeing prices rise 6% since March.

Hourly rates include hourly cost, fuel surcharge and supplemental charges, plus the 7.5% Federail Excise Tax.

Data includes North American providers selling fixed/capped-rate jet card programs and memberships with guaranteed availability.

Private Jet Charter Pricing – June 2022

  • Turboprops average $6,649 per hour, up 1% from Q1 and 49% from Dec. 2020
  • Very Light Jets average $7,747 per hour, up 15% from Q1 and 52% from Dec. 2020
  • Light Jets average $8,050 per hour, up 6% from Q1 and 44% from Dec. 2020
  • Midsize Jets average $9,323 per hour, up 8% from Q1 and 34% from Dec. 2020
  • Super Midsize Jets average $11,649 per hour, up 4% from Q1 and 27% from Dec. 2020
  • Large Cabin Jets average $15,449 per hour, up 9% from Q1 and 28% from Dec. 2020
  • Ultra-Long-Haul Jets average $19,096 per hour, up 7% from Q1 and 25% from Dec. 2020

Overall, the average hourly rate for fixed/capped rate jet card programs is now $10,770. Taking out turboprops, the jet rate is $10,955 per hour.

Jet Card Pricing – Hourly Rates – June 2022

 Aircraft TypeJune 2022Change from
March 2022
Change from
Dec 2020
Turboprop$ 6,6491%49%
Very Light $ 7,74715%52%
Light $ 8,0506%44%
Midsize $ 9,3238%34%
Super Midsize $ 11,6494%27%
Large $ 15,4499%28%
Ultra-Long-Haul $ 19,0967%25%
Overall $ 10,7706%28%
Without Turboprops $ 10,9556%27%
Hourly rates included hourly base rates, fuel surcharges, and a 7.5% federal excise tax. Source: Private Jet Card Comparisons

The good news is despite the continued price increases and fuel surcharges, jet card fixed/capped pricing remains at the lower end of dynamic pricing quotes.

In terms of hourly rates, jet card one-way pricing means customers only pay for occupied hours, the time from takeoff to landing.

On-demand brokers often promote hourly estimates that don’t include repositioning charges. That becomes clear when comparing cost for actual trips.

While on-demand brokers beat jet card average rates in 11 of 12 scenarios, the low average for on-demand was $24,367. The high average for on-demand brokers was $48,375. The average for those same flights with fixed-capped rate jet cards was $27,551.

On-Demand Charter vs. Fixed-Rate Jet Card Flight Pricing

RouteAircraft
Type
On-Demand
Charter Low
On-Demand
Charter High
Jet Card
Fixed Rate Average
 OPF-TEB Light $       17,915 $       31,903 $       22,674
 OKC-PIT Light $       18,417 $       31,470 $       19,454
 BFI-PSP Light $       18,193 $       31,643 $       20,528
 OPF-TEB Midsize $       22,074 $       39,247 $       26,260
 PDK-HOU Midsize $       17,537 $       39,800 $       18,491
 ASE-MSY Midsize $       25,753 $       49,452 $       27,192
 OPF-TEB Super Mid $       25,358 $       48,509 $       30,482
 OKC-PIT Super Mid $       29,264 $       55,374 $       25,628
 BFI-PSP Super Mid $       27,942 $       49,283 $       28,152
 OPF-TEB Large $       23,673 $       59,595 $       41,970
 ASE-MSY Large $       36,426 $       77,104 $       37,078
 BFI-PSP Large $       29,856 $       67,118 $       32,700
 Average Q2–  $       24,367 $       48,375 $       27,551
Average Q1 $ 24,894$ 41,464$ 25,744
Source: Private Jet Card Comparisons; Charter Broker confirmed pricing quotes one-way between July 15 and 31 Jet card pricing includes federal excise tax, fuel surcharges, taxi time, and other fees.

From Q1, on-demand pricing declined declined by $527 for our dozen scenarios. Jet card fixed rates increased by $1,807, which could mean fewer price increases ahead.

Jet Card Peak Days increase

However, it isn’t necessary smooth air for flyers who appreciate the convenience of jet cards and perks like no-cost flight recovery.

They are facing more peak days.

The number of peak days increased during the quarter, up 8%. The average fixed/capped-rate, guaranteed availability jet card now has 53.2 peak days. That compares to 22.8 in Q4 2019.

Daily Minimums surge

Another challenge is for those of you who make short flights.

The average daily minimum for light jets increased 16% from Q1 to Q2 and now stands at 103.9 minutes. That’s a 33% increase from Q4 of 2019 when it was 78.1 minutes.

Minimums for midsize jets increased 11% in the quarter to 105 minutes.

While daily minimums for super midsize jets remained flat at 110.3 minutes, they are still up 15% since December 2019.

Large cabin jet daily minimums are now 130.5 minutes, up 29% since before Covid.

There was some good news in terms of booking window. Non-peak day call out stayed stable at 62.9 hours, just 1% ahead of Q1.

Pricing data comes from the Private Jet Card Comparisons database of over 50 providers and over 250 jet card and membership programs. Demand data comes from the Jet Card Decider tool, where subscribers request a custom analysis based on their anticipated flight needs. On-demand pricing is instant-booking hard quotes from on-demand brokers.

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