Flexjet’s Steve Varsano sets the record straight about how private jet travel actually works after an influencer’s social media post.
Flexjet president and founder of The Jet Business, Steve Varsano, took to social media to correct an influencer’s social media post about private jets.
Varsano has over one million YouTube followers.
Back in June, Flexjet acquired The Jet Business from Varsano and appointed him as its president.
The influencer Varsano reviewed had titled her post “The 5 private jet secrets only rich people know.”
A last-minute private jet seat can be less than business class. A jet flying empty to pick someone up will sell seats for a tiny fraction of the real cost. Most people have no idea these exist.
“That’s not really true,” said Varsano.
He continued, “This is what an empty leg actually is: the fact of the matter is the airplane is going from point A to point B. You have to be going exactly from this point A to point B in order to take advantage of these cheap seats.”
On top of that, while the prospect of cheaper private jet seats is enticing, they also carry risks.
Empty-leg seats are notorious for last-minute cancellations.
READ: Empty Leg Resource Center
The ‘smallest’ jets are often the most luxurious. They’re newer, quieter, and have better tech, and most rich travelers prefer them over the big, flashy ones.
“A small jet is a small jet,” replied Varsano. “A big jet is just a bigger version of a small jet. They’re not flashier.”
Indeed, small jets are the most popular size category.
But size only determines price and cabin size, not age and tech level.
Private jets can land at over 10x more airports than commercial planes. They use tiny runways commercial airlines can’t touch, which means they often land 10–20 minutes from someone’s actual house.
“This is true,” answered Varsano. “There are only about 500 airports in the United States where commercial airlines fly, and corporate jets can fly to over 5,000 airports.”
Forty-seven percent of Private Jet Card Comparisons subscribers cite “more convenient airports” for choosing private flights over airlines.
Your private jet will wait with the engines running if the passenger’s late. There’s no ‘takeoff time.’ If you show up 45 minutes late? The plane just… waits.
“You don’t run the engines waiting for a passenger,” said Varsano. “If it’s your airplane, of course. But if you’re chartering an airplane, usually you have a window from your scheduled departure time. If you show up after that time, the airplane will just leave without you.”
Only full ownership of a private jet allows you to determine the jet’s full schedule.
In fractional ownership, on-demand charter, or jet cards, the jets are on schedule and cannot afford to wait forever for a passenger.
Many jet card and fractional program providers offer a one-hour grace period.
Private jet terminals have no TSA at all, you can show up 3 minutes before departure. No line. No liquids rule. You walk from your car… straight onto the jet.
“In America, there are a lot of airports where you don’t have to have TSA if you’re in a private airplane,” said Varsano. “However, internationally, it’s a little different—especially in Europe. Usually, you do have to go through security measures. Not all airports, but a big majority of them.”
READ: What is an FBO? Explaining private jet terminals.
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