Private Jet Card Comparisons - Know Before You Buy
Compare over 250 private jet card membership programs by 65 variables in 1 place
Respondents to Business Jet Traveler’s Readers’ Choice 2020 Survey want to break the sound barrier.
In the publication’s annual poll, 29% of respondents said they are most interested in supersonic business jets. That could bode well for Flexjet, the launch fleet customer of Aerion’s supersonic private jet, currently under development.
Last month VistaJet announced its first Bombardier Global Express is available for customers to charter beginning in January. It also said it may have six in the fleet by the end of 2020 and could add six more by 2021.
The timing gives it at least a year’s headstart over rival NetJets, the largest operator of private jets in the world.
Now VistaJet is releasing more details on cabin configuration, both daytime and for sleeping,
Jet cards eliminate the hassles and time it takes to plan on-demand charter flights, and even more, they provide service guarantees and the opportunity to lock in fixed rates and eliminate ferry fees. Still, figuring out which aircraft fit your flying needs can be tricky.
Private jets save you time. Even on short flights, taking a turboprop can cut your travel time in half by avoiding all that time you waste at the airport. When flying by a large-cabin private jet, which is classified as having a maximum takeoff weight of over 41,000 pounds, chances you may be on a longer trip, and there are differences.
Using data supplied by Conklin & DeDecker, Private Jet Card Comparisons estimates a 2,500-mile flight – the distance between New York and Los Angeles – the type of large-cabin jet you select for the trip could mean as much as a half-hour difference in flight time.
The fastest large-cabin private jets are the Gulfstream G650/650ER (594 mph maximum cruise speed), Bombardier Global Express XRS/6000/5000 (588 mph), Gulfstream G550/V/500 (585 mph), Bombardier Global Express (581 mph), and Dassault Falcon 8X (581 mph). Close behind, clocking a maximum cruising speed of 575 mph, are the Gulfstream GIV/IVSP/450/350/300 and related series, plus the Dassault Falcon 900 series.
When buying a jet card, programs typically sell time either in a category, for example, large jets or with the ability to select a specific aircraft when you are buying or, in some cases, if it’s an operator from their fleet per trip.
We have found only one jet card program that offers guaranteed access with fixed one-way rates to the G650, Denver-based OneFlight International, where you will pay $15,921 per hour plus 7.5% Federal Excise Tax (FET). VistaJet offers the Global Express 5000 and 6000 as part of its jet card membership called the Program.
If you want a Gulfstream G450/IVSP series, there are several options. NetJets sells 25 and 50-hour Marquis Jet cards on the type, as does Clay Lacy, Magellan Jets, OneFlight International, and Star Jets International.
While comparing performance such as maximum speeds can be interesting and fun, keep in mind that when it comes time to fly, paper advantages can evaporate if you are held on the ground or slowed up inflight by an air traffic controller need to vector around the weather. During the climb and descent, jets are not flying at maximum speeds, and in congested areas after takeoff and on the approach, you will like to find yourself in an aerial parade of aircraft, everyone flying at the same speed.
| Aircraft Name | Max Cruise Speed (mph) | Normal Cruise Speed (mph) | Long-Range Cruise Speed (mph) |
| Gulfstream G650ER | 594 | NA | 562 |
| Gulfstream G650 | 594 | NA | 562 |
| Bombardier Global Express XRS | 588 | 562 | 542 |
| Bombardier Global 6000 | 588 | 562 | 542 |
| Bombardier Global 5000 | 588 | 562 | 542 |
| Gulfstream G550 | 585 | 562 | 528 |
| Gulfstream G V | 585 | 562 | 528 |
| Gulfstream G500 (Old Model) | 585 | 562 | 528 |
| Bombardier Global Express | 581 | 562 | 528 |
| Dassault Falcon 8X | 581 | 562 | 528 |
| Gulfstream G450 | 575 | 548 | 512 |
| Gulfstream G IV SP | 575 | 548 | 512 |
| Gulfstream G400 | 575 | 548 | 512 |
| Gulfstream G IV | 575 | 548 | 512 |
| Gulfstream G350 | 575 | 548 | 512 |
| Gulfstream G300 | 575 | 548 | 512 |
| Gulfstream G II B | 575 | 529 | 495 |
| Gulfstream G II B Hushkit | 575 | 529 | 495 |
| Gulfstream G III | 575 | 550 | 491 |
| Gulfstream G III Hushkit | 575 | 550 | 491 |
| Gulfstream G II SP | 575 | 547 | 495 |
| Gulfstream G II SP Hushkit | 575 | 547 | 495 |
| Gulfstream G II | 575 | 547 | 518 |
| Gulfstream G II Hushkit | 575 | 547 | 518 |
| Dassault Falcon 900 | 575 | 525 | 493 |
| Dassault Falcon 900B | 575 | 536 | 493 |
| Dassault Falcon 900C | 575 | 536 | 493 |
| Dassault Falcon 7X | 566 | 562 | 533 |
| Bombardier Challenger 604 | 562 | 528 | 489 |
| Bombardier Challenger 605 | 562 | 528 | 489 |
| Bombardier Challenger 650 | 562 | 528 | 489 |
| Dassault Falcon 2000EX | 555 | 528 | 509 |
| Dassault Falcon 2000EX EASy | 555 | 528 | 509 |
| Dassault Falcon 900LX | 555 | 528 | 495 |
| Dassault Falcon 900EX | 555 | 528 | 495 |
| Dassault Falcon 900EX EASy | 555 | 528 | 495 |
| Dassault Falcon 900DX | 555 | 528 | 495 |
| Dassault Falcon 2000LX | 550 | 521 | 506 |
| Dassault Falcon 2000LXS | 550 | 521 | 506 |
| Embraer Legacy 650 | 528 | 514 | 489 |
| Embraer Legacy 650E | 528 | 514 | 489 |
| Bombardier Challenger 850 | 528 | 509 | 489 |
| Bombardier Challenger 601-3AER | 528 | 510 | 489 |
| Bombardier Challenger 601-3R | 528 | 510 | 489 |
| Bombardier Challenger 601-1A | 528 | 510 | 489 |
| Bombardier Challenger 601-3A | 528 | 510 | 489 |
| Bombardier Challenger 600 | 527 | 527 | 461 |
| Embraer Legacy 600 | 524 | 514 | 488 |
Compare Large Cabin Jets by range
Compare Light Jets by baggage capacity
Compare Midsize Jets by baggage capacity
Compare Large Cabin Jets by baggage capacity
Compare Large Cabin Jets by speed
Compare Light Jets by cabin size
Compare Midsize Jets by cabin size
Compare Large Cabin Jets by cabin size
About Conklin & de Decker
Conklin & de Decker, a JSSI Company, is a leader in aviation research, consulting, and education with offices in Massachusetts, Texas, and Arizona. The mission of Conklin & de Decker is to enable the general aviation industry to make more informed decisions when dealing with the purchase, operation, and disposition of aircraft by furnishing objective and impartial information. Founded in 1984, Conklin & de Decker focuses on fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft operating cost, performance and specification databases, maintenance management software, financial management, fleet planning, market research, aviation tax issues, and financial, tax and management seminars. Conklin & de Decker consults with numerous individuals, corporations, and government agencies worldwide. More information on their products and services, copies of articles published, and a unique “Members Only” section can be found on their website, conklindd.com.
