Private Jet Travel for Solo Flyers: Why It’s Worth It

Hell is other people, as per Jean-Paul Sartre – and seldom does that concept seem as profound as at the airport. From scanning the garage for an open parking space to waiting in line to check your bag, to awkwardly juggling your belongings as the guy in front fills up six bins to be scanned, to jostling for a seat in the gate waiting area, rarely does the world seem as crowded as it does when traveling by air.

And then, once on board that jet airplane, you have the joy of being squeezed into a tight space as those around you “forget” headphones for their kids, snore lustily as they sleep off early wakeups, and chatter constantly. First-class seats provide a bit more room and service, but even they cannot ward off crying babies and loud voices.

PHoto Credit: Hans Neleman, Stone / Getty Images

In contrast, chartering a private jet lets you travel without a mob of humans surrounding you. Business jets typically depart from smaller airports than commercial jets. Passengers can skip the security screening and forego arriving two hours in advance. Unlike modern commercial air travel, flying private is typically calm and pleasant.

However, for the true ultimate in personal convenience and space, private jet travelers can go one step further – going solo. While true solo charter flights won’t be possible until unmanned flying technology for airplanes is perfected (likely some time off), sojourners can soar into the air as the only passenger on private jets. If this seems appealing to you, read on.

Go It Alone

Solo travel is on the rise in general. The number of people searching the Internet for “solo travel” in 2023 was almost double the number doing so in 2018.  About 16% of Americans traveled solo in 2022, and 25% were considering doing so in 2023.

According to travel insurance comparison Website Squaremouth, nearly half of the 2,600 people polled in May 2024 – 42% -- were planning a solo trip at some point during the year. The Solo Traveler Website offers insights into “Separate Vacations: Travel Solo for the Good of Your Relationships” and “45+ Solo Travel Destinations for Christmas and New Year.”

PHoto Credit: FTiare, iStock / Getty Images Plus

The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have accentuated this trend. “Post-pandemic, many travelers didn’t want to waste any time. They decided if no one wanted to travel with them, they’d go alone,” Brian FitzGerald, CEO of Overseas Adventure Travel, tells Forbes. “That’s continuing to have a big impact.”

Determining the trends in solo travelers flying private, however, is somewhat more difficult. We know the total number of business aircraft trips has, quite literally, soared since the pandemic, with the number worldwide at the end of 2023 almost 15 percent higher than at the end of 2019, but that says nothing about how many of those trips bore only one passenger. Industry estimates tend to indicate that about four passengers on average fly per private jet flight.

This aligns with the data analyzed by Stratos Jet Charters Inc., a premium private jet charter franchisor for charter brokers. According to CEO Joel Thomas, Stratos has had an average for the last two years of 3.6 passengers per flight among their 1000+ flights per year, with only 3.1% of those flights involving solo travelers.

“We’re seeing a trend away from solo travel,” Thomas says. “People are willing to continue to fly private but are looking to offset the cost.”

Spot and Kitty and…Bessie the Hen?

Of the clients flying solo on Stratos, more than half did actually have a living companion – just not a human one. “About 60% of people flying solo are bringing a pet along with them,” Thomas says. “That may be the impetus of why they’re flying private.”

PHoto Credit: Jupiterimages, THE IMAGE BANK / GETTy Images

With commercial airlines placing more and more limits on pet transport, private jet travel with pets is becoming more common. Several large airlines – including Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and United – have suspended or banned pets in cargo holds, and even those who do allow the practice often prohibit certain breeds of dogs more likely to have problems with breathing or aggression.

Pets traveling in cabins, however, must be able to fit in a carrier under a seat, significantly limiting the size of the animals who can travel that way. For U.S. flights, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has limited the use of accommodated service animals to dogs with specialized training. Those looking to travel with large dogs – or new puppies still waiting to get immunized – can find that private jet travel is their best option.

This especially holds true for passengers seeking to transport animals other than dogs and cats. One Stratos client flew solo so that she could take a flock of chickens from California to Texas. “They were special show chickens who were being bred. She had to bring them to the roosters,” Thomas recalls. “She usually flies with her family, but this time, it was just her and the chickens.”

Alone for Their Health

The data from Stratos indicates that, like the prize chicken owner, many of their solo travelers flew alone once rather than repeatedly. For example, one group flew from Colorado to Mexico for a vacation, and then dropped almost everyone off in Dallas on the way back, with a lone customer continuing on to Colorado. “It wasn’t the same people flying solo over and over,” Thomas says.

One Stratos client recently was in New York City for business and started feeling sick. Unwilling to expose fellow travelers to his illness – and wanting to get home to rest – he chartered a jet to return alone.

Thomas also remembers another charter client from years ago who flow solo for a happier health-related reason. A customer living in the Midwest had to attend a business meeting in New England related to a new drug for Parkinson’s disease but be back home a few hours later. “His daughter’s eighth-grade ballet was that evening, but he needed to be in Boston to close a deal to have the money to bring this drug to market,” Thomas says. “Without private aviation, he wouldn’t have been able to do it.”

More Options

Another benefit to flying solo is a wider range of possibilities for aircraft. If you’re flying with business partners, your family or a group of friends, you need room for several people, plus luggage. For this reason, mid-size jets are the most frequently used category for charter travel – they typically can fit up to 8 people. For more than that, you’ll need a super-midsize or heavy jet.

The larger the jet, the more expensive it (typically) is to charter (though size is not the only determining factor). Stratos estimates that a midsize jet will have an hourly rate hovering around $10,000-$11,000 per hour, with a heavy jet coming in at $15,000 to almost $17,000 per hour. By contrast, a very light jet – one that can definitely fit a solo traveler -- is estimated to cost $5,500 to almost $7,000 per hour.

PHoto Credit: THE PALMER, iStock / Getty Images Plus

Solo travelers looking to charter flights for long trips may still have to use larger jets – smaller options can only fly so far (around four hours). But they’ll still have more options than a larger group, not least because they can prioritize their own specific wants and needs (and preferred amount of luggage) rather than working to trade off with a group.

Passengers traveling alone also usually have more flexibility to investigate empty leg options, in which a private jet that would otherwise fly empty offers a discounted trip to offset the cost of operation. “During the pandemic, empty legs became nearly impossible to book because there was so much demand,” Thomas says. “Now, the market is pretty close to equilibrium.”

Stratos clients can sign up to receive notifications of empty leg flights out of preferred locations. “If it’s interesting to them, they’ll respond to the e-mail,” Thomas says. “There’s a very good value for a customer who can find a jet with a next point of departure that’s the same as his or her intended travel destination.”

Adventuring Alone

Thomas speaks from experience about solo travel – back in the day, he enjoyed it himself. “In my single days, it was awesome to fly solo. I’m in the industry – I could take advantage of empty legs and work anywhere, so I did,” he remembers. “If I wanted to go race cars in the desert in Vegas, I could do that.”

He encourages others to follow his example if possible. “Solo travel gives you the chance to live out the dreams you have without the demands of other people’s interests and schedules,” he says. “It lets you experience the world on your terms and enjoy a unique adventure.”