Charter 101: Private Jet Travel in the U.S. vs Europe

While private jet travel takes place worldwide, two regions stand out in particular – North America, and Europe. Together, they account for more than nine-tenths of global business jet and turboprop flight activity. Though business aviation flights have more than doubled in South America and Africa since 2019, they’re still dwarfed by the activity in Europe and the U.S.

JET flying over Tower Bridge, London, UK..Photo Credit: Lisa-Blue, iStock / Getty Images Plus

However, when you dig into the layers a bit, quite a few differences emerge in the U.S. charter jet market vs the European. While that’s not surprising given the cultural differences between the “Old World” and the New, it does mean that those residing in one continent but seeking to travel within the other should refrain from making assumptions. If you’re a European looking to experience Walt Disney World’s new Tron ride in Florida, or a U.S. resident dreaming of a jaunt through Paris and London, read on.

Mo’ Travel, Mo’ Issues

After a COVID-19-related lull, American travel to Europe came roaring back last year. As per travel insurance and assistance provider Allianz Partners USA, summer trips from the U.S. to Europe increased by more than 50% and winter holiday trips by about 20% in 2023 over 2022. The company specified that “trips to Prague, Milan, Lisbon, Barcelona, Madrid and London are up significantly.”

Allianz Top EURopean Holiday Destinations 2023

Europeans also appear to be jaunting across the pond more as the pandemic wanes. In 2022, according to Statista, more than 10 million visitors from Western Europe traveled to the U.S., a dramatic increase from fewer than 2 million in 2021.

Unfortunately, commercial air travel has not gotten more pleasant or peaceful since the pandemic forced a slowdown. Airfares are being pushed up by demand, checked baggage fees are increasing, and travelers appear more hostile than ever. As the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) notes, “incidents where airline passengers have disrupted flights with threatening or violent behavior are an ongoing problem and airlines have seen rapid growth in occurrences since 2021.”

While private jet travel is more expensive than commercial, it also offers respite from the slings and arrows of the public at large. A charter flight allows you to fly exactly where you need to go, exactly when you need to – or, at least, much closer to exactly than a regular airline can. For those hoping to maximize their vacation enjoyment or work trip productivity when traveling to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, private jet travel offers a tempting option.

Age Isn’t Just a Number

One major factor differentiating regions globally in relation to business jet operations is the age of the planes involved. Europe may be the continent with the older civilization, but it has the younger private jet fleet, with an average age of about 14 years, in comparison to an average age of about 18 years in the U.S. (China is the youngest at roughly 12 years on average, while Latin America and the Caribbean is the oldest at 25 years.) The difference is not accidental.

“Europe imposed very strict noise and age restrictions on aircraft a while ago in a way that the U.S. hasn’t,” says Paul Travis, Senior Charter Sales Manager for Equinox Charter. “There isn’t the amount of old equipment in the EU that there is in the U.S.”

While updating the cabins of private jets to combat the effects of aging isn’t all that difficult, the parts under the hood are another story. “In Europe, the chances of you having a mechanical issue are reduced because you’ve got newer equipment that requires less maintenance,” Travis says. “You can’t use older aircraft the same way you can with more modern machines – older airframes require more TLC and have thirsty engines.”

On the flip side, however, newer planes represent a higher capital value to their owners, often meaning higher charges for use. “Chartering in Europe may seem quite expensive to U.S. people,” Travis muses.

While finding hard data about the European vs U.S. market to allow for price comparisons can be difficult, looking at price estimates from charter companies can provide some indication. Paramount Business Jets estimates that turboprops and light jets, the most economical private jets, cost in a range of $2600-$3500 per flight hour to operate in the U.S. Aero Affaires estimates the rental price for that class of aircraft to be about €3500-€5000 per flight hour, or roughly $3750-$5350, in Europe. Midsize and super midsize jets are estimated at $4000-$8000 per hour in the U.S. and €6000-€7000 ($6400-$7500) in Europe.

And those prices may go up further if various government types have their way. In 2022, France’s Transport Minister said the country’s government was supportive of efforts to raise taxes on private jets in order to hold down carbon emissions. While France’s leaders rejected proposals to ban short business jet flights, their 2023 budget bill included a 70 percent boost in fuel tax for private aviation. Typically, increases in costs for operating aircraft get passed on to customers. Though U.S. President Joe Biden also proposed a tax increase for fuel for private jets in his 2024 budget – from 22 cents per gallon now to $1.06 in half a decade – the measure seems unlikely to progress in the Republican-led House of Representatives.

Optionality Adds Value?

Of course, comparing sticker prices for U.S. vs European flights isn’t as simple as it may seem. The basic packages offered are not necessarily the same. One big difference between the standard options in U.S. vs European charter companies is catering – and, as with commercial airlines, it’s not an area in which Americans come out ahead.

“Catering is always extra in the U.S. and it’s always expensive,” Travis says. “Americans tend to be healthy eaters and cheap dates – they’ll live on protein bars and bottles of water. The Europeans will tend to make a bit more of an event of it.” He estimates that catering typically adds $500 to $5000, roughly, over the base cost of chartering a private jet in the U.S.

A private jet meal. Photo Credit: RaptTV, The Image Bank

On the other hand, while those traveling in the U.S. may not be eating sumptuously, they do have more options when it comes to private jet charter at night. Given the higher population density in Europe vs the U.S., the former tends to have more people living in close proximity to airports than the latter. For that and other reasons, European regulators are stricter about noise control during “quiet hours,” leading to fewer landing options at night. “Major airports are virtually unusable from about 11pm to 6am,“ Travis says.

U.S. business airports are also typically more lenient about car access than their European counterparts. “In the U.S., the chances are that you’ll get ramp access for your vehicle – you can go straight from your aircraft to your vehicle, and vice versa,” Travis points out. “In most places in Europe, you’re going to have to walk. It’s going to vary from place to place.”

Homogeneity vs Heterogeneity

That last difference spotlights a key differentiation between the U.S. and European markets. While Europe is now (mostly) tied together by the European Union (minus the UK post-Brexit), each country still has its own customs and air traffic control systems. Though EU citizens enjoy certain benefits across borders, outside visitors aren’t so lucky. In contrast, while the U.S. may be grappling with a perceived red-state/blue-state divide, all 50 states are still very much a single country when it comes to air travel regulations.

French bulldog on board. Photo CRedit: Olga Ovcharenko, iStock / Getty Images Plus

One example of this is travel with pets. In Europe, flying from, say, France to the U.K. with your dog or cat requires proof of certain vaccinations, microchips or tattoos and a variety of paperwork in order to cross national borders, even when flying private. In contrast, a private jet traveler can hop onto a plane in NYC and jaunt over to Houston with Miss Kitty and/or Fido and sail on unbothered.

“The U.S. has a homogenous aviation environment that allows things to happen in a seamless way,” Travis says. “Europe is more of a mix and match depending on the nations involved and how they view their aviation. You’ve got a lot of cultures and languages over a relatively small area.”

Safety First

However, there is one area in which Europe offers more standardization than the U.S. – rules and regulations. While the U.S. FAA is theoretically powerful, it covers a vast amount of airspace and a huge number of aircraft, meaning that it can get stretched thin. On the other hand, each country in Europe has its own aviation regulatory body, tied together by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Over time, local rules regarding flight time, airline operating standards and other details have been standardized across the EU.

Mechanic team repairing an aircraft. Photo CREDIT: RgStudio, iStock / Getty Images Plus

U.S. charter customers have dealt with a lack of absolute confidence in the FAA by (unsurprisingly) turning to the private market. The two leading safety rating organizations are the Aviation Research Group United States (aka ARGUS) and WYVERN. Both offer certifications based on thorough safety assessments, with ARGUS focusing on rating pilots and aircraft and WYVERN charter operators. Their directories allow would-be flyers to search for safety and certification data for companies offering private jet travel.

“If you’re an American corporation looking to charter in Europe, you’re looking for a WYVERN or ARGUS-approved airplane,” Travis says. “If something happens and somebody asks the question about due diligence, you can say you did everything that was humanly possible to make sure nothing bad happened.”

Gaining status with ARGUS and/or WYVERN is not free or simple – both organizations require access to operating data for operators. Historically, this has led to some resistance among European charter companies in obtaining accreditation. However, those companies are now realizing that refusing to cooperate comes with its own costs – i.e., U.S. customers being unwilling to use them when flying private in Europe.

“This third-party verification thing is a very American phenomenon,” Travis says. “It’s crept over into Europe because of Europeans who want to do business with the U.S.”

Coming Together

Ultimately, however, both the Old and New Worlds provide numerous options for private jet travel that allow visitors to get where they want to go more quickly and easily than with essentially any other mode of transportation. “There are cultural differences and differences in terms of the amount of hardware, the type of hardware available and the general nature of how hardware works,” Travis says. “But 90 percent of flyers want to do something reasonably straightforward – they just don’t want to go on the airlines. With private jets, you can fly to your schedule and make your trip a much nicer experience.”