Private Jet Travel Myths Debunked: Separating Fact from Fiction

Once upon a time, air travel was seen as glamorous – to quote one article, “a cocktail party with wings.” Seats were spacious, meals were tasty (and free) and flight attendants kept everyone comfortable. Passengers dressed to the nines to reflect their environment. Not everyone could afford to fly, but those who did expected to find the process enjoyable.

The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 helped make air travel more affordable, kicking off pricing wars among commercial air carriers. As airline profits dropped, their airplanes got more crowded and their service less comprehensive. After the hijackings on 9/11, airport security became far more intrusive and time-consuming. For most passengers in 2023, air travel is seen as a necessary chore rather than a pleasant experience. Any mystique is long gone…

…except, perhaps, in relation to private jet travel. Those sojourners skip the long lines, the interminable waits, the cattle-car feel of modern air travel. They can enjoy the speed of flying without the usual disadvantages – for a price. It’s no wonder that even the CEO of one of the world’s largest airlines ditched his own company’s aircraft for a private jet this past summer.

As more and more people seek private jet travel, its profile has risen considerably. However, the industry isn’t incredibly transparent given that relatively few people still fly private, and companies offering these services are far smaller in size and reach than major commercial airlines. As a result, myths about private jet travel abound. If you’re looking to separate fact from fiction, read on.

 Only the Elite Need Apply?

One of the most persistent myths about private jet travel is that it’s only for the very rich and famous – the Taylor Swifts, not the Swifties. In most cases, private jet travel is, unquestionably, more expensive than flying commercial. Airline deregulation brought commercial air travel within financial reach for most consumers, but it didn’t do the same for private jet travel.

However, in the last decade or so, new options have arisen that have made private jet travel more accessible for more people. These range from private-style air carriers such as JSX and Aero to membership programs, aka jet cards, that let you book available aircraft using prepaid credits, to fractional ownership programs such as NetJets that work somewhat like a timeshare for aircraft. The rise in connectivity from the Internet and social media has also made it possible for those who need the most expensive option – charter flights – for specific purposes such as pet transportation to band together to split costs.

The COVID-19 pandemic helped accelerate the growth in private jet demand, as travelers sought to avoid contagion and make use of the flexibility offered by remote work. According to WingX, business aviation flights in November 2022 were about 16% higher worldwide than they were in November 2019, illustrating the impact the pandemic has had on demand even for “non-elite” flyers.

“You just have to break the ice,” says Yiannis Christodoulides, director at charter broker Zela Jet. “Once you do, you realize it’s a whole different experience.”

Lap of Luxury?

Not surprisingly, the myth that private jet travel is only for the upper echelon goes hand in hand with the belief that it offers the pinnacle of luxury and comfort. After all, we’ve all seen the leather seats, champagne and extras that go with flying first class on a commercial airline – surely, private jet travel is the next level up, right?

Wrong. Private jets are typically smaller than commercial jets and even many commuter aircraft used by major airlines. Passengers may not be able to stand up fully. Seats may not be incredibly roomy. Wi-fi may not automatically be included. Many private jets have limited food preparation capacity relative to commercial aircraft – snacks and drinks will often be provided, but not champagne and caviar.

“It’s completely different from flying first class,” says Jason Firestone, VP of Sales of charter broker PRVT Inc. “Flying private is not only about luxury or aircraft size – it’s used as a tool for time savings.”

Whether the Weather

Every regular air traveler has a weather-related horror story. While neither snow nor rain (etc.) may stop the U.S. Postal Service from delivering the mail, they can stop airlines from taking off as planned. But don’t private jets have ways of avoiding those hurdles?

Alas, private jet travel is not immune to weather woes. “Weather’s still weather, whether you’re spending $3,000 or $50,000,” Firestone says. “People tend to forget that weather halts flights and makes you stay on the ground longer than you want to. The part that it makes better is that you’re not surrounded by 100 to 200 other people asking, ‘When are we going to take off?’”

However, private jet travel can offer a huge advantage over commercial travel in terms of wrestling with weather problems – flexibility. Private jets are typically assigned a two-hour window during which they can depart when their travelers wish; not infrequently, even more leeway can be granted. You can leave early to miss a storm or stay comfortably in your home or hotel waiting for one to pass – you’re not trapped for hours in a crowded airport sitting on the floor. Also, since your flight is scheduled individually, typically a delay in one location won’t lead to cascading delays in others.

And there’s another advantage private jet travel offers– the ability to move your departure and/or arrival location. There are more than 4,500 “business” airports in the U.S. to which to move (as compared with fewer than 500 commercial airports). Sometimes, when weather keeps your plane from soaring, “you can reroute to an airport that’s close by,” Firestone points out.

Wait, There Are Rules?

One 100% true belief about private jet travel is that it allows you to avoid long security lines – you can relive the days of pulling up to the airport 30 minutes before takeoff and skip the scanners once you walk in. However, that doesn’t mean no rules or regulations apply.

For example, Firestone mentions that the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) can ban people from flying private the same way they can with commercial aircraft. And even if that’s not a factor, passengers do have to show ID before boarding. Most private jet companies will require a safety pre-screening that may involve a background check.

If you’re flying internationally, customs and border control laws still apply. Private jet travelers typically have a much quicker customs process than commercial air travelers – customs agents may even come to the plane rather than the other way around – but they aren’t exempt from restrictions on goods and currency that can be transported across borders. The same goes for pets – most countries have very specific regulations as to which animals can be transported in and the paperwork that must accompany them, however you enter. Taking a child internationally without both parents along? You’ll still need the same signed and notarized form granting you permission to leave or return to the U.S.

And, of course, guns are still tightly restricted in the air. As with commercial flights, you can only bring firearms if they are unloaded and packed securely away with checked luggage. “You need to be an active police officer or active military or work for the U.S. government to bring a loaded gun on a plane,” Firestone says.

Hard to Handle?

It’s not unusual for would-be private jet travelers to be apprehensive about the logistics of finding a flight. Booking a ticket on a commercial flight can be as easy as a few clicks on a Website – flying private isn’t quite the same. “It’s difficult because you have a lot of questions. It’s foreign to you,” Firestone says. “But, once you go through that first experience, it’s different.”

If you’re looking to fly private for the first time, research is key. For example, if you wish to charter a flight, you’ll want to e-mail or call three or four brokers or operators to inquire about options. Just as you likely investigate the hotels at which you want to stay, or the tour companies operating excursions you find interesting, you’ll want to investigate your private jet options and be aware of which fit you best.

When you’ve found a relationship that works, however, flying private can get much easier. “You can just e-mail them when you want to fly,” says Laura Ince, Trip Coordinator at PRVT Inc. “We sometimes get texts at 10 pm asking for a flight tomorrow.”

Time, Time, Time

So, flying private isn’t quite the shadowy, mystical experience it may seem from the outside. Traveling in a private jet can’t free you from bad weather or government regulations, and it likely won’t be the sybaritic experience you may see depicted in movies and TV shows. What it can offer, though, is freedom – from 5 am flight times, long waits and many inconveniences in general. For passengers, air travel is a means to an end, and flying private allows you to spend fewer hours in transit, and more at your destination or home – no myth.

“Time is the most important thing we sell,” Firestone says. “When people realize that, it really is beneficial.”