Top 10 Private Jet Companies in 2020

When it comes to traveling with style, nothing beats the swagger of flying in a private jet. Even the most luxurious business classes in commercial airliners come nowhere close to the elegance and grandeur of flying in a private jet. You can have the whole class to yourself, the crew is always there to cater to your every need, and you don’t have to sit in cramped seats with a crowd of people pushing you from every direction.

While it is in no way feasible to own an aircraft in this day and age, there are a plethora of aircraft charter companies providing exquisite flying experiences at reasonable costs. Here are 10 of the best private jet companies in 2020. The list is in no particular order; each name below is the cream of the crop when it comes to cost, services, and flying experience.

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Privatefly is a jet charter broker that centralizes a bunch of private jet operators on one platform. Launched in 2008, privatefly climbed the ranks quickly and just two years later won the Smarta’s top 100 small businesses awards. The company didn’t look back and kept on collecting awards, one after another.

Using PrivateFly’s website or app, passengers can book from about 7,000 jets. Their diverse fleet includes helicopters, business jets, turboprops, and even wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 747.

In 2019 privatefly announced a flat rate on their Nextant 400XTi light airplane to and from key European cities. The prices start from €4,500 to a maximum €9,000. While those are rates to and from select European cities, privatefly can take you anywhere in the world. A handy tool on their website allows you to calculate the rates after selecting your origin and destination and the number of passengers flying.

Pros

• Connects consumers directly to operator
• Offers pets and helicopter service
• Flying to and from key European destinations can be a bargain

Cons

• The choices can get somewhat overwhelming
• Despite having a large fleet, their operation is currently limited to 19 countries

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Flexjet follows NetJets closely as one of the largest aircraft fractional ownership providers working today. Flexjet offers partial ownership, leasing, and jet card services. Their most premium service goes by Flexjet Red Label, offering customized interiors, round-the-clock first-class services, a dedicated crew, and a fleet of the latest and youngest private aircraft in the market.

Flexjet claims to own the most technologically advanced aircraft fleet; including light, mid-sized, large, and ultra-long-range options. With over 20 custom cabin interior designs to choose from, Flexjet stands apart from fractional ownerships, where the cabin interior is more or less uniform.

Flexjet is somewhat secretive of their pricing; however, their website allows you to inquire about their cost and deals. Their jet card pricing starts a bit north of $25,000. The Flexjet 25 card goes for about $160,000 and is made for those who rack up less than 50 flying hours per annum. If you fly more than that, Flexjet recommends fractional ownership.

Pros:

• Ability to choose from a variety of cabin interior designs
• Allows to charter a jet for as little as 10 hours
• The fleet includes the youngest and technologically advanced aircraft

Cons:

• Callout time slightly longer than NetJets
• Prices not publicly revealed

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Wheels Up is a membership-based private jet company. One of the youngest in the field, Wheels Up is a shift from the traditional aircraft leasing model and functions more like a taxi-hailing service for private jets.

The Wheels-up app allows you to book their services for as little as 24-hours before your flight. Wheels up members also enjoy exclusive party invites, a full-service concierge, and about $35,000 worth of exclusive benefits aside from their in-air services.

Wheels Up offer three types of membership: Connect, Core, and Business. Connect has a $2,995 upfront and $2,495 yearly fee, Core has a $17,500 upfront and $8,500 annual fee, and Business has a $29,500 upfront and $14,500 annual fee.

Pros:

• Second biggest private airline operator in the world
• Allows to charter a jet for as little as 24-hours before the flight
• Simple pricing and easy-to-use app

Cons:

• Fresh addition in the market, unlike some of the more experienced players
• Hourly pricing not suitable for frequent travelers

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They are the pioneers of private jet leasing and the largest name in the market. Founded in 1964, NetJets operates with over a whopping 700 aircraft and travels to more than 5000 regions. NetJets offers fractional ownership and jet card services.

NetJets fleet comprises of four cabin sizes: light, mid-size, super mid-size, and large. Aside from peak days, NetJets allow booking against a callout time of just 4 to 6 hours. Being the oldest players in the game, you can trust NetJets to have the most experienced pilots and maintenance staff, ensuring the prime safety of the jet your flying in.

For passengers that fly 50 hours or less per year, NetJets offers six different types of jet cards that allow you to own the aircraft for 25-50 hours at a time. The price of NetJets jet cards starts from $165,000. For those who fly more frequently, NetJets has lease and share buying options.

Pros:

• Little callout time needed before booking
• Highly experienced in the business, you can rest easy knowing they’ll fly you safely
• Flexible booking packages starting from 25-hour blocks

Cons:

• No option to pick or change the aircraft cabin interior
• Costs higher than the competition

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XOJets takes a different approach to membership and pricing. As an alternative to jet cards and fractional membership, XO offers members to fly on-demand, shared charter, or fly-by-the-seat options.

XO operates with a fleet comprising of only two types of aircraft: the Cessna Citation X and a Bombardier Challenger 300. However, XO’s partnership allows them access to over 2100 private jets to serve a multitude of sectors.

Flying with XO costs $5,500 to $8,500 per hour. The Shared Charter option allows you to sell a seat to another passenger to cut down on your pricing, whereas the fly by the seat option lets you buy a seat for a low cost on another member’s aircraft.

Pros

• Economical pricing alternatives
• Non-traditional business models
• Flexible cancellation policies
• Their partnership with other airlines allow guaranteed availability

Cons

• People who prefer traditional pricing won’t be attracted to XO’s pricing scheme
• Only select individuals get to use their services

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Jettly is another private jet service provider that functions like a high-profile taxi-hailing service. Their app allows passengers to compare rates while checking the schedule of flights.

Jettly’s fleet consists of aircraft of all shapes and sizes, including small, single-engine airplanes and even helicopters.

Jettly offers memberships and jet cards, as well as a pay-as-you-fly option to book a private jet whenever you want without buying any membership. Jettly membership costs are $0 (Free), $370 (Personal), $670 (Business), and $997 (Jet card).

Pros

• No contracts or initiation fees
• Cancel online at your convenience
• Simple pricing plans which don’t need you to tie your money up
• Different kinds of fleet available for different needs

Cons

• Not as premium as some of its competitors
• Offers pre-assigned seats
• No inflight entertainment or Wi-Fi

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Magellan offers on-demand charters, jet cards, and membership options. Magellan’s focus is ensuring the passenger’s health, safety, and security throughout their journey. Magellan also organizes secure and safe meetings, transportation, and reservations of any kind.

Magellan basic membership costs an initial fee of $8,500, and per-hour charges range from $5,128 to $12,209, depending upon the size of the aircraft. Magellan premium costs an initial fee of $14,500, and per-hour charges range from $6,032 to $14,064.

The premium membership adds complimentary catering, multi-aircraft availability, and carbon offset to the basic membership. The premium membership also has a 12-hour callout time compared to the 24-hour time of its basic counterpart.

Pros

• Focused on safety and security of members in air and on the ground
• Little callout time with premium membership
• Relatively new aircraft in fleet
• Partnered with Terrapass for a greener, environmentally friendly aircraft operation

Cons

• Basic membership lacks basic services like Wi-Fi and catering.
• Passengers can select an aircraft size, not the aircraft itself.

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Proud owner of the largest bombardier fleet in the world, Vistajet operates out of Europe and covers about 187 destinations worldwide. Vistajet is different from other global private jet operators because it covers all the destinations mentioned above with its fleet.

Members get access to exclusive Vistajet suites, ski resorts, yachts, estates, and island resorts worldwide with their privacy and personalized pleasure ensured.

Vistajet app allows easy customization of services required by the passenger and tailoring of the subscription plans according to their needs.

Vistajet airplanes can cost from $12,000 per hour to $16,000 per hour as a rough estimate. The price can be justified by the number of premium services the charter company provides.

Pros

• A truly global private jet operator, flying to 1900 airports
• Young fleet. Aircraft get retired after 4 to 5 years
• 8 to 14 seat airplanes

Cons

• Pricing catered to those with deep pockets
• Doesn’t intend on bringing in any economic pricing models
• The smallest aircraft is an 8-seater, somewhat big for a person traveling alone

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Like Vistajet, Globeair also operates exclusively using only the aircraft they own. Their fleet consists solely of twenty Citation C510 Mustang, an aircraft that requires low fuel and only one pilot to operate.

The reason behind globeair’s inclusion of only small aircraft to its fleet is that they believe most private airline passengers prefer to fly alone or in smaller groups. Furthermore, their small airplanes have no trouble taking off and landing at some small airports, increasing their coverage.

Aside from charter bookings, globeair also offers empty leg bookings where passengers can save up to 90% on their tickets.

Pros

• The number # 1 private jet charter of Europe.
• Private terminals
• Small aircraft can land at small airports

Cons

• Operates only in European countries
• Limited seating arrangement makes it unsuitable for bigger groups

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Victor and its 200 partners offer passengers private jets of all sizes, flying all over the globe. Victor and its partners comply with ISO 9001 standards to provide the highest quality of air travel to its customers.

Although tight-lipped about their rates, victor promises transparent and most competitive pricing compared to others.

Pros

• Environmentally-friendly aircraft operation
• Clear and transparent pricing to passengers who book via Victor
• Covers almost all parts of the world

Cons

• Pricing unavailable on their website
• Their policies depend upon the operator and can vary depending on the policies of the partner