± 45% swing
Aircraft class
A Citation Mustang (light) and a Challenger 350 (super-mid) cost differently per hour and burn different fuel. Picking the smallest cabin that fits your legs and pax is the single biggest lever.
TEB→MIA
Charter pricing guide · Issue 09
The real cost to fly private — not a vague range.
Aircraft class, distance, day of week, repositioning — see what drives the number, then get three real quotes for your trip.
Turboprop from $2,200/hr
Light jet from $3,100/hr
Midsize from $4,400/hr
Super-mid from $5,900/hr
Heavy from $7,300/hr
Distance
1,090 nm
Block time
2h 35m
All-in est.
$31,800
Section 01 · What moves the number
Six variables decide 90% of your quote.
The hourly rate gets the airtime. It is rarely the biggest line. These are the levers that actually move the total — and the reason two quotes for "the same trip" can land $9,000 apart.
Linear with distance
Distance & block time
Quotes price on block hours (wheels-up to wheels-down), not nautical miles. TEB→MIA is roughly 2h 35m block; TEB→LAX is closer to 5h 30m — about double the airframe cost.
+15% Thu–Sun
Day of week & season
Thursday-Sunday and holiday weeks (Thanksgiving, year-end, Super Bowl) carry premium pricing and minimums. A Tuesday TEB→MIA routinely quotes below the same trip on a Friday.
$0 – $9,000
Repositioning
If the closest suitable aircraft is in BDL and you're departing TEB, the ferry leg to position it is billed to you. One-way quotes from your origin (not the aircraft's) eliminate this line.
+7.5% FET (US domestic)
Taxes & fees
US domestic segments carry the 7.5% Federal Excise Tax plus a per-segment fee. International routings trigger different handling, customs, and overflight charges — not always itemized upfront.
$400 – $2,500
Catering & FBO ground
A standard tray and a hot multi-course catering order are not the same line. Ramp fees, de-ice (Oct–Apr at northern bases), and short-notice ground transport add up quickly if not scoped.
Section 02 · The signature chart
A cost waterfall, not a calculator toy.
One real trip — Teterboro to Miami, midsize jet — broken open line by line. Toggle the aircraft class to see how the stack reshapes. Numbers are estimates from indicative market rates, not a quote.
Aircraft + crew
Fuel & fees
Landing / handling
FET 7.5%
Catering + ground
Section 03 · From-pricing
Sample routes with all-in "from" pricing.
Real airport pairs, real aircraft types, indicative all-in figures labeled as estimates — not guaranteed fares. Hover or tap a card to see how the total breaks down for that trip.
Route
Aircraft
Block time
From (est.)
TEB→MIA Teterboro → Miami
Midsize · Citation Excel
2h 35m · 1,090 nm
from
$31,800all-in est.
LAX→ASP Los Angeles → Aspen
Super-mid · Challenger 350
1h 50m · 660 nm
from
$24,600all-in est.
SFO→TEB San Francisco → Teterboro
Heavy · Gulfstream G450
5h 05m · 2,150 nm
from
$74,500all-in est.
BOS→BQN Boston → Aguadilla
Light · Phenom 300
3h 35m · 1,580 nm
from
$28,200all-in est.
LAS→HOU Las Vegas → Houston
Midsize · Hawker 800XP
2h 35m · 1,080 nm
from
$26,400all-in est.
TEB→LAX Teterboro → Los Angeles
Super-mid · Citation Sovereign
5h 30m · 2,140 nm
from
$58,900all-in est.
Tap to view breakdown →
Midsize · all-in est.
Aircraft + crew$18,400
Fuel & ramp$4,900
Landing / handling$2,200
FET 7.5%$5,000
Catering + ground$1,300
Total$31,800
LAX→ASP
Tap to view breakdown →
Super-mid · all-in est.
Aircraft + crew$14,200
Fuel & ramp$3,800
Landing / handling$2,400
FET 7.5%$3,500
Catering + ground$700
Total$24,600
SFO→TEB
Tap to view breakdown →
Heavy · all-in est.
Aircraft + crew$42,800
Fuel & ramp$11,200
Landing / handling$4,800
FET 7.5%$12,900
Catering + ground$2,800
Total$74,500
From-pricing is indicative only, based on one-way mid-week trips with no repositioning leg, 6 passengers, standard catering, and assumes Part 135 operator availability at origin. Not a guaranteed fare.
Section 04 · Watch the line items
Eight fees that quietly widen a quote.
Brokers quoting an hourly rate and a "from" number are not hiding these — but they often aren't volunteering them either. Ask about every line below before you compare two offers.
Repositioning ferry leg
Cost to fly the empty aircraft from its current base to your departure airport. Often the single largest swing between two quotes for the same trip.
Daily minimums
Most operators bill a 2-hour-per-day minimum. Multi-day layovers (Aspen, St. Barts, year-end Miami) bill the minimum plus crew overnight.
Federal Excise Tax (FET)
7.5% on the transportation cost plus a per-segment fee for US domestic trips. Should appear as its own line on a compliant Part 135 quote.
De-icing
Type I/IV fluid October–April at northern bases (TEB, HPN, BOS). Rarely included. A single application can run $1,500–$3,500 per leg.
Catering uplift
Standard tray is usually included; a hot multi-course order, premium champagne, or short-notice change at the FBO is billed à la carte.
International handling & customs
Arrival handling, APIS submissions, customs, and overflight permits on cross-border legs. Volumes can stack on Caribbean and transatlantic trips.
Short-notice & night premiums
Booking inside 24–48 hours, or flying red-eye legs, can trigger premium crew and dispatch charges above the standard hourly rate.
Crew overnight & per diem
When the aircraft stays for a multi-day trip, the crew's hotel and per diem are passed through. Confirm whether the quote assumes a round-trip or one-way.
Step 05 · The point of the page
Stop reading ranges. Get three real quotes.
One request, three operators vetted for Part 135 operational control and ARGUS/Wyvern standing where available. Indicative pricing in hours, not days.
Response in ~2 hours
3 options, side by side
24/7 · 174 countries
Part 135 operators only
Or send the brief directly
Tell us the trip. We'll bring three quotes.
Route, date, passengers — enough to source real Part 135 operator quotes. Nothing else required to start.
- Three operator quotes, one trip brief
- ARGUS / Wyvern-rated operators where available
- All flights operated by FAA Part 135 carriers
- Discretion, 24/7, 174-country coverage
Section 06 · Pricing FAQ
Questions we get on every quote.
Because the "same trip" rarely is. The aircraft class, the operator's home base (which sets the repositioning leg), the day of week, and the specific Part 135 operator all move the number. Two operators 200 miles apart will quote the same TEB→MIA leg differently because one is already near TEB and the other has to ferry in. This is also why three quotes beat one.
No. The hourly rate covers the airframe and crew for block hours flown. On top you typically have landing and handling fees, ramp and FBO charges, the 7.5% Federal Excise Tax on US domestic segments, catering, and — if the aircraft isn't based at your origin — repositioning. A clean all-in quote itemizes every line.
Usually, yes. Thursday-through-Sunday demand, holiday weeks (Thanksgiving, Christmas/New Year, Super Bowl, Masters), and major events in destination cities (Aspen, St. Barts, Miami) push pricing up — typically 10–25% above mid-week — and tighten operator availability. If your dates are flexible by a day or two, say so; it often changes the quote materially.
FET is the Federal Excise Tax — 7.5% on the amount paid for domestic US air transportation, plus a small per-segment fee (indexed annually). It applies to on-demand Part 135 charter within the US. International segments are taxed differently. A compliant Part 295 broker quote shows FET as its own line so you can compare apples to apples.
Often substantially — sometimes 40–75% below the equivalent one-way charter — because the aircraft was already repositioning empty. The trade-off is rigidity: the operator sets the routing and timing, and empty legs can cancel or shift with little notice. They're a fit for flexible travelers on a specific city pair, not for time-critical trips.