What size private jet do you need?

“What size jet?” is the first question on every quote, and the one most people answer by guessing. The categories are not official. They are a broker’s shorthand, and the useful version of the question is narrower: which is the smallest aircraft that carries your people and bags the whole way, into the airports you need.

What size private jet do you need?

The smallest one that carries everyone and their bags nonstop on your longest leg. In practice:

• Up to about six people, trips of two to three hours: a light jet, or a turboprop on a short hop.
• Seven or eight people, or a coast-to-coast leg: a midsize or super-midsize jet.
• Ten or more, an ocean, or a long day of flying with room to move: a heavy or ultra-long-range jet.

Those are the bands our own route guides show. A light jet flies Teterboro to Palm Beach nonstop in about two and a half hours, is marginal on Teterboro to Aspen, and may need a fuel stop going west on Teterboro to Las Vegas.

What are the sizes of private jet?

Brokers sort aircraft into about seven sizes, and the figures below are from the manufacturers’ own pages for one current model in each. Seats are the typical charter range from our route guides; manufacturers publish higher maximums.

Size	Example model	Typical charter seats	Published range	Cabin height	Base rate per hour
Turboprop	King Air 360	6 to 9	1,806 nm	57 in	$2,300 to $3,500
Very light jet	Citation M2 Gen3	4	1,550 nm	57 in	$2,900 to $3,400
Light jet	Citation CJ3 Gen3	6 to 7	2,040 nm	57 in	$3,750 to $4,200
Midsize jet	Citation Latitude	7 to 8	2,700 nm	72 in	$4,700 to $5,500
Super-midsize	Challenger 3500	8 to 9	3,400 nm	6 ft 0 in	$6,200 to $7,500
Heavy jet	Challenger 650	10 to 12	4,000 nm	6 ft 0 in	$8,500 to $10,000
Ultra-long-range	Global 8000	12 to 16	8,000 nm	6 ft 2 in	$12,000 to $17,000

Range, speed and cabin figures are from Textron and Bombardier. Base rates are Paramount Business Jets’ published rates, before tax and fees. The chart further down sets the ranges against real trips.

How far can each size of private jet fly nonstop?

Less than the brochure says, once the cabin is full and the wind is against you. Bombardier’s 3,400 nautical miles for the Challenger 3500 assumes four passengers, NBAA IFR fuel reserves and a set cruise speed, and its page says actual range depends on speed, weather and options. Textron publishes a maximum range without stating the load.

A useful rule is to want a published range comfortably above the trip. A Citation CJ3’s 2,040 nautical miles is above the 1,939 from Teterboro to Las Vegas, which is exactly why our guide marks that trip marginal for a light jet: a winter headwind and a full cabin can use up the difference.

Can you stand up in a private jet?

From a midsize jet up, most people can. Textron publishes a cabin height of 57 inches for the Citation M2, CJ3 and CJ4 and the King Air 360, and 72 inches, or six feet, for the Citation Latitude and Longitude. Bombardier lists six feet for the Challenger 3500 and 650, and Gulfstream six feet one inch for the G300.

On a two-hour trip a 57-inch cabin is fine. On a five-hour trip, being able to stand and walk to the back is often what a client is paying for when moving up a size.

Do private jets have bathrooms?

Most do, and the manufacturers say so. Textron lists an externally serviceable lavatory on the Citation CJ3 and CJ4, and a private aft lavatory among the King Air 360’s options. Bombardier describes a lavatory with a vanity, sink and faucet on the Challenger 3500 and 650, and Gulfstream lists an aft vacuum lavatory on the G300.

Textron’s page for the Citation M2 does not mention one. On a very light jet, ask the broker what the specific aircraft has before you book.

Is a bigger private jet faster?

A little, and on short trips the difference is minutes. A Citation CJ3 cruises at up to 416 knots and a Citation Latitude at up to 446, according to Textron. On our Teterboro to Palm Beach estimates, a light jet takes about 2 hours 30 minutes, a midsize 2 hours 20 and a super-midsize 2 hours 15.

On a long trip, the bigger jet’s advantage is not speed. It is flying nonstop when a smaller one has to stop for fuel.

How much does each size of private jet cost?

Published base rates run from about $2,300 an hour for a turboprop to $12,000 to $17,000 for an ultra-long-range jet, according to Paramount Business Jets, before the 7.5 percent federal excise tax, fees and positioning. The table above gives each size.

The rate per hour is not the trip price. A slower, cheaper aircraft flies more hours, and a small jet that needs a fuel stop pays for the extra landing. How much a private jet costs per hour turns a rate into a trip price.

When does the airport decide the size of jet?

More often than people expect, at mountain airports and busy ones. Three examples from our route guides:

• Aspen limits wingspan to 95 feet, so the operator checks the specific aircraft before it is offered. See Teterboro to Aspen.
• Altitude cuts what an aircraft can lift. At Aspen, about 7,800 feet up, a full light jet can leave with less fuel or fewer people. See Van Nuys to Aspen.
• Teterboro caps actual weight at 100,000 pounds, so the heaviest jets must fly lighter or get the airport manager’s permission.

Does luggage change the size you need?

Yes, often by one size. Baggage space runs from about 46 cubic feet in a Citation M2 to about 120 in a Gulfstream G300, and ski bags and golf clubs depend on the shape of the door as much as the volume. How much luggage you can bring has the figures by aircraft.

What should you tell the broker to get the right size?

Five facts are enough to size the aircraft:

1. The number of passengers, including children. Above 19 passenger seats a flight attendant is required, and above 30 the flight leaves Part 135; see chartering for a large group.
2. The bags, and anything long or heavy: skis, golf clubs, a dog crate.
3. The airports at both ends, because runway, altitude and wingspan limits can rule an aircraft out.
4. The longest leg, and whether a fuel stop is acceptable.
5. What matters most: price, standing room, a lavatory, or arriving without a stop.

A group of 20 or more changes the rules as well as the aircraft: see how to charter a jet for a group of 20, 30 or 50.

If you would like the trip sized for you, call +1 (862) 485-3510 or request a quote and list the passengers and bags in the notes.

Sources

• Textron Aviation: Citation M2 Gen3
• Textron Aviation: Citation CJ3 Gen3
• Textron Aviation: Citation CJ4 Gen3
• Textron Aviation: Citation Latitude
• Textron Aviation: Citation Longitude
• Beechcraft: King Air 360
• Bombardier: Challenger 3500
• Bombardier: Challenger 650
• Bombardier: Global 8000
• Gulfstream: G300
• Paramount Business Jets: published hourly rates by aircraft category
• AirNav: Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (FAA Chart Supplement data)
• Port Authority of NY & NJ: Teterboro 100,000-pound aircraft certification form