Private jet from Scottsdale to Jackson Hole: times, prices, curfews and the time-zone trap

What goes into the price

On a two-hour flight the flying is a modest part of the bill. What moves the number is where the aircraft starts and where it ends.

Positioning. Scottsdale has a good supply of charter aircraft in winter, when the Phoenix area is busy, and a thinner one in summer. An aircraft that drops you at Jackson on a Friday has to come back empty, or move on, so a one-way trip tends to carry well over half of a round trip.

Minimums. Some operators set a minimum charge per day, which matters most on short weekend trips.

The rest is the usual:

• the 7.5% federal excise tax and a $5.30 per-passenger segment fee in 2026
• handling at Scottsdale and at Jackson Hole’s single FBO
• de-icing at Jackson in winter
• catering

What makes this route cheaper or more expensive

Season. Jackson’s busiest seasons are winter and summer. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort opens on November 27, 2026, and the ski holidays are the most expensive weeks. In summer the draw is Grand Teton National Park and the escape from Phoenix heat: the normal July high at Sky Harbor is 106.5°F.

Day and time. Fridays and Sundays are heaviest. A mid-week departure is easier, and an early-afternoon departure from Jackson avoids the late-evening quiet hours at both ends.

Aircraft size. A larger jet adds comfort, not speed: every category flies the route in about the same time.

Empty legs on this route

Aircraft fly to Jackson full on Friday and come back to Arizona empty, and do the opposite on Sunday, so empty legs appear around ski weekends and summer holidays. That follows from how the trip is structured; it is broker experience, not a published statistic. Charter Jet One’s figure for the saving on an empty leg is up to 75%.

Two illustrative examples:

• Northbound Friday. A midsize jet is positioning empty from Scottsdale to collect a family on Sunday. You could fly up with it.
• Southbound Sunday. A light jet has just dropped a group in Jackson and is heading home empty. You could fly back with it.

These show how empty legs arise. They aren’t flights for sale. They run on the operator’s timing and can change at short notice.

Flights actually on offer are posted on our empty legs page as operators release them, and one-way charters and empty legs explains where the discount comes from.

Departing from Scottsdale

Scottsdale Airport (SDL) has one runway, 3/21, 8,249 feet by 100, at a field elevation of 1,510 feet. Its three FBOs are Atlantic Aviation, Signature Aviation and Jet Aviation.

Noise. The airport is a noise-sensitive area on all sides:

• A voluntary curfew applies from 10 pm to 6 am. Compliance with the noise-abatement procedures is at the pilot’s discretion.
• Maintenance run-ups are banned from 10 pm to 7 am, and touch-and-go flying from 9:30 pm to 6 am.
• Runway 3 is preferred for noise abatement, and jets are asked to use the NBAA standard noise-abatement departure.

Limits. Wingspans over 100 feet are not allowed. The weight limit rose in 2026 from 75,000 to 100,000 pounds, and aircraft above 75,000 pounds need prior permission from Airport Operations. Most charter jets are well inside both.

The tower. It is open from 6 am to 9 pm. After that the airport is self-announce and the departure needs an instrument clearance by phone.

Alternatives. Deer Valley (DVT) has an 8,196-foot runway and Cutter Aviation. Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) is an airline airport where charter aircraft pay landing and overnight parking fees. Mesa Gateway (IWA) has runways over 9,000 feet. The usual choice is Scottsdale for north Scottsdale and Paradise Valley and Deer Valley for the north Phoenix suburbs.

Heat. Scottsdale’s elevation is only 1,510 feet, so the problem is temperature, not height. On a 106°F afternoon the air is thin enough to reduce takeoff performance, though the runway is long for any charter jet.

Flying in to Scottsdale from New York instead? See Teterboro to Scottsdale.

Arriving at Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) is about 7 miles north of the town of Jackson, inside Grand Teton National Park. By road it is roughly 10 miles to Jackson. For the full guide, see Teterboro to Jackson Hole. The essentials are:

• The runway. One, 1/19, 6,300 feet by 150, at a field elevation of 6,451 feet.
• Hours. The tower is open from 7 am to 9:30 pm.
• The FBO. Jackson Hole Flight Services, inside the park, with no hangar and prior permission required for overnight parking.
• The curfew. The airport asks private aircraft not to take off or land between 9:30 pm and 7 am. It is voluntary but counts in the Fly Quiet scorecard.
• Noise. A mandatory single-event limit bars any aircraft whose approach noise exceeds 92 dBA.
• Winter. Severe conditions are possible from November to April, and snow removal is not guaranteed outside attended hours.

The time-zone trap

This route has a quirk that catches people out. Arizona (almost all of it) does not use daylight saving time. Wyoming does.

Season	Scottsdale	Jackson
November to March	Mountain Standard Time	Mountain Standard Time, the same clock
March to November	Mountain Standard Time	Mountain Daylight Time, one hour ahead

In summer, a 2 pm departure from Scottsdale lands in Jackson at about 5 pm on Jackson’s clock. The voluntary curfew at 9:30 pm Jackson time is 8:30 pm on a Scottsdale watch, and the tower in Scottsdale closes at 9 pm Arizona time, so an evening departure out of Jackson needs more margin than it feels like. Jake builds the plan in one time zone and writes it on the itinerary in both.

Altitude, weather and timing

Jackson is the thing to plan around. The airport is at about 6,450 feet in a valley with the Teton Range to the west. The FAA Chart Supplement lists several points that matter to a crew, including that an aircraft that does not touch down in the first third of the runway may be unable to stop, and that an altitude correction applies at or below minus 21°C. NBAA adds that at this elevation many aircraft leave with less than full tanks.

For you, this means:

• A light jet suits a light load. A full cabin with ski bags may not leave Jackson with the fuel the crew wants. The operator says so before it quotes, and the 600-mile trip home leaves plenty of margin.
• Winter weather can close the airport for hours.

Seasons and events

Event	Dates
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort opening day	November 27, 2026

When to book. For the ski holidays and the peak summer weeks, ask for a quote as early as you can.

Which aircraft fits best

A light jet such as a Phenom 300E fits most couples and small families and does the flight in about two hours. A midsize jet such as a Citation Latitude suits six to eight people with gear. A super-midsize adds range for a winter diversion. A turboprop such as a Pilatus PC-12 is cheaper and adds about 40 minutes. A very light jet is rarely the right choice because of Jackson’s altitude.

How Jake handles this route

Jake starts with the passenger and bag count, because it decides whether a light jet works at Jackson’s altitude. He writes the itinerary in both time zones, plans departures from Jackson well before the 9:30 pm quiet hours, and checks the airport’s notices and NOTAMs for your dates. He confirms the operator is ARGUS Gold or Platinum rated, picks the alternate in advance, and arranges the car on the ramp.