Private jet companies in the UK

"Private jet company" covers very different businesses. Some own and fly aircraft. Some sell prepaid hours. Some sell a share in an aircraft, and a few sell single seats. Others, like Altivo Jets, are brokers that arrange flights on other companies' aircraft.

The model that suits you depends mostly on how many hours you fly each year and how much notice you can give. The five main options are on-demand charter, jet cards, memberships, fractional ownership and per-seat (semi-private) flights. Whichever you choose, one rule is the same: a paid flight in the UK must be flown by an operator that holds an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), or by a properly licensed foreign carrier.

Charter is the simplest model. You hire an entire aircraft and crew for a trip, choose the airports and the time, and pay for that trip only. There is no deposit, no annual commitment and no membership fee.

Charter flights in the UK are flown by CAA AOC holders. Many of them are smaller than the big brands. Examples on our UK charter operators index include Luxaviation UK at London area airports, TAG Aviation and Gama Aviation at Farnborough, Air Charter Scotland in Glasgow, Saxon Air in Norwich, NALjets in Newcastle and The Little Jet Company in Gloucestershire.

Charter is priced per flight hour for the whole aircraft, plus positioning, airport charges and taxes. As a guide, a light jet typically costs £3,500 to £5,500 per flight hour before taxes and fees. See our private jet price guide for every size, or get a figure for your route from the cost calculator.

A jet card is a block of prepaid flight time, or a cash deposit, drawn down at a fixed hourly rate. In return you get set rates and, usually, guaranteed availability with a fixed amount of notice.

Programmes sold in the UK and Europe include the Wheels Up JetCard, which Wheels Up says aircraft are arranged on 72 hours' notice; Flexjet's jet card, which Flexjet says suits people flying around 25 hours a year; and GlobeAir's card for frequent European flyers. Bookajet, a Farnborough charter company, offers a JetBlack Card. Terms differ widely on peak days, minimum flight times and fuel surcharges, so compare them line by line. Our jet card comparison sets out what to check.

Some companies sell an annual membership rather than a card. VistaJet's Program is aimed at members flying 50 or more hours a year, with a fixed hourly rate and guaranteed availability every day of the year. Its VJ25 membership covers 25 to 49 hours a year, with availability guaranteed on all non-peak and most peak days.

Memberships suit people who fly often, often at short notice, and want the same standard of aircraft every time. The commitment is larger than a card, so read the minimum hours and the cancellation terms before you sign.

With fractional ownership you buy a share of a specific aircraft and pay monthly management fees plus an hourly rate. The provider flies and maintains the fleet and guarantees access in line with your share.

NetJets Europe runs a UK operating company, NetJets UK, and its UK website lists a fleet that includes the Embraer Phenom 300, Cessna Citation XLS and Latitude, Bombardier Challenger 350 and 650, and the Global 6000. Flexjet UK flies its European operation from Farnborough. Jetfly UK is the UK arm of Jetfly, which offers shares in Pilatus PC-12 and PC-24 aircraft.

Fractional ownership is the biggest commitment of all. It makes sense for people flying well over 50 hours a year who want ownership benefits without running their own aircraft.

A few companies sell single seats on private aircraft flying set routes from private terminals. From the UK the choice is small: flytta, for example, sells seats on an eight-seat Pilatus PC-24 between London Blackbushe and Nice. You pay for a seat, not the aircraft, but you fly on the company's timetable.

Our semi-private jets guide explains how these services work, the rules behind them and how the price compares with a full charter.

A broker does not fly aircraft. It finds a suitable aircraft from licensed operators, negotiates the price and manages the trip. In the UK, a broker needs no licence of its own, so the operator's AOC is what matters. Read what a private jet broker does for the full picture.

As a rough rule: if you fly fewer than 25 hours a year, charter trip by trip; from about 25 hours, compare jet cards; above 50 hours, look at memberships and fractional shares. Whatever you choose, check the operator before you pay. Our guide Is my flight legal? shows how to look up any operator on the CAA's AOC list.