Private jet companies in the US

Private aviation in the US is sold in five main ways: on-demand charter, jet cards, memberships, fractional ownership and per-seat semi-private flights. They differ in what you commit up front, how prices are set and how much control you have over the aircraft and the schedule.

The companies behind them differ too. Some are operators that own or manage aircraft and hold an FAA certificate. Some are brokers that arrange flights on other companies' aircraft. Others sell programs flown by their own fleets and partner operators. Knowing which kind you are dealing with tells you who is responsible for your flight.

Altivo is an on-demand charter broker. It acts as agent for its clients under DOT's 14 CFR Part 295, and every US flight it arranges is operated by an FAA Part 135 or Part 121 air carrier named on the quote and contract. Altivo does not sell jet cards, memberships, fractional shares or per-seat flights. This guide covers them so you can compare.

With on-demand charter, you hire a whole aircraft for a specific trip, with no membership or deposit program. A certificated air carrier operates the flight, usually under FAA Part 135. You choose the aircraft, the departure time and the airports, within what the operator can safely fly.

Charter is priced per flight hour for the aircraft, plus repositioning when the aircraft is not based at your departure point, taxes and trip fees. As a guide, a light jet typically charters for $5,500 to $9,850 per hour, a midsize jet for $9,790 to $10,840 and a heavy jet for $15,070 to $18,480, before taxes and fees. Prices move with demand, positioning and season.

Brokers source aircraft from many operators. DOT's Part 295 rules require a broker to state clearly in its advertising that it is a broker and not the operator. It must also disclose the operating carrier's corporate name before you contract, sell only flights by carriers that hold the required DOT and FAA authority, and refund promptly when a flight cannot be operated.

A jet card is a prepaid or committed block of flight time, usually at a fixed or capped hourly rate for each aircraft category. You trade some flexibility for agreed rates and booking terms set out in the contract.

Private Jet Card Comparisons tracks published programs. It put average jet card hourly rates in the second quarter of 2026 at $8,456 for light jets, $9,557 for midsize, $12,526 for super-midsize and $15,236 for large-cabin jets. Those averages include fuel surcharges and the 7.5% federal excise tax. Programs also set daily minimums, which averaged about 93 minutes. They also set peak days, when terms change, and the average number of peak days rose to 45.4.

Before you commit, read the fine print on peak days, cancellation windows, upgrades and downgrades between aircraft sizes, and refund terms for unused funds.

Memberships charge an annual fee for access to a company's pricing, booking platform or fleet. Some add prepaid funds or hours, and some cap prices on high-demand days.

Wheels Up is a well-known example. Business Jet Traveler reported in 2024 that its refreshed membership combined an annual fee with prepaid flight hours in the US and Europe, capped member costs on high-demand days and reduced rates for off-peak travel.

A membership makes sense when its benefits outweigh the fee at your level of flying. Spread the fee across the hours you actually fly, then compare the effective hourly cost with on-demand charter for the same trips.

Fractional owners buy or lease a share of a specific aircraft and receive a set number of hours each year from a fleet of similar aircraft. The FAA regulates these programs under 14 CFR Part 91 Subpart K. The minimum fractional interest is one-sixteenth of an airplane or one-thirty-second of a rotorcraft, and the program manager holds FAA management specifications on behalf of the owners.

Costs come in layers. Flexjet, for example, describes four: a capital cost for the share, and a monthly management fee covering items such as pilot training, insurance and administration. On top of those come an occupied hourly rate for each flight hour and a fuel variable that is adjusted monthly. Its shares start at 1/16, or 50 hours a year, with a maximum term of 60 months.

Fractional flights under Subpart K do not pay the 7.5% ticket tax. A fuel surtax of 14.1 cents per gallon applies instead. Ask a tax adviser how a share would fit your situation.

Semi-private carriers sell individual seats on scheduled routes, usually from private terminals. Most use DOT's public charter rule, 14 CFR Part 380. A public charter operator arranges and sells the flights, and a direct air carrier operates them under a binding contract.

The operator's prospectus must be accepted by DOT before it advertises or sells. Passenger payments must be protected by a surety bond, a trust or a bank depository arrangement.

Because you pay per seat, semi-private can cost far less than a whole aircraft. The trade-offs are fixed routes and times, a shared cabin and the carrier's own baggage rules. Our guide to semi-private jets covers this in detail.

A rule of thumb from the early 2000s matched each option to annual hours. Under 25 hours a year, charter trip by trip. From 25 to 50 hours, use a jet card or membership. From 50 to 400 hours, consider fractional ownership, and above 400 hours, whole aircraft ownership.

Private Jet Card Comparisons argued in 2024 that this pyramid is out of date. Days-based fractional programs start at 20 days a year, and jet cards with fixed or capped rates start at around $50,000 to $100,000. Many people who fly more than 50 hours a year still rely on a good charter broker rather than a program. Hours matter, but so do destinations, cabin size, notice periods and peak-day rules.

A practical approach: if you fly a handful of trips a year or need different aircraft sizes, start with on-demand charter and compare total trip costs. If you fly the same size of aircraft often and at short notice, price a jet card. If you fly 50 hours or more in a predictable pattern, look at fractional ownership with your advisers.

Ask who will operate the flight. The FAA advises charter customers to ask for the operator's FAA certificate and its operations specifications, including the D085 page that lists the aircraft it may use. Legitimate charters fly under Part 135. The FAA also warns that a price that looks too good to be true can signal an illegal charter.

Third-party audits add another layer. ARGUS rates charter operators at Gold Certified, Platinum and Platinum Elite levels. Its Platinum audit is a two-day on-site examination of training, maintenance, procedures and the active use of a Safety Management System. Wyvern's Wingman certification requires a two to three day on-site audit, followed by reporting requirements and continuous background checks on the operator, aircraft and crew.

For a broker, check the Part 295 basics. It should say clearly that it is a broker, name the operator before you contract and show the total cost with taxes and fees when you ask. Read the contract for cancellation terms and what happens if the aircraft cannot fly.