The hourly rate is the engine of every charter quote. Here is what each size actually costs in 2026 — and why two quotes for the same route can be thousands apart.
Turboprops run $1,500–$2,300 per flight hour and cover short hops economically — think Boston–Nantucket or LA–Palm Springs. Light jets ($2,600–$3,800/hr) are the workhorses of trips under three hours: New York–Miami, Dallas–Denver, Chicago–Nashville. Midsize jets ($3,800–$5,200/hr) add a stand-up cabin and coast-to-coast-ish legs. Super-midsize ($5,200–$7,500/hr) is the transcontinental sweet spot and the minimum for Hawaii from the West Coast. Heavy jets ($8,000–$13,000/hr) carry ten to fourteen people across oceans. Ultra-long-range flagships start around $12,000/hr and fly 6,000-plus nautical miles nonstop.
Hourly rates are not fixed menu prices — they float with supply. An operator with an aircraft already sitting at your departure airport can quote below one that has to fly a jet in empty. Age matters less than maintenance status and interior condition, but a freshly refurbished cabin often commands a premium on the same airframe type. And demand is everything: the same light jet that costs $3,200/hr on a Tuesday in March can quote $4,000/hr on the Friday before a holiday weekend.
A proper charter quote wraps the hourly rate into an all-in number: crew, fuel at current prices, standard catering and basic insurance. On top of the rate itself, expect line items for landing and FBO fees (a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on the airport), crew overnights on multi-day trips ($300–$600 per night), international handling where applicable, winter de-icing ($1,500–$10,000 per event), and the 7.5% federal excise tax on domestic legs. If a quote doesn't say whether these are included, ask — that is where "cheap" quotes grow.
Nearly every operator charges a daily minimum of 1.5 to 2 flight hours. A 40-minute hop in a heavy jet therefore bills as two hours — which is why short routes almost always price best in the smallest aircraft that fits your party. The JetQuoter engine models block time honestly (cruise plus taxi and climb), so its estimates reflect the real minimum-hour math on short sectors.
Compare quotes per trip, not per hour. A $5,800/hr super-midsize that flies your route nonstop beats a $4,500/hr midsize that needs a fuel stop. And compare per seat only if the cabin is genuinely full — the aircraft is the unit of charter, not the chair.
Send the route and a charter advisor replies with firm, all-in options from vetted Part 135 operators — usually within thirty minutes, day or night.
National dispatch · 24/7 (800) 555-0163