The Best Affordable Private and Semi-Private Jet Airlines
Best for luxury
Starting price: One-time initiation fee of $2,995 for the Connect Membership, with $2,495 annual dues starting in year two. Members get discounted pricing and other perks, but non-members can now book on a per-leg basis, too. Book a whole plane from Burbank to Las Vegas for about $7,000.
Notable inclusions: Snacks, drinks, pets, checked bags, access to partnerships like Wine Access services and special pricing on resorts
Cities served: Wheels Up can serve travelers at all point-to-point trips within North America and Europe, as well as around the world if it starts or ends in the U.S.
Pros: Wheels Up allows travelers to share flight legs with other passengers going the same route through a community messaging feature, making your private flight more feasible. The airline bills the other party; no need to coordinate a Venmo payment. Members can also book seats on empty-leg trips (when an aircraft is repositioned to another location) starting at just $320 per leg.
Cons: Unlike, say, JSX, you won't find $119 fares here. The initiation fee nears $3,000 for the entry-level Core membership, so Wheels Up is best for a frequent traveler who plans to commit.
Wheels Up allows travelers to book private charter flights at an all-inclusive hourly rate. Founded in 2013 and a publicly traded company as of July 2021, Wheels Up is one of the major players in private aviation, having acquired many others along the way.
Originally a membership-only model, the company now allows anyone to book available flights on-demand using the app. There are 1,500 planes in the fleet, including the King Air 350i (an eight-seater propeller jet), the Cessna Citation Excel/XLS in the middle category (with a four-hour range), and the ultra-fast and high-flying Cessna Citation X, with a large, posh cabin. It can fly over six hours nonstop.
I got to try out two of these on a company-sponsored trip between Los Angeles and Napa. With seven to 10 seats in each aircraft (compared with, say, 30 for JSX or up to 19 on Set Jet), Wheels Up offers a truly elite private jet experience. When I flew the Citation X, the cabin had eight luxurious leather seats and even a posh leather-covered loo. Snacks and beverages were available on-demand in a small lounge area, and the ride was smooth, quiet, and peaceful.
Wheels Up members also receive benefits at Wine Access, Waldorf Astoria hotels; pay-by-the-seat shuttle service from Westchester to Nantucket through Nantucket Shuttle Service; AmEx membership discounts; and many other perks and benefits.
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