Charter cost estimator
Pick two airports, an aircraft category and the number of passengers. The estimate shows its working, from great-circle distance to federal excise tax.
Your trip
Choose airports from the list. The estimate updates as you change the trip.
Popular routes
Choose a departure and a destination from the airport list to see an estimate.
An estimate for planning, not a quote. It assumes still air and typical US hourly rates, and leaves out repositioning, crew overnights, de-icing, catering and international fees. Your quote is all-in and names the operator.
The method
How the estimate is built
Five steps, each shown in the working beside every estimate.
1. Distance
The estimator measures the great-circle distance between the two airports in nautical miles: the shortest path over the earth’s surface. Real routings add a little for airways and arrival procedures, which is one reason flight plans run longer than the straight line.
2. Flight time
Distance is divided by a typical cruise speed for the category, then 25 minutes are added for taxi, climb and descent. The result assumes still air. Headwinds add time, most noticeably westbound across the United States in winter; tailwinds take it away.
3. Hourly rate
Each category carries a typical US hourly range before tax and fees. Flight time is billed against that range, with a minimum of one hour because operators commonly bill a daily minimum of one to two hours.
4. Taxes and fees
Domestic US flights carry the 7.5% federal excise tax on the flight cost and a segment fee of about $5 per passenger for each leg, indexed every year by the IRS. International trips are taxed differently, so the estimator leaves the 7.5% tax out and notes that per-passenger US arrival and departure taxes, customs and foreign fees apply instead.
5. Rounding
The total is rounded to the nearest hundred dollars. Precision beyond that would suggest a certainty an estimate does not have.
| Category | Typical cruise | Per hour, est. | Typical range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turboprop | 280 knots | $1,800–3,200 | ~1,800 nm |
| Very light jet | 380 knots | $2,800–4,200 | 1,400–1,550 nm |
| Light jet | 420 knots | $3,500–5,500 | 2,000–2,150 nm |
| Midsize jet | 430 knots | $4,500–7,000 | ~2,100 nm |
| Super-midsize jet | 460 knots | $6,500–9,500 | 3,200–4,000 nm |
| Large cabin jet | 470 knots | $8,500–13,000 | 4,000–4,300 nm |
| Ultra long range jet | 480 knots | $12,000–20,000+ | 7,500–7,700 nm |
Why your quote will differ
A real quote starts from a real aircraft. Where it is based decides whether repositioning is needed, its own speed and fuel burn decide the time, and the operator’s rates decide the price. Multi-day trips add crew overnights and daily minimums, winter adds de-icing, and some airports add slot or handling costs. Your advisor prices all of that into one all-in number before you decide.