Types of Private Jets: Sizes, Classes and Costs

Private jets come in about seven sizes, from single-engine jets that seat four to airliner-sized cabins for 19. The class decides almost everything about a trip: how many people fit, how far the jet flies without stopping, how comfortable the cabin is and what an hour costs.

Private jet sizes at a glance

Seats and range are typical for each class (the specific models are below). Hourly rates are the middle half of the rates jet card companies publish for each size, the same figures as our private jet cost per hour guide.

The annual cost of owning each class, from crew and hangar to fuel and maintenance, is in what it costs to own a private jet, and every model is ranked in the operating cost league table.

Turboprops

Turboprops use jet turbines to turn propellers. They are slower than jets (around 300 knots) but burn less fuel, and many can use short or unpaved runways that jets cannot. The single-engine Pilatus PC-12 and the twin-engine Beechcraft King Air are the best known, with cabins as large as some light jets.

Best for: short regional trips of up to about two hours, island hopping and small airports.

Very light jets

Very light jets are the smallest jets: four to seven seats, often one pilot, and a range of about 1,100 to 1,600 nautical miles. The Cirrus Vision Jet has a single engine on top of the fuselage; the Citation M2 and HondaJet have two. Cabins are small, and most have no full lavatory. The smallest private jets compares them.

Best for: one to four people on trips of up to about two hours, such as New York to Florida with a stop or regional business trips.

Light jets

Light jets add range, speed and a proper lavatory. The best-selling light jets, the Embraer Phenom 300 series and Cessna Citation CJ4, seat up to ten and fly about 2,000 to 2,200 nautical miles at around 450 knots. The Pilatus PC-24 adds the ability to use short and even unpaved runways.

Best for: up to six passengers on trips of two to four hours, such as New York to Chicago or Los Angeles to Denver.

Midsize jets

Midsize jets have a taller cabin, often one you can nearly stand in, for seven to nine passengers, and more baggage space. The Cessna Citation Latitude has a flat floor and a six-foot cabin height; the long-running Citation XLS series is a charter staple.

Best for: six to eight passengers on trips of three to five hours, such as New York to Denver or Miami to Dallas.

Super-midsize jets

Super-midsize jets are the sweet spot for many travelers: a stand-up, flat-floor cabin for eight to ten, a range of 3,200 to 4,000 nautical miles to fly coast to coast nonstop, and a lower hourly cost than a large-cabin jet. CRAFT flies the Bombardier Challenger 300 and 350, the best-selling business jets in this class.

Best for: six to eight passengers on trips of up to six or seven hours: transcontinental flights, Caribbean and Mexico trips, and New York to Europe for lighter loads.

Large jets

Large-cabin jets seat ten to sixteen in a wider cabin with separate seating areas, a galley for real meals and more baggage space, and fly 4,000 to 5,000 nautical miles, enough for most transatlantic trips. The Dassault Falcon 2000LXS and older Gulfstreams such as the G450 and GIV are typical.

Best for: larger groups, longer trips and transatlantic flights from the East Coast.

Ultra-long-range jets

Ultra-long-range jets are the flagships: up to 19 passengers, several cabin zones often including a bedroom, and 5,500 to 8,200 nautical miles of range, enough for New York to Tokyo or Hong Kong nonstop. They are also the fastest private jets, with maximum speeds of Mach 0.90 to 0.95. The longest-range private jets ranks them.

Best for: intercontinental trips and long flights where a full cabin, a bed and no fuel stop matter.

Bizliners: converted airliners

At the top are airliners fitted with private interiors: the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), based on the 737 MAX, and Airbus's ACJ family. Boeing quotes up to 6,600 nautical miles for the BBJ 737 MAX; Airbus quotes 5,650 for the ACJ TwoTwenty and 6,000 for the ACJ320neo with 25 passengers. Their cabins are far larger than any business jet's, with room for bedrooms, offices and dining areas, but they need longer runways and cost much more per hour.

Best for: heads of state, large delegations, touring artists and sports teams.

How to choose a size

1. Longest leg. Find the longest nonstop flight you need, then allow a margin: real range is 10% to 20% below the brochure figure with full cabins and headwinds.
2. Passengers and bags. Seat counts are maximums; for comfort on a long trip, plan on two or three fewer people than the maximum. Skis, golf bags and dogs need baggage space.
3. Trip length. Under two hours, a smaller jet costs less and the cabin matters little. Above four hours, a stand-up cabin and a full lavatory matter more.
4. Airports. Short runways, high-altitude or hot airports may rule out larger jets or limit their load.
5. Budget. Each class up costs more per hour, but a bigger jet that flies nonstop can cost less overall than a smaller jet that needs a fuel stop.

If you are not sure, send us the trip: we will tell you which size fits and what it costs. Or compare what private jets cost per hour by size first.

Sources

• Manufacturer specifications: Pilatus PC-24; Cirrus Vision Jet; Cessna Citation M2 Gen3, CJ4 Gen3, Latitude, Ascend and Longitude; Embraer Phenom 300EV and Praetor 600E; Bombardier Challenger 3500 and Global 7500; Gulfstream G700 and G800; Dassault Falcon 2000LXS and Falcon 8X; Boeing Business Jets; Airbus ACJ TwoTwenty.
• Out-of-production and older models (PC-12 NGX, King Air 360, HondaJet, Citation XLS+, Challenger 350, Praetor 600, G450, Falcon 900LX): figures from each model's ownership-cost page.