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Are private jets faster than commercial jets?

December 12,2019

PRIVATE JET ASSUMPTIONS
One of the most common assumptions in private jet travel, is that private jets are faster than commercial jets. New private jet travelers often think that a private jet means arriving in record time, over their commercial jet counterpart. While arriving sooner is almost always the case, with private jet travel, it isn’t necessarily the jet that makes the difference, although, there are some exceptions.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF JETS
Private jets come in all shapes, sizes and speeds. There are some private aircraft, like the King Air that is much slower than a commercial 737 and on the other end of the spectrum, there is the Citation X, which is currently the fastest private jet available for charter and
just about the fastest non military jet in the skies. Speed, however, isn’t always the determining factor in the fastest arrival time.

ARRIVE WHEN YOU WANT
One of the most appealing things about private jet travel is the convenience and quickness at the airport. With commercial travel, we all have to arrive 1-3 hours in advance. We have to deal with our luggage, and we have to hope there is room for our carry-on items, once we board the aircraft. Quite the opposite, is the experience by private travelers. A private jet
traveler, can arrive 60 seconds before their flight, or even 5 minutes late, and the plane will wait for the passengers – up to a limit of course…but unlike commercial travel, arriving 5 minutes late, doesn’t mean the doors are locked and you are looking for another ride home.
In addition, you don’t have to check your bags at a commercial airport line…charter passengers, typically will drive right up to the plane and staff will assist with the bags…it’s that simple. So, being that the arrival process saves hours alone, private jets don’t need to be faster, to arrive earlier than commercial airlines. Of course, the arrival at the destination, works the same way. With private customs and a private airport terminal, the arrival is just as quick. No conveyor belts with your bags, no waiting for your shuttle or driver….just arrive and go as quick as you left.

AVOIDING BIG AIRPORTS
Another great speed benefit of private jet travel, is the ability for smaller jets to get into
airports that larger commercial planes, simply can’t fit into. There are literally thousands of small airports all over the world that private jets have access to, that commercial planes don’t. For example, in New York, instead of flying to the busy JFK or LaGuardia, private
jet setters can opt for airports that are not only closer to their homes or hotels, but they avoid to high density traffic and weather delays that plague the east coast cities. On the west coast, Van Nuys airport is typically the airport of choice for those wishing to visit Southern California, but avoid the dreadful Los Angeles, LAX airport. With those time savings alone, a coast to coast trip in a private jet, can save you 30 minutes to an hour!

SPEED CAN MATTER
Ok, so we avoided the original question, until now…but it was for good reason. Traveling private avoids so much of the clutter associated with commercial travel, that it really doesn’t matter if the plane is faster or the same speed as a commercial 767 or Airbus A320….but it can help. For a short flight that is an hour or two in flight time….a slower King Air can actually arrive faster than a commercial jet, with all of the benefits mentioned earlier. But what about those longer flights…there is no way a slow turbo prop is going to beat a jet on a coast to coast race…that is true. Not only would the King Air be slower, but the smaller aircraft would
likely have to make a fuel stop along the way, and this would negate all of the other time savers that we talked about. This is where speed does matter. The Citation X and Gulfstream 650 jets can travel just under the speed of sound! Yes, they’re fast. And, coupled with all of the other benefits of private jet travel, the Citation X and Gulfstream 650 can get you to your destinations hours before commercial jets will even arrive in the destination’s airpace. From take off to landing, these fast planes can beat most commercial planes in a Los Angeles to New York race by 30 or more minutes! That means turning a 5 hour flight into 4 hours and 30 minutes! On a transcontinental flight, it can shave off hours!

So, if you want to spend less time in the airport and airplane, and more time with loved ones, on vacation or in business meetings, then private jet charter is something to check into. Contact Studio Jet Charter to learn more or check Sky500.com for great last minute deals and new charter quotes.

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