How the calculator works, and what happens after it

Distance. Every listed airport has a latitude and longitude. The calculator measures the great-circle distance between them in nautical miles, the shortest path over the earth’s surface.

Time. Distance is divided by a typical cruise speed for the aircraft size, then 25 minutes are added for taxi, climb and descent. Legs beyond about 85% of the category’s typical range get a 45-minute fuel stop. For the high case, time grows by 3% for routing and by up to 12% more on westbound tracks to allow for headwinds.

Money. Low time is multiplied by the bottom of the estimated hourly range, high time by the top. Round trips double the legs.

Tax and fees. Trips between two US airports, and US trips to Toronto or Montreal (inside the 225-mile zone, which the IRS taxes like home soil), add the 7.5% federal excise tax and about $5 per passenger per leg in segment fees. International trips show a range before local taxes, which differ by country.

A calculator does not know where suitable aircraft are parked today, so it leaves out positioning, the flight an aircraft makes to reach you or to get home. It also leaves out daily minimums, crew overnights, airport and handling fees, de-icing and catering, and it cannot see demand on a holiday weekend. Those lines are why a quote can differ from the estimate, and they are explained in Calculator vs real quote.

Jet Price Calculator is an air charter broker and is not a direct air carrier. We do not own or operate aircraft; every flight is operated by an FAA Part 135 (or foreign equivalent) direct air carrier in operational control of the aircraft. When you send a request, an advisor checks operators for your dates and emails options, each naming the aircraft and the operator, with an all-in price. One advisor stays with your trip from that first email through landing.

We arrange one-way, round-trip and multi-city trips in the US and worldwide, on everything from turboprops to ultra-long-range jets. There is no membership, deposit or sign-up involved in asking.

US flights are operated under FAA Part 135, which governs on-demand charter operators’ maintenance, training and crew rest. Abroad, operators hold the local equivalent. Many also carry third-party ratings from ARGUS, Wyvern or IS-BAO; each option you receive lists the operator and its certificate so you can check before you book. The FAA publishes guidance on verifying charter operators.

You sign a charter agreement that sets the price, payment timing and cancellation terms. On the day, you arrive at the private terminal a short while before departure and the crew takes it from there; the captain has the final say on weather and safety. Variable items listed on your quote, such as de-icing, are settled as the agreement describes.