If you are going to fly private but won’t be buying a private jet on your own, you have three options:

With unique benefits to each model, deciding between fractional jet ownership vs. charter vs. a jet card is not always easy.

What approach to flying private works for your budget, travel habits, and personal preferences? Whether you are a frequent flier valuing consistency and freedom above all else or an occasional traveler with a more flexible schedule, understanding the nuances of each strategy can guide you to the best choice for flying privately.

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Fractional jet ownership overview.

Fractional jet ownership makes private jet ownership accessible by breaking down full aircraft ownership into ‘fractional’ shares. 

Most fractional programs offer ownership with shares as small as 1/16th of a jet, increasing to 1/8th to 1/4th and up to a full share. The capital expense and operational costs are then divided among several owners.

How does fractional jet ownership work if you aren’t solely responsible for managing the administration of an aircraft? A management company like Volato tackles it. 

For a nominal monthly management fee, everything is taken care of, including hangarage, insurance, safety inspections, maintenance, repairs, crew scheduling, and more. Fractional owners enjoy lower costs to fly (occupied hourly fees) compared with the equivalent charter rates.

As a fractional owner, most programs equate your share size to a limited number of flight hours per year. But at Volato, we do things a bit differently. 

No matter the size of your share, you’ll benefit from unlimited access to our fleet and a portion of the revenue from your aircraft. 

Chartering a private jet overview.

Private jet chartering is the conventional way to fly privately. Instead of purchasing all or part of a private jet, you book individual trips. Under most circumstances, all arrangements are handled by a broker. 

Charters are offered by operators who own a large fleet and handle the management, maintenance, and administration.

If you fly a handful of times a year, chartering offers the most cost-effective and hassle-free access to private jet travel. The type of jet, the specific operator, in-flight services, additional airport fees, fuel surcharges, and demand will all influence the occupied hourly fees.

For the short flights on the smallest type of jet (very light jets), you can expect prices to start at around $6,000 per hour. Just like with commercial flight costs, charter rates are highly variable.

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Jet card programs overview.

Jet card programs sit somewhere between the charter option and fractional jet ownership. Much like chartering, you do not own the aircraft. 

Instead, an operator is in charge of all things fleet management. But, unlike chartering a flight, these programs are designed around pre-purchased blocks of time. Every hour flown is deducted from this block, like a gift or prepaid credit card. 

The benefit of a jet card is securing better occupied hourly rates than chartering, plus none of the administrative hassle of owning a private jet outright. Many cards come with member perks that don’t come with charter flights.

The Volato Insider program, designed as a simple draw-down deposit, locks in preferred rates around our most highly trafficked City Zones. For a deposit as low as $50,000, you benefit from our lowest national charter rate with capped prices when you fly within or between your city zones. No black out dates, no repositioning fees — just flying.

Comparative analysis: Fractional jet ownership vs. charter vs. jet cards.

The differentiators between fractional jet ownership vs. jet cards vs. charters revolve around capital costs, operational costs, and how each program functions. 

How it works

Jet fractional ownership

By purchasing a fraction of an aircraft, you share in the costs associated with jet ownership. Jet management, maintenance, and administrative considerations are handled by the operator and rolled into a monthly management fee. 

Many programs limit the number of hours you can fly each year and other jet ownership benefits by the share you have purchased. Not so with Volato. We are the only program with unlimited hours and a revenue share for every level of ownership.

Private jet charter

By chartering a private jet, you do not own the aircraft. Instead, much like a commercial flight, you book it in advance, typically through a broker. 

While comparatively much more discrete and flexible than public flights, charters will still have some restrictions on scheduling depending on aircraft availability, market demands, and operator availability. The charter operator maintains all management over the aircraft.

Jet cards

With a jet card program, you prepay for flight time in advance. But at Volato, we’ve done things a little differently. With the Volato Insider Program, we guarantee the lowest charter on our most highly trafficked routes, no blackout days, and no hidden fees. Each flight draws down the original investment until no deposit remains.

Jet card programs often come with additional program benefits.

Costs

Jet fractional ownership

The costs associated with fractional jet ownership are the highest, but this approach comes with the most freedom, discretion, and access than other options. 

Costs include:

• The upfront share purchase
• Monthly management fees
• Occupied hourly fees
• Additional costs like fuel surcharge and airport fees

Occupied hourly fees are substantially lower than with charter or jet card options.

As an example, the first year cost of fractional jet ownership for 1/16th of a Volato management HondaJet is approximately $830,400, including:

• Purchase Price: $549,000 
• Occupied Hourly Fee: 50 hours x $4,200 an hour = $210,000
• Management Fee: $5,950 a month

Private jet charter

The cost to charter is more affordable on a one-off basis, but on an occupied hourly basis, it’s the most expensive of the three options. The size of the jet, operator differences, market demands, flight time, and fuel surcharges all impact the price. 

Charters usually start at over $6,000 per hour (HondaJet, designed to accommodate four people or less). For example, flights from Teterboro, New Jersey, to Martha’s Vineyard are priced at roughly $7,200. 

Chartering is a perfect access point to the executive jet experience if you rarely fly private.

Jet cards

Jet cards offer more affordable occupied hourly rates than chartering — and without you taking on the investment required for a fractional share of an aircraft.

Every program and every operator structures its jet card pricing differently. The Volato Insider Program is like a jet card but better. Our program lets you enjoy capped rates on highly trafficked routes in and between our eight City Zones and get dynamic rates right across the US on our HondaJet fleet.

Access and availability of aircraft: Fractional jet ownership vs. charter vs. jet cards.

Access and availability of private jet flights vary depending on ownership model, membership program, or charter operator. Ownership provides the greatest access and most availability and chartering the least.

Benefits

Jet fractional ownership

With an ownership program, you get to fly privately with essentially no limitations, especially with Volato. There are no limits on the amount you fly based on share size. 

And, because you get access to the entire fleet, not just a single jet, you’ll never encounter downtime for maintenance or inspections. At Volato, you’ll get guaranteed access with as little as 48 hours’ notice. 

Private jet charter

Ultimately, charter works around your schedule, with some limitations based on jet availability. The benefit of chartering is the ability to switch jet size and departure location without ever having to think about fleet management logistics. 

Jet cards

Jet card programs bundle private jet travel to make travel costs more predictable and affordable. You are no longer beholden to market prices driven by fluctuating demand and jet availability. Instead, you reap the benefits of locked-in prices.

Limitations 

Jet fractional ownership

Compared with full private jet ownership, fractional ownership has minor limitations. For starters, you’ll still need to give notice before walking onto the tarmac and flying off your next destination. Second, your tax benefits are based on the share, not the total value of the jet.  

Private jet charter

Chartering private flights will always be limited to the available operators and jets for your preferred schedule and departure airport. 

There will be times when there may not be any flights available on your chosen schedule or within your price range. The other limitation is that chartering is the most expensive option compared to an occupied hourly fee.

Jet cards

While the hourly cost is locked in, so too is the jet type and, depending on the program, the travel region. Unlike chartering, you won’t have complete freedom to choose what size of jet you fly on. 

The Volato Insider Program is also designed around our most popular routes. So, it only makes sense for executives whose typical travel patterns are centered around our seven city zone centers.

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Which one is right for you: Fractional ownership or charter or jet card?

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FAQs.

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Not sure of the best way to fly private? Let Volato help.

Still not sure which option works best for you? Let Volato help you narrow down your choices.

From fractional ownership starting at 1/16th share to the Volato Insider Program to charter options on our fleet of modern jets, when you are ready to fly private, Fly Volato.