Let's talk about how to sell private air, who your target audience is and how pricing works.
Selling Private Air
The MOST IMPORTANT first step.
Awareness is Everything
The #1 rule: Make sure your clients know you can arrange private jet travel.
Even if you don’t think your clients are interested, let them know—referrals can come from unexpected places.
Use marketing pieces and email blasts to announce your private air capabilities.
Domestic - International - Celebrity - Corporate - Groups - Helicopters - Turboprops - Luxury Jets - Airliners for large groups
Include a private air option when you make a trip presentation to your VIP client
Add private jet information to your website - consider adding a “Private Jets” tab to your website, just like you have for cruises or hotels.
Who Flies Private?
Corporate clients (especially CEOs and busy executives) value time savings in transit, privacy, and convenience.
Multi-generational families, VIPs, and incentive groups are also prime candidates.
Private air is ideal for accessing remote locations or for groups with special needs (e.g., pets, lots of luggage).
Sell the experience - convenience, no lines, no hassles
Offer smaller, closer airports with less congestion
Privacy and security - they can have their meeting onboard
Pet travel
Consider special locations that are more accessible by private air (e.g., St. Marks, Bora Bora, certain Arizona resorts).
Think outside the box
The Private Air Experience
Vastly different from commercial flying: clients can often drive right up to the plane, skip the terminal, and enjoy unmatched privacy and security.
Especially valuable for business travelers with tight schedules or multiple stops.
Pricing Basics
Private jet pricing is based on distance and flight hours, not necessarily cheaper for long-haul flights compared to commercial. Consider shorter trips when introducing someone to private air.
There are several categories of aircraft.
- Turboprop aircraft are usually the least expensive, good for short hops and small airports, but they are slower and less ideal for long distances or bad weather than a jet. So, if they are travelling a long distance, this may not be the most economical option.
- Very light jets are great for short distance like 1-2 hours with 1-4 passnegers, newer models, ideal for short regional trips. Limited standing room.These are sometimes even less expensive than the props. There are some new ones to the US market that are very competitively priced. This is the perfect category to consider for first-time private jet clients.
- Light jets are for slightly longer distances with up to 7-8 passengers. These can travel about 3 hours without needing to stop. Slightly more space, small lavatory, better for small groups and a bit more comfort.
- Medium jets will seat up to 8. The cabin is more spacious than the light jet, stand-up cabin, but several in this category have very limited baggage capacity. Not always a great fit for 8 people and bags.
- Supermid jets will seat 8-10. This size has more range, stand-up cabin, more baggage, a larger cabin...and price tag. Great for coast to coast.
- Heavy and ultra-long range jets are the creme de la creme, stand-up cabin. These are not your "intoductory" aircraft. These are definitely for the VVIPs. True international range (e.g., NYC–London).
Private aircraft are very busy so they typically won't sit more than a day or two. If your client is staying longer than that, we have two options. One is to price it as two trips - drop off / pick up. The other is to use an aircraft that prices "point-to-point" - P2P. The P2P aircraft don't have a home base. They float from one trip to the next. They can sometimes offer a much better rate for one-way flights than those that have to return to base. P2P aircraft are not available in all sizes or all routes.