[gtr2M3]

Curious what everyone’s experiences & “wow” moments were as well as any disappointments

I’ve only had the chance to do so once before but it was awesome, the time saved was insane. Show up 10-15 minutes before departure and customs came to the plane to clear us on landing. On return they have your vehicle on tarmac, literally walk 100’ and just drive away

[TR930]

I was drunk for most of it.

[Donut Lord]

Originally Posted by gtr2M3

Curious what everyone’s experiences & “wow” moments were as well as any disappointments

I’ve only had the chance to do so once before but it was awesome, the time saved was insane. Show up 10-15 minutes before departure and customs came to the plane to clear us on landing. On return they have your vehicle on tarmac, literally walk 100’ and just drive away

What was the experience? or situation?

[M3Sleeper]

I fly first class and overseas have been in the suites. My aunts family owns an airline which does help.

Flying private if your cool with dropping between $25k-$50K in 1 day then ok.

If you can justify it to yourself and want to do it I say go for it. Also if you split up the $ it's not far off the suites.

You could also fly first class a bunch of times and still grab a Rolex and set of BBS wheels for the 1 day flex.

If your taking your family that would be a boss move, That I could get behind...it's an experience they won't forget Dad supplied.

The younger gen came up with YT & IG stars flying all over and it's now mainstream.

[gtr2M3]

Originally Posted by Donut Lord

What was the experience? or situation?

A friend of mine owns a plane, invited me to Vegas

[gtr2M3]

Originally Posted by M3Sleeper

I fly first class and overseas have been in the suites. My aunts family owns an airline which does help.

Flying private if your cool with dropping between $25k-$50K in 1 day then ok.

If you can justify it to yourself and want to do it I say go for it. Also if you split up the $ it's not far off the suites.

You could also fly first class a bunch of times and still grab a Rolex and set of BBS wheels for the 1 day flex.

If your taking your family that would be a boss move, That I could get behind...it's an experience they won't forget Dad supplied.

The younger gen came up with YT & IG stars flying all over and it's now mainstream.

Depending on the size of the plane, private is really expensive…. think 10k/hr and overseas you’re paying for that plane to come back as well. That’s for something you can stand up in and has the required range. So if you look at the round trip cost, it’s atrocious

I didn’t pay for any of my flight, I was a guest but I can honestly say that considering that there’s only about 24,000 of these things world wide, you really have to have an astounding level of wealth to be ok with the cost

Other than the comfort level, what I was really surprised about was the time savings, what would normally be almost a day long ordeal was little more than about 3.5 hours

[2000cs]

I’ve flown private several times for business. Immensely more convenient, really the only way to do a financing road show (multiple cities in one day) because of the quick boarding, deplaning, and cars waiting on the tarmac. Also incredibly expensive, but when you’re raising half a billion and the fees are already in the millions, $50k for a plane ride disappears.

[floridaorange]

I’ve been on a few private planes for travel to islands and the jets were cool but we were shooting inside of them for work - so I could only imagine how great they’d be to use them for travel.

One company I did some work with:

Jet Card (25-hour Marquis Card) — the most affordable option

• Starting cost: Around $250,000 for 25 hours on a light jet (like a Phenom 300).
• Hourly cost: Around $10,000 per hour all-in (includes fuel, crew, etc.).
• No ownership or long-term commitment—good for occasional flyers.

Alternative: Other private jet companies with cheaper rates

If NetJets is too steep, here are a few lower-cost alternatives:

• Wheels Up: Membership starts at $2,995/year, and pay-as-you-fly rates from $5,000/hour.
• XO or Jet It: Often cheaper, with shared charter or day-based pricing.

[Donut Lord]

Originally Posted by floridaorange

I’ve been on a few private planes for travel to islands and the jets were cool but we were shooting inside of them for work - so I could only imagine how great they’d be to use them for travel.

One company I did some work with:

Jet Card (25-hour Marquis Card) — the most affordable option

• Starting cost: Around $250,000 for 25 hours on a light jet (like a Phenom 300).
• Hourly cost: Around $10,000 per hour all-in (includes fuel, crew, etc.).
• No ownership or long-term commitment—good for occasional flyers.

Alternative: Other private jet companies with cheaper rates

If NetJets is too steep, here are a few lower-cost alternatives:

• Wheels Up: Membership starts at $2,995/year, and pay-as-you-fly rates from $5,000/hour.
• XO or Jet It: Often cheaper, with shared charter or day-based pricing.

I did see the social media hack that if you can plan one right, like these planes normally sit on random airfields, you can find one near you and fly on it while it goes to the place the next flight needs to start for like 10% the cost.

Like say some rich guy/gal needs the plane to be in Florida to fly to Texas, but its currently in Ohio. If you are in Ohio, you can get a very cheap private flight from Ohio to Florida.

[dreamingat30fps]

Many times. It was aight.

It was loud as fuck, no AC, cramped, bumpy, no bathroom. Plus the pilot was kinda shit. Just went around in circles and landed back where we came from.




PS: I was the pilot.

[peterfromsd]

Very convenient. 1. Drive up to the plane on the tarmac, toss your stuff on the plane, then an attendant takes your vehicle and parks it in a private hanger, and you take off to your destination. 2. No TSA or having to deal with crowds. 3. You can request the pilot to circle around scenic areas when possible.

Negatives: Price, loud, you feel more turbulence, and sometimes no wifi.

[3.0L]

As a private pilot, I’ve flown myself privately in my own puddle-jumper.
In my mind, this is the ultimate freedom (despite the regs).

[ash_schwin]

Never even flown business class, only been on economy. Always stuck in the back with the chickens and goats.

[FJJB]

Originally Posted by gtr2M3

Curious what everyone’s experiences & “wow” moments were as well as any disappointments

I’ve only had the chance to do so once before but it was awesome, the time saved was insane. Show up 10-15 minutes before departure and customs came to the plane to clear us on landing. On return they have your vehicle on tarmac, literally walk 100’ and just drive away

I think it's really only truly awesome when it's your flight and you are calling the shots (and presumably cutting the checks).

Flying for work isn't relaxing unless you're boss - otherwise you're trapped in a metal tube with a bunch of coworkers in a mobile sweatshop. But you can get a lot done quickly.

Flying on a friend's plane is great until it's not. Itineraries can change and you don't have backup tickets, you can get stranded at an FBO without ground transportation, potentially unknown private aviation etiquette rules to run afoul of, etc. But hey its free and can be awesome with good friends.

Closest I've come is chartering with friends. Fun but not really worth the cost, as the end result was basically like flying on regional jet with people you know by the time we filled it up (cost was probably 2x what I would have paid for a first/business class seat, and I typically don't pay for that for myself much less my kids). But the expedited airport process on both ends was really nice.

YMMV

[BWBike]

Never flown on a private plane. Flew many times for work, and a few times on my own, always on commercial airlines. No big deal with the extra hours it takes. Never had a first class seat but I’m not that big and fit in the seats easily.

[hubbahubba]

Dad had a Bonanza when I was a kid. Plenty of time in it. Also have a buddy with a Pilatus for his biz. Going to Colorado with him end of May. 99% of the time I fly commercial, and will go first class if I have the points. I would fly private all the time if I could. Sooo much better experience without TSA, or waiting at a gate to board like cattle.

[spazzyfry123]

Came awfully close to fly out of North Florida area when I lived there to the Memphis area on my buddy's jet. He had been building one heck of a vehicle that was wrapping up and was anxious for a check in, so he invited me to join on flight to watch the dyno tuning and then fly back. Everything was set to go and then the storms started rolling in through Alabama and had to cancel the flight. That would have been wicked.

It's tempting as a hobbyist. We have a local airport nearby that we'll see folks up in the air doing sight seeing and acrobatic with stunt planes. Wife would kill me if I got a Cessna!

One of the guys we got to bid on some work here at the property is from the area, but actively lives on St Simons Island or something down there. Most of his work is here in his hometown, so he will fly his plane from the island to the mentioned local airport, do his work in the area, then fly back home. I think he said it's about an hour or so of flight time? Hell, I spend about that much on my commute when I go to the office!

[M-technik-3]

I had a buddy that worked for netjets and occasionally he'd say come along on a ferry flight but sadly I did not have the time to, and was concerned about getting back from a locations so to me that was not worth it.

[erickonphoenix]

They put me on a Embraer Phenom for a meeting that ran executives back and forth from West Texas. I thought it was very cool but my partner did not like it because it was a little tight and he was claustrophobic. It was definitely quick, no overnight necessary.

[dab1981]

I get to fly on our company’s plane for work travel every now and then. It is wonderful. You don’t have to get to the airport early, it’s more comfortable, you can get closer to your destination, etc.

[gtr2M3]

Some interesting comments on noise levels, we were in a Praetor 600 and it was shockingly quiet, you could talk to someone at the other end of the cabin without raising your voice

Another perk about private is the shitter, it’s nice not sharing it with 300 other people

[forumsrs]

Also I never flew on a private plane. Never had a first class seat but I’m not that big and fit in the seats easily.