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Cost Comparisons with NetJets

From threads such as…

Does a TBM700 syndicate make sense for 50-80hrs/year per member?

Used Piper Meridian

Obviously for some the attraction is doing the flying and I totally get that and think along those lines myself. But if your priorities lean as much towards the getting there despite the weather then how do the likes of NetJets, JetFly, Fly Millionaire etc. compare? I’m not talking about the corporate jet market where balance sheet assets, tax and all that come into it but rather for the private owners out there who like to go where they want when they want.

As you take a step upwards in capability you often loose the basic capabilities. Eg. A TBM is great for trips but not local flights. Also, the cost per step up gets much higher as you climb the ladder. Obviously you can fly CAT for trips you can’t do yourself but I suspect NetJets is more aligned to your trip profile.

It isn’t that easy to get a feel for how much NetJets costs. Occasional articles in weekend papers quote figures but these are usually headline figures for one trip or an empty leg rather than annual costs for a set amount of flying.

S57
EGBJ, United Kingdom

Not only does the cost go up, but they have to adhere to stricter minimas as US part 135, which are higher minimas than part 91. Not sure what the equiv is in EASA-land. This means that sometimes they can’t get you into your destination. Or the closest destination, because they might not have LPV capabilities etc. Also worth understanding is that they have other customers they need to get to you after your trip, so they will chose to divert or get into an airport where their WX or performance minimas are acceptable for their return trip etc.

A recent story is from a PC12 owner/pilot who decided to take a chartered jet to Aspen here in the US (which is a notoriously tricky airport due to it’s elevation and quick weather changes) where the professional crew had to divert to a bigger airport a 3hr car ride away because they could not meet performance minimas for their next trip to get to new customer. Perhaps not so much fun paying $30-50K and then still not get to your destination?

A well trained pilot, in a very capable GA plane (turbine or jet basically), that has good high altitude performance, will always beat a chartered jet in dispatch.

Last Edited by AdamFrisch at 05 Nov 21:54

I was amazed how much Netjets costs. $550k is the cheapest share and that buys you only 50hrs/year.

On top you pay for the flights. The marginal hourly cost is ~$2k/hr.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Christ! You could run a CJ3 for 300hrs/year for less than that!

For Europe, privatefly.com has online cost estimations by type. Many types to check. Small jets like Phenom 100 start from around 2,5k EUR per hour which is in line with my experience when renting from other comapnies. How does it compare to owning a TBM? It’s more expensive per hour, but if you only fly ocasionally, it will be cheaper. Plus you won’t get dirty refueling, changing oil, putting on covers, loading luggage and will also save a lot of time on flight preparation, administration, etc

LPFR, Poland

550k isn’t an annual cost, it’s a capital cost.

EGTF, LFTF

At what sort of annual hours, for say a TBM owner, would Netjets make sense?

Assuming they get to all the airports you need to go to.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Peter wrote:

At what sort of annual hours, for say a TBM owner, would Netjets make sense?

Assuming they get to all the airports you need to go to.

Compared to flying yourself, never.

EGTK Oxford

Over the years I researched several times about the charter cost for some difficult trips with business partners. In the end every time what killed the project where the empty legs. The direct flight itself would have been ok but transferring the plane to the departure airport, paying the crew and airplane for the days during the stay and transferring the plane back to base would haven been crazy expensive.

www.ing-golze.de
EDAZ

That’s a valid point. Longer stays can add hours. If you don’t live where the plane is based, that can add hours too.

Peter, anywhere between 25 and 150 hours, depending on the age of the TBM.
There was until recently a listing for a TBM700 after engine overhaul for EUR 760k. Depreciation on that would be very little. I estimate 25h on it would be breakeven with NetJets. I’d say 150h if buying a new one.

LPFR, Poland
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