Family Private Jet Membership: What It Costs and How It Works
Family Private Jet Membership: What It Costs and How It Works
A family private jet membership gives you access to private flights for a set annual fee instead of paying per trip. The structures differ a lot. Some programs ask for a six-figure deposit and bill hourly, others sell flights that are already scheduled and priced them in. At Bluebird, we sell the second kind: an annual membership with unlimited access to empty leg flights on our own Learjet 60 aircraft, starting at $3,995 per year.
This guide explains the main types of membership, what each costs, what families should check about seats and luggage, and who a flat-fee empty leg membership suits (and who it does not).
TL;DR
- A family private jet membership comes in several forms: fractional ownership, prepaid jet cards, hourly-billed memberships and flat-fee empty leg memberships. Cost and flexibility differ enormously.
- Our Base membership is $3,995 per year and Plus is $9,995 per year, both with unlimited access to published empty leg flights and up to six guests per flight.
- Empty leg flying rewards flexibility. If your family needs a fixed date and a fixed route, a dedicated charter fits better.
- Before joining any program, check cabin size, luggage room, booking rules and cancellation terms. A Learjet 60 seats six to seven passengers, and bags get tight when it is full.
Table of Contents
- The four ways families buy private flying
- What a family private jet membership actually costs
- Can the whole family fit? Seats, bags and cabin
- How booking works when you are flying on empty legs
- Who benefits most from a flat-fee empty leg membership
- Our perspective
- Making the trip easier on the ground
- Start flying with Bluebird
- FAQ
- Sources
The four ways families buy private flying
Most confusion about “private jet membership” comes from the fact that the phrase covers products with very different economics. Here is how they compare.
| Option | How you pay | Typical commitment | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fractional ownership | Large upfront share plus monthly management and hourly fees | Long-term contract | Families flying 50+ hours a year |
| Jet card | Prepaid block of hours | Large deposit | Predictable, date-specific trips |
| On-demand charter | Per trip | None | Occasional one-off flights |
| Empty leg membership | Flat annual fee | One year | Flexible families who can go when a seat opens |
Fractional ownership
Fractional ownership is the heavy end of the market. According to FLYING Magazine, a one-sixteenth share of a light jet starts between $300,000 and $600,000 upfront, with ongoing monthly management fees and occupied hourly fees typically ranging from $2,000 to $4,500. The same article notes that these programs allocate 50 to 400 flying hours a year under long-term contracts, with monthly fees due whether you fly or not.
That makes sense for a family that travels by private jet most weeks. For a family that wants a handful of getaways a year, it is a lot of capital tied up.
Jet cards and hourly memberships
Jet cards sell you a block of hours, commonly 25, at a locked rate. Hourly-billed memberships work similarly, with a joining fee and then a charge for each flight. The upside is control: you pick the date, the airport and the aircraft class. The downside is the size of the deposit and the fact that unused hours are money parked with someone else.
One rule of thumb that circulates in the industry places the break-even between a membership and on-demand charter at roughly 15 to 25 flight hours a year, though it varies by program. A New York Post report discusses that threshold. Below it, per-trip charter is usually cheaper than a hefty prepaid commitment. Our own walkthrough of the math is in membership versus charter break-even.
Charter
Charter is the simplest: you request a flight, you get a quote, you pay for the whole aircraft and its positioning. It is flexible on dates but you carry the full cost of the trip. For a breakdown of what goes into those quotes, see our private aviation cost breakdown examples.
Empty leg membership
An empty leg is a flight an aircraft has to make with no passengers, for example returning to base after dropping off a charter client. The seats are going to waste, so operators publish these flights instead. A membership turns that surplus into a flat-fee product: you pay once a year and fly published empty legs without a per-flight price.
The trade-off is that you do not choose the schedule. The aircraft is already going somewhere, on a day it has to go. You choose from what is published.
What a family private jet membership actually costs
The honest answer is a range of about two orders of magnitude. Fractional shares sit in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, as shown above. Jet cards and hourly programs are generally priced in the low to mid six figures for a first deposit. Flat-fee empty leg memberships sit in the low thousands.
Our two plans, as published on our membership page:
- Base: $3,995 per year.
- Plus: $9,995 per year, with higher booking priority.
Both give unlimited access to the empty leg flights we publish, with live inventory and routes updated daily. You can bring up to six guests per flight, which for most families means everyone travels on the same aircraft with no extra seat fees.
There is also an optional per-flight upgrade, Skip-The-Line, at $2,000 one-off, for when a flight you want has a queue of members ahead of you. Details are on the Skip-The-Line page.
If you are weighing whether the annual fee pays for itself, our piece on whether an empty-leg membership is worth the annual fee walks through it with numbers.
What to ask about fees in any program
Whatever you are considering, get written answers to these before paying:
- Is there a per-flight charge, and does it change with passenger count?
- Are there fuel surcharges, landing or handling fees, or catering charges?
- Are there blackout dates around holidays, when families most want to fly?
- Is the deposit or fee refundable, and on what terms?
- What happens at renewal: does the price change?
The same questions, applied to contract wording, are covered in our guide to private jet membership contract traps.
Can the whole family fit? Seats, bags and cabin
This is the part most membership pages gloss over, and the part that matters most to a family with kids, car seats and a week of luggage.
Our fleet is the Learjet 60. According to Aviation Week, its cabin takes six to seven passengers plus an aft lavatory, and the cabin is shorter than most midsize competitors. The same article notes that with all seven seats occupied, baggage can be a challenge: there is a 24 cubic foot external baggage compartment, with a similar amount available in the lavatory area.
What this means in practice:
- A family of four or five travels comfortably, with room for a few soft bags each.
- Six guests is our per-flight limit for a reason. It keeps the cabin and baggage hold realistic.
- Hard-shell suitcases, strollers, golf bags and skis take up the most space. Pack soft-sided where you can, and tell your concierge what you are bringing before you book.
- Pets fly on many private flights; see our guide on flying pets by private jet.
If you also need a kids’ age policy, such as whether infants need their own seat or documentation, read our note on age requirements for empty leg flights before you book.
A light jet cabin is not a family room. You sit upright, you move about carefully, and the lavatory is at the back. Kids generally love it. Just do not expect the cabin of a large-cabin jet.
How booking works when you are flying on empty legs
Empty leg flying is the opposite of scheduling a vacation a year ahead. Here is how it typically works with us:
- Browse live inventory. Routes are published and refreshed daily on our flights page.
- Request a flight. If several members want the same leg, a transparent queue decides who is first.
- Priority. Plus members rank higher in the queue. Skip-The-Line can move you up on a specific flight.
- Confirm and go. A concierge handles the details, including guest names and bag counts.
The practical consequence: your best results come from flexibility on one of three things. Flexible dates means you can take a Thursday departure instead of a Friday. Flexible airports means you can fly from a nearby field. Flexible destination means you can pick from what is on offer, such as a warm place in February rather than one specific resort.
Families who need to be at one place on one day, such as a wedding or a school event, should treat an empty leg as a bonus option and keep a fallback in place. Our guide on flying private without charter cost explains how members mix both approaches.
Cancellation rules vary by program, and with empty legs they also depend on the operator’s own schedule: a flight can change if the preceding charter does. Ask for the specific terms in writing before you rely on a single flight.
Who benefits most from a flat-fee empty leg membership
A flat-fee membership is a strong fit if:
- You can leave on short notice, because you work for yourself, have remote work, or have a school schedule with room to move.
- You take several trips a year and would otherwise pay commercial airfare for the whole family, plus the time lost at terminals.
- You like deciding where to go when you see a good option.
- You would not want to commit a six-figure deposit to a hours-based program.
It is less suitable if:
- Your trips are fixed to dates, such as holidays and events, with no leeway.
- You need a specific aircraft size for a large group.
- You want guaranteed availability on demand.
Private aviation has been moving in this direction for a while. Forbes contributor Roger Sands writes that for many travelers it has shifted from status symbol to practical tool, offering families and leisure travelers speed, privacy and convenience, especially on regional trips. And Wheels Up’s founder has framed private flying as a way to handle time-sensitive family needs such as school events. Both observations point to the same use case: time is the real currency for a family.
For the time argument in detail, see how private aviation saves time for busy professionals.
Our perspective
We built Bluebird around a simple observation: most private jet products are designed for people who fly constantly and want certainty. Most families do not fly constantly. They want a few great trips, without the airport scrum, and they are happy to pick from what is available.
So we own and operate our Learjet 60 aircraft, publish live empty leg inventory with no broker markups, and charge one annual fee. The queue is visible, so you can see where you stand rather than wonder. And if a trip requires a fixed date, you can request a custom charter quote, priced separately.
Our advice to families: do not buy the biggest program you can afford. Buy the one that matches how you actually travel. If your calendar bends, an empty leg membership gets you into a private cabin for a fraction of the cost of other models. If it does not bend, charter the trips that must be exact and keep the membership for the ones that can float.
— Nick
Making the trip easier on the ground
Flying private smooths the airport part. The rest of a family trip still needs planning. One small thing worth sorting before you land abroad or in a remote area is mobile data for everyone’s devices: a travel eSIM, such as prepaid eSIM data plans for family trips, saves you from hunting for local SIM cards with kids in tow.
Also confirm ground transportation before departure. Smaller airports often have no rideshare service, and a rental car or driver needs to be booked ahead.
Start flying with Bluebird
If the flat-fee model suits your family, our Base and Plus memberships give you unlimited access to published empty leg flights, with up to six guests per flight. Base is $3,995 per year and Plus is $9,995 per year. You can browse what is currently on offer on our flights page before you decide. For a broader look at what to compare, our guide to flying membership for spontaneous flyers is a good next step.
FAQ
How much does a private jet membership cost?
It depends on the type. Fractional ownership shares begin in the hundreds of thousands of dollars upfront, with monthly and hourly fees on top. Flat-fee empty leg memberships cost far less: ours are $3,995 per year for Base and $9,995 per year for Plus.
Which private jet is best for families?
The right aircraft depends on your party size and luggage. A Learjet 60 seats six to seven passengers and suits families of up to five or six who pack reasonably. Larger groups or heavy gear usually need a bigger cabin, which means a dedicated charter.
Can I bring my kids and pets?
On our flights, members can bring up to six guests per flight. Check our age requirements and pet guides before booking, and tell your concierge about car seats, bags and animals ahead of time.
Is an empty leg membership better than a jet card for a family?
It depends on your schedule. A jet card gives you control over dates and routes but requires a large prepaid deposit. An empty leg membership costs much less but asks you to be flexible about when and where you fly.
Sources
- What Is Fractional Jet Ownership? FLYING Magazine
- Overhyped private jet startups are falling fast, New York Post
- The Learjet 60: Solid Reliability, But Short Cabin, Aviation Week
- How Regional Travelers Are Rethinking Air Travel Via Private Aviation, Forbes
- Can Wheels Up Founder Kenny Dichter Be The Willy Wonka Of Experiences, Forbes