Citation CJ3 Charter from Chicago
A Citation CJ3 charter is the least expensive honest way to move five or six people out of Chicago in a genuine light jet. The CJ3+ is not the fastest airframe in its class and it does not have the widest cabin. What it has is the lowest cost per seat of anything that will still fly Chicago to the New York area non-stop with the club seats full and the bags aboard.
This page is written for the buyer holding three quotes and trying to work out which tail number to take: the published numbers, the cabin as passengers actually experience it, the rate band, the Chicago legs it flies well, and the two aircraft worth pricing against it first.
What a Citation CJ3 charter actually buys you
The argument for this aircraft is cost discipline. Its typical market range is $3,400–$4,300 per flight hour, which puts it at the bottom of the $3,200–$4,800 band that covers the whole light jet class. On a two-hour leg that gap is roughly the price of a business-class ticket; on a week of shuttling it is the difference between one trip and two. Nothing else in the class flies 2,040 nm on as little fuel.
The second argument is runway performance. The CJ3+ is comfortable off short pavement, which matters more in Chicago than most buyers expect. Chicago Executive Airport has 5,001 ft of primary runway and Lewis University Airport has 5,600 ft. A CJ3+ will take a full club of passengers out of either at sensible loads on a normal day, so you get to depart from the field closest to your house rather than the field with the longest concrete.
The third is supply. The type is certified for single-pilot operation, though virtually every Part 135 operator staffs two crew for charter. That simplicity, plus a large Midwest fleet, means short-notice availability is genuinely better than the headline specification suggests, and repositioning leg pricing on the type is competitive.
Citation CJ3+ specifications
The figures below are the ones that appear on a trip sheet. Read the cabin dimensions together rather than separately: 57 in of height and 58 in of width is a seated cabin, and the 15.7 ft of length is what stops it feeling like a tube.
| Specification | Figure |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Textron Aviation (Cessna) |
| Current generation, first delivery | 2014 |
| Typical passengers | 7 — 6 in the club plus a belted lavatory seat |
| Range, 4 passengers, IFR reserves | 2,040 nm |
| Typical cruise speed | 416 kts (Mach 0.72) |
| Certified ceiling | 45,000 ft |
| Cabin height | 57 in |
| Cabin width | 58 in |
| Cabin length | 15.7 ft |
| Stand-up cabin | No — seated cabin with a dropped aisle |
| Baggage volume | 65 cu ft |
| Lavatory | Enclosed |
| Connectivity | Gogo Avance L3 on a growing share of the fleet |
| Typical market rate | $3,400–$4,300 per flight hour |
The cabin, and what three hours in it feels like
Seats, aisle and noise
The standard layout is a four-place club with two additional forward seats, and the aisle is dropped rather than flat, so you walk in a stoop and sit comfortably. The seats themselves are wide and track fore and aft, which is the detail that matters on a three-hour leg: two facing passengers can slide out of each other's knee space. Cabin noise on the CJ3+ is noticeably lower than older light jets, and conversation across the club does not require raised voices at altitude.
Lavatory, baggage and connectivity
The lavatory is aft and enclosed — a solid door, not a curtain, which is the single biggest comfort difference between this aircraft and anything in the very light class. The seventh passenger sits on the belted lavatory seat, and honestly, nobody wants that seat for three hours; treat this as a six-passenger aircraft. Baggage is 65 cu ft in a heated aft compartment that swallows golf bags and roll-aboards but resists hard-sided ski cases. Connectivity: Gogo Avance L3 on a growing share of the fleet. Confirm the tail before you plan a working flight.
Hourly rates and the line items around them
Charter is not sold by the hour alone, and a quote that looks cheap per hour can land expensive. The typical market range for this type is $3,400–$4,300 per flight hour, but the invoice is built from the items below. Ranges here are market observations for Chicago-based lift in 2026, not quotes — actual pricing varies with date, aircraft and availability. Our hourly rate guide breaks the same structure down across every class.
| Line item | Typical treatment | Why it moves |
|---|---|---|
| Flight hour | $3,400–$4,300 per flight hour | Operator, age of airframe, season and how far the aircraft has to come |
| Daily minimum | Commonly 1.5–2.0 hours per day | Bites hardest on multi-day trips with short legs |
| Repositioning | Charged when the aircraft is not already in Chicago | Zero on a based tail, several hours on a scarce weekend |
| Federal excise tax | 7.5% on domestic charter plus per-segment fees | Statutory; applies to the whole transportation charge |
| Landing, ramp and handling | Passed through at cost | O'Hare is the most expensive ramp in the region by a wide margin |
| De-icing | Passed through, November to March | A single Chicago winter de-ice can be a four-figure line |
| Catering and ground | At cost, arranged on request | Modest on a light jet — there is no galley to speak of |
Chicago routes the CJ3+ flies well
Block times below are the published light jet figures for each pairing, gate to gate, including taxi. The CJ3+ cruises at 416 kts, at the slower end of the class, so treat these as honest rather than optimistic. Where a route is missing from this list it is usually because the aircraft can do it but shouldn't: see the last section.
| Route | Distance | Light jet block time | Typical one-way band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago to Nashville | 355 nm | 1h 10m | $8,500–$11,000 one way |
| Chicago to Atlanta | 520 nm | 1h 40m | $9,000–$12,000 one way |
| Chicago to Teterboro | 635 nm | 1h 55m | $10,500–$14,000 one way |
| Chicago to Dallas | 685 nm | 2h 10m | $11,500–$15,000 one way |
| Chicago to Aspen | 869 nm | 2h 40m | $15,000–$19,000 one way |
| Chicago to Naples, Florida | 1,030 nm | 3h 05m | $16,500–$21,000 one way |
CJ3+ versus the Phenom 300E and the Learjet 75
These are the two aircraft you will be quoted alongside it. The Phenom 300E is faster by 48 kts, wider by 7 in and carries 11 cu ft more baggage, and it charges for all of it. The Learjet 75 matches the Phenom on speed, climbs to 51,000 ft and has the longest cabin of the three, at a similar premium.
The decision rule is simple. If your typical leg is under two and a half hours and your typical group is four adults, the CJ3+ wins on money and you will not notice the speed difference — the Nashville and Atlanta legs above differ by minutes. If you regularly fly three-hour legs with six people and real luggage, the extra spend on a Phenom or a Learjet buys something you will actually feel.
| Cessna Citation CJ3+ | Embraer Phenom 300E | Learjet 75 Liberty | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cruise speed | 416 kts | 464 kts | 464 kts |
| Range | 2,040 nm | 2,010 nm | 2,040 nm |
| Cabin width | 58 in | 65 in | 65 in |
| Cabin length | 15.7 ft | 17.2 ft | 19.8 ft |
| Baggage | 65 cu ft | 76 cu ft | 65 cu ft |
| Ceiling | 45,000 ft | 45,000 ft | 51,000 ft |
| Typical market rate | $3,400–$4,300 per flight hour | $4,000–$5,000 per flight hour | $4,200–$5,200 per flight hour |
When to book something else
The honest limits of this aircraft are worth stating plainly, because booking around them is cheaper than discovering them at the FBO. Full cost context for every class sits in our charter cost guide, and when you are ready with dates, request a quote and we will price the specific tails available on your day.
- Seven passengers. The seventh seat is the belted lavatory seat. If you are seven, price a super light or midsize aircraft instead.
- Ski trips. 65 cu ft is fine for soft bags and poor for four sets of skis plus boot bags in hard cases.
- Transcontinental legs. Chicago to the West Coast means a fuel stop in most wind conditions. The published light jet figure for Los Angeles is 4h 45m and it comes with a technical stop attached.
- Sub-200 nm hops. On a leg to Milwaukee or South Bend the daily minimum swallows the aircraft's cost advantage, and a turboprop or a car often wins.
- Guaranteed connectivity. Wi-Fi is fitted to a growing share of the fleet, not all of it.
Frequently asked questions
How many passengers does a Citation CJ3+ really seat?
Six in comfort. The published figure is 7, made up of 6 in the club plus a belted lavatory seat, but the belted lavatory seat is a legal seat rather than a pleasant one. For anything over ninety minutes, plan on six passengers with their bags in the 65 cu ft aft compartment and treat the seventh seat as an emergency option only.
What does a CJ3+ cost per hour out of Chicago?
The typical market range is $3,400–$4,300 per flight hour for Chicago-based lift, which is the low end of the $3,200–$4,800 light jet band. That is the aircraft rate only. Federal excise tax, landing and handling fees, de-icing in winter and any repositioning are added on top, so a quoted trip total is normally well above hours multiplied by the headline rate.
Can a CJ3+ fly Chicago to New York non-stop?
Yes, comfortably. The published light jet block time to Teterboro is 1h 55m for 635 nm, well inside the aircraft's 2,040 nm book range with a full club of passengers. Teterboro enforces a 2300–0600 curfew, so late departures out of Chicago need either an earlier wheels-up or a switch to Morristown.
Is the CJ3+ or the Phenom 300E better value?
It depends on leg length. Below about two and a half hours the CJ3+ wins, because the 48 kt speed advantage saves minutes while the hourly rate difference is real money. Above three hours, with six passengers and full baggage, the Phenom's wider cabin and larger hold justify the premium for most buyers.
Which Chicago airports suit a CJ3+ charter?
All of them, which is part of the appeal. Its runway performance means Chicago Executive at 5,001 ft and Lewis University at 5,600 ft are usable at sensible loads, so you can depart from whichever field is closest rather than the one with the longest runway. DuPage and Midway work equally well and often carry lower ramp fees than O'Hare.
Related pages
- Light Jet CharterThe whole class, with rate bands and the aircraft that compete inside it
- Embraer Phenom 300EFaster, wider and more expensive — the CJ3+'s most common alternative
- Learjet 75 LibertyThe longest cabin in the light class and the highest ceiling
- Chicago to NashvilleA route where the CJ3+ is close to unbeatable on cost
Further reading from the blog
Sources and further reading
- Cessna Citation CJ3 — Manufacturer product page for the current-generation CJ3, the source of the published performance figures
- NBAA business aviation resources — Industry association guidance on operating standards and charter practice
- Chicago Executive Airport — Official airport authority page for runway data and noise-abatement procedures at PWK
Get a quote for your flight
Send us the route, the date and the number of passengers. You will get real options with all-in pricing, the operator's certificate and safety rating, and the aircraft's actual tail number — not a stock photo and a starting-from price.