Citation Latitude Charter from Chicago
A Citation Latitude charter buys two things the rest of the midsize class does not reliably offer: a genuinely flat cabin floor and 127 cu ft of baggage volume. The floor means you walk down the aisle instead of straddling a dropped trough, and the hold means nine people can bring what they actually packed. Typical market rates run $6,000–$7,200 per flight hour.
It is also a young aeroplane by charter standards, first delivered in 2015, so the fleet working the Chicago market is broadly consistent in fit and finish. That predictability is worth real money when you are buying sight-unseen for a Tuesday morning departure, and it is the main reason this type outsells older midsize lift on our quote sheets even at a higher hourly rate.
What a Citation Latitude charter actually gets you
The design brief for this aircraft was cabin, not speed. Textron built a nearly circular fuselage cross-section rather than the oval used on earlier Citations, which is why the cabin measures 72 in floor to ceiling and 77 in across, and why the floor between the seats is flat all the way from the airstair door to the aft lavatory. On a four-hour westbound leg, that flat floor is the difference between people moving around and people staying put.
Seating is 9 in the flat-floor double club. Four seats face each other forward, four aft, and the aisle between them is wide enough to pass a laptop bag through without a shuffle. The lavatory is enclosed and externally serviced. The cabin holds a lower altitude than the older midsize types at the same cruise level, which is a marginal comfort gain on short legs and a noticeable one when you land after four hours and go straight into a meeting.
Cruise performance is deliberately unspectacular: 446 kts, about Mach 0.78, with 2,700 nm of range. That is a few knots slower than the fastest aircraft in the midsize class and it costs you perhaps five minutes on a transcontinental sector. Nobody has ever noticed those five minutes. Everybody notices the baggage hold.
Citation Latitude specifications
Widely equipped with Gogo Avance L5, which on this type usually means a working connection at cruise rather than a hopeful one. Confirm the system and the data plan at quote stage if the flight is a working one, because coverage over sparsely populated western routing is not the same as coverage over the Midwest.
| Specification | Figure |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Textron Aviation (Cessna) |
| Passengers, typical charter layout | 9 (9 in the flat-floor double club) |
| Range, 4 passengers with IFR reserves | 2,700 nm |
| Typical cruise speed | 446 kts (Mach 0.78) |
| Certified ceiling | 45,000 ft |
| Cabin height | 72 in |
| Cabin width | 77 in |
| Cabin length | 21.9 ft |
| Baggage volume | 127 cu ft |
| Lavatory | Enclosed, externally serviced |
| Stand-up cabin | Yes |
| Cabin connectivity | Widely equipped with Gogo Avance L5 |
| First delivery of this variant | 2015 |
| Typical market hourly rate | $6,000–$7,200 per flight hour |
The flat floor and the 127 cubic feet
Why the floor matters more than the numbers suggest
Most jets in this size bracket run a dropped aisle: the seats sit on rails either side of a trough, and walking to the lavatory means placing your feet in a channel a few inches below the seat pans. It works, it is normal, and it stops being tolerable at about hour three when three of your eight passengers want to move at once. The Latitude's flat floor removes that friction entirely, and it is the single feature returning passengers mention first.
What 127 cu ft of baggage buys
127 cu ft is more baggage volume than several super midsize aircraft carry, and it changes which trips are possible. Eight skiers with boots and bags fit. A golf group with hard cases fits. A trade-show team with pelican cases and display stands fits, which is why this type gets booked repeatedly for Las Vegas convention weeks out of Chicago.
The comparison that makes the point: an older midsize such as the Hawker 800XP offers 49 cu ft. That is roughly 2.6 times less. Both aircraft seat eight. Only one of them takes eight people's ski equipment, and the seat count on a charter brochure will never tell you that.
Where it is not the right answer
If you are two or three people on a ninety-minute hop, this is more aeroplane than the trip needs and the hourly rate reflects that. If you need more than nine seats or more than about 3,000 nm of range, you are shopping in the super midsize class instead. And if the budget is the binding constraint on a long leg, the older midsize option genuinely does the same route for less, with a worse cabin.
Typical Citation Latitude hourly rates and trip costs
A quote is built from occupied flight hours at something inside that range, plus positioning to and from Chicago, landing and handling fees at each end, crew overnight costs where the itinerary requires them, catering, any fuel surcharge in force and federal excise tax. Same-day returns are quoted against a daily minimum with the aircraft and crew waiting, which almost always beats buying two separate one-way legs.
Latitude pricing has a seasonal shape worth knowing. Because the type is popular for ski and convention travel, availability tightens around the holidays, Presidents Day weekend and the largest Las Vegas trade shows, and the quoted hourly rate drifts toward the top of the range in those windows. Booking three or four weeks out in those periods is worth more than any negotiation. See the full cost breakdown for how the line items assemble on a real trip sheet.
| Aircraft | Typical hourly range | Baggage | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna Citation Latitude | $6,000–$7,200 | 127 cu ft | 2,700 nm |
| Hawker 800XP | $5,200–$6,400 | 49 cu ft | 2,540 nm |
| Midsize class overall | $5,200–$7,200 | 49–127 cu ft | 2,000–2,600 nm |
Chicago routes the Latitude flies well
The western sectors are the reason people book this type. Los Angeles runs about 4h 15m non-stop, and Chicago to San Francisco about 4h 25m, both comfortably inside the aircraft's book range with sensible reserves. Westbound in January the winds can still tighten the numbers, so ask the operator to confirm the flight plans non-stop at your loaded weight rather than at a nominal light payload.
Aspen is the other natural fit, at roughly 2h 30m block. Aspen/Pitkin County is a special-qualification airport and eligibility is decided per aircraft and per operator, not per class, so confirm the specific tail is approved for the ASE approach before committing to dates. Ski season also plays to this aircraft's strength: the baggage hold takes the equipment that would otherwise force the group into a larger and more expensive cabin.
| Route | Distance | Block time | Typical one-way band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago to Los Angeles | 1,516 nm | 4h 15m | $27,000–$34,000 |
| Chicago to San Francisco | 1,590 nm | 4h 25m | $28,000–$35,000 |
| Chicago to Aspen | 869 nm | 2h 30m | $19,000–$25,000 |
| Chicago to Las Vegas | 1,275 nm | 3h 35m | $25,000–$32,000 |
| Chicago to Miami | 1,080 nm | 2h 55m | $21,000–$27,000 |
| Chicago to Denver | 785 nm | 2h 25m | $17,500–$22,500 |
Latitude compared with the Hawker 800XP and the Challenger 300
Against the Hawker, this is a straightforward trade of money for cabin and certainty. The older aircraft flies the same routes for roughly $800 to $800 less per hour, with a smaller hold, a dropped aisle and an interior that changes from one tail number to the next. If the trip is short, the group is small and the bags are soft, that saving is real and you should take it.
Against the Challenger 300 the argument runs the other way. The Bombardier is ten inches wider in the cabin, nearly seven feet longer, and carries 500 nm more range, for roughly $1,600 to $2,000 more per hour. For eight passengers on a four-hour leg with heavy bags, that upgrade is often the better buy. For six passengers on the same leg, it usually is not.
Tell us the passenger count, the bag list and the dates on a quote request and we will price the Latitude against both neighbours so the trade-off is visible rather than argued.
| Cessna Citation Latitude | Hawker 800XP | Bombardier Challenger 300/350 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabin width | 77 in | 72 in | 87 in |
| Cabin length | 21.9 ft | 21.3 ft | 28.6 ft |
| Baggage | 127 cu ft | 49 cu ft | 106 cu ft |
| Range | 2,700 nm | 2,540 nm | 3,200 nm |
| Typical hourly range | $6,000–$7,200 | $5,200–$6,400 | $7,600–$9,200 |
Frequently asked questions
How many passengers fit in a Citation Latitude?
Nine in the flat-floor double club layout, with eight being the comfortable working number on a long leg. The ninth place is typically the belted lavatory seat, so ask whether the operator is counting it. Unlike most aircraft in this class, nine passengers with full luggage is genuinely workable here because of the 127 cu ft hold.
How much baggage does the Citation Latitude hold?
127 cu ft, which is the largest hold in the midsize class and larger than some super midsize aircraft. In practical terms it takes eight sets of skis and boots, a golf group with hard cases, or a trade-show team with equipment cases. It is the specification that most often decides a booking in this type's favour.
Is the Citation Latitude a stand-up cabin?
Yes. The cabin measures 72 in floor to ceiling with a flat floor running the length of it, so most adults stand and walk upright without straddling a dropped aisle. That flat floor is a genuine design difference from earlier Citations and from most competing midsize jets, and it is the feature passengers notice within the first ten minutes.
What does a Citation Latitude cost per hour from Chicago?
A typical market range is $6,000–$7,200 per flight hour for Chicago-based lift. That is the aircraft rate only. A trip quote adds positioning legs, landing and handling, crew overnights where required, catering, any fuel surcharge and federal excise tax. Actual quotes vary with date, aircraft and availability.
Can a Citation Latitude fly non-stop to the West Coast?
Yes. Chicago to Los Angeles blocks around 4h 15m and San Francisco around 4h 25m, both within the aircraft's 2,700 nm range with normal reserves. Strong winter headwinds combined with a full cabin can narrow the margin, so confirm the operator is planning non-stop at your actual passenger and baggage weight.
Related pages
- Midsize jet charterClass rates, range bands and how midsize compares to the classes either side.
- Hawker 800XP charterThe lower-cost midsize option, with the trade-offs stated plainly.
- Citation Longitude charterThe super midsize step up from the same manufacturer, with more range and speed.
- Private jet hourly ratesWhat the hourly figure covers, and the line items that sit on top of it.
Further reading from the blog
Sources and further reading
- Cessna Citation Latitude — Textron Aviation publishes the Citation Latitude's certified performance, cabin dimensions and baggage figures.
- National Business Aviation Association — NBAA publishes operational standards and industry guidance that Part 135 charter operators work to.
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.