Hawker 800XP Charter from Chicago
A Hawker 800XP charter is the value entry point into the midsize class out of Chicago. The variant first delivered in 1995, and that age is the entire commercial argument: operators price these airframes at a typical market range of $5,200–$6,400 per flight hour, which sits at the floor of a midsize class that runs $5,200–$7,200. For that money you get a stand-up tube, an enclosed lavatory and 2,540 nm of range.
What you do not get is consistency from one tail to the next. Some 800XPs working the Chicago market were refurbished inside in the last few years and present as a current aircraft. Others are still wearing original seat leather and carry no usable connectivity. The type certificate is identical; the two-hour experience is not. This page sets out the specification, the things that genuinely vary, what the type costs, and where it wins and loses against newer midsize lift.
Where a Hawker 800XP charter fits in the Chicago market
Midsize is the class where a buyer stops trading range for price. Everything below it either needs a fuel stop westbound or asks eight adults to sit in a cabin under five feet tall. The 800XP clears both problems and does it for roughly what a well-equipped super light jet costs, which is why it keeps appearing on quote sheets alongside aircraft twenty years younger.
The dimensional gap is real. At 72 in across and 69 in high, the 800XP cabin is six inches wider and an inch taller than a Citation XLS+, and it is nearly three feet longer end to end. That length is what makes a true double club work: four facing seats forward, four aft, and enough aisle to walk between them without asking anyone to move a knee.
The honest counterweight is availability risk. Older airframes come out of service for unscheduled maintenance more often than new ones, and a 30-year-old jet has more systems that can generate a squawk on the morning of departure. That is not a reason to avoid the type. It is a reason to ask the operator, before you sign, what their recovery aircraft is and how far away it sits. A good answer changes the risk profile more than the age of the airframe does. The rest of the midsize class is worth reading alongside this page if that answer is unconvincing.
Hawker 800XP specifications
Two numbers on that table deserve attention before anything else. The first is 2,540 nm of range, which covers every domestic pairing a Chicago buyer books regularly. The second is 49 cu ft of baggage, which is the smallest hold of any aircraft compared on this page and the specification most likely to catch a group out.
| Specification | Figure |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Hawker Beechcraft |
| Passengers, typical charter layout | 8 (8 in a double club, 9 on airframes with a belted lav seat) |
| Range, 4 passengers with IFR reserves | 2,540 nm |
| Typical cruise speed | 448 kts (Mach 0.77) |
| Certified ceiling | 41,000 ft |
| Cabin height | 69 in |
| Cabin width | 72 in |
| Cabin length | 21.3 ft |
| Baggage volume | 49 cu ft |
| Lavatory | Enclosed, externally serviced |
| Stand-up cabin | Yes |
| Cabin connectivity | Varies widely by tail; ask before booking a working flight |
| First delivery of this variant | 1995 |
| Typical market hourly rate | $5,200–$6,400 per flight hour |
Cabin, baggage and the tail-number question
What is fixed on every airframe
The tube itself does not change. You get 21.3 ft of cabin, a flat-ish floor with a shallow dropped aisle, an integral airstair door and an aft lavatory that is enclosed and externally serviced, meaning it gets emptied and refilled by the ground crew rather than left for the next passengers. Cabin altitude is comfortable on a two-hour leg. Most adults up to about six feet stand upright in the aisle; taller passengers will duck.
What varies, sometimes a lot
Seat upholstery, veneer, carpet, cabin management, power outlets and connectivity are all owner-specified and all over the map on this type. Varies widely by tail; ask before booking a working flight. Some airframes have a proper forward galley with a hot liquid unit; others have a modest refreshment centre and a cold catering plan. A few carry a belted lavatory seat that legally takes the count to nine.
The practical defence is simple and you should insist on it: ask for photographs of the interior of the specific tail number being offered, dated, not the operator's marketing shots of a different aircraft. Any operator running a well-kept 800XP will send them within the hour, because the photos are the sales pitch. Hesitation on that request is information.
Baggage is the binding constraint
49 cu ft is enough for eight roll-aboards and eight garment bags. It is not enough for eight sets of skis and boots, and it is tight for a foursome of golfers who also want hard cases. If your trip involves bulky sporting equipment, the baggage number, not the seat count, is what should drive the aircraft decision.
What the Hawker 800XP costs to charter
The hourly figure is the starting point, not the price. A one-way trip is quoted on occupied hours plus the positioning legs required to bring the aircraft to Chicago and send it home again, plus landing and handling at both ends, catering, crew expenses on overnights, any applicable fuel surcharge and federal excise tax. On a same-day return the aircraft usually waits for you and you pay a daily minimum rather than ferry costs, which is why round trips in a single day price better per hour than two separate one-ways.
Where the 800XP saves money is on long legs, because the hourly delta compounds. On a four-hour westbound sector the gap between the bottom of this type's range and the top of the midsize class is worth several thousand dollars in one direction. On a fifty-minute hop to Detroit the same delta is noise, and you should be looking at a smaller aircraft instead. Our charter cost guide walks through how those components stack up on a real trip sheet.
| Aircraft | Class | Typical hourly range |
|---|---|---|
| Hawker 800XP | Midsize jets | $5,200–$6,400 |
| Cessna Citation Latitude | Midsize jets | $6,000–$7,200 |
| Midsize class overall | Midsize jets | $5,200–$7,200 |
Chicago routes that suit the 800XP
The transcontinental legs are where this aircraft justifies itself. Chicago to Los Angeles is a reliable non-stop for a midsize jet in roughly 4h 15m, and San Francisco follows at about 4h 25m. In deep winter, a strong jet stream can push a westbound midsize sector past what the fuel load supports with full seats and full bags, and the operator will plan a technical stop. Ask at quote stage whether the flight is planned non-stop at your actual passenger and baggage weight, not at four passengers and hand luggage.
Aspen is the exception that needs a direct question. Aspen/Pitkin County is a special-qualification airport with terrain, a curfew and a runway at high elevation, and eligibility there is type-specific and operator-specific rather than a property of the midsize class as a whole. Confirm the individual tail number is approved for the ASE approach before you plan a ski trip around it. Eagle County is the standard fallback and adds about an hour of driving.
| Route | Distance | Midsize 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 Miami | 1,080 nm | 2h 55m | $21,000–$27,000 |
| Chicago to Denver | 785 nm | 2h 25m | $17,500–$22,500 |
| Chicago to Aspen | 869 nm | 2h 30m | $19,000–$25,000 |
| Chicago to Teterboro | 635 nm | 1h 50m | $15,000–$19,500 |
Hawker 800XP compared with the Citation Latitude and Learjet 60XR
The Citation Latitude is the direct upgrade and the comparison most Chicago buyers actually face. It is taller, wider, newer and carries more than two and a half times the baggage, and it costs roughly $800 to $800 more per hour at the ends of the two ranges. On a four-hour leg that difference is meaningful but not decisive; if the group has bags or anyone is over six feet, spend it.
The Learjet 60XR is the sideways comparison. It is quicker in the cruise and climbs higher, and it prices close to the 800XP, but it seats seven rather than eight, gives up an inch of cabin width and holds ten fewer cubic feet of bags. Pick the Learjet when the priority is block time on a two-hour business sector. Pick the 800XP when eight people need to sit down properly.
There is a case for taking neither. If your leg is under about 700 nm with four passengers, a light jet does the same job for less, and the money saved is worth more than the cabin you were not going to use. Tell us the actual passenger count and bag list on the quote request and we will say so if that is the answer.
| Hawker 800XP | Cessna Citation Latitude | Learjet 60XR | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabin height | 69 in | 72 in | 68 in |
| Cabin width | 72 in | 77 in | 71 in |
| Baggage | 49 cu ft | 127 cu ft | 59 cu ft |
| Range | 2,540 nm | 2,700 nm | 2,405 nm |
| Typical hourly range | $5,200–$6,400 | $6,000–$7,200 | $4,600–$5,800 |
Frequently asked questions
How many passengers does a Hawker 800XP carry?
Eight in the standard double club layout, and nine on airframes fitted with a belted lavatory seat. Eight is the number to plan around, because the ninth seat is not on every tail and it is the least comfortable place in the cabin on a four-hour leg. Confirm the seating count on the specific aircraft offered rather than the type average.
Can a Hawker 800XP fly Chicago to Los Angeles non-stop?
Yes, in normal conditions, at a block time of roughly 4h 15m for a midsize jet. Strong winter headwinds combined with a full cabin and heavy bags can force a technical fuel stop. Ask the operator to confirm the flight is planned non-stop at your real payload, not at a nominal four passengers with hand luggage.
Why is the Hawker 800XP cheaper than other midsize jets?
Age. The variant first delivered in 1995, so acquisition costs are long since amortised and market rates reflect an older airframe with an older cabin. You are buying the same tube dimensions and the same range for less money, and accepting a higher chance of an interior that looks its years and a maintenance event that affects your date.
How much baggage fits in a Hawker 800XP?
49 cu ft, which handles eight roll-aboards and soft bags comfortably. It does not handle eight ski or golf sets, and it is the tightest hold among the midsize and super midsize types we quote from Chicago. If the trip involves bulky sporting equipment, let us size the aircraft on baggage volume first and seats second.
Does the Hawker 800XP have Wi-Fi?
Sometimes. Connectivity on this type is owner-specified and varies widely between tail numbers, so it is never safe to assume. If the flight is a working one, make Wi-Fi a stated requirement at quote stage and ask which system is installed and what coverage it provides over your routing, rather than accepting a yes or no.
Related pages
- Midsize jet charterThe full class overview, rate bands and which types fly which Chicago routes.
- Citation Latitude charterThe newer midsize with a flat floor and a much larger baggage hold.
- Challenger 300 charterThe step up in cabin width and range when eight passengers travel heavy.
- Private jet hourly ratesTypical market hourly ranges by class, and what the hourly figure does and does not include.
Further reading from the blog
Sources and further reading
- Textron Aviation (Hawker support) — Textron Aviation holds type support for the Hawker product line and publishes current service and parts information.
- FAA Aircraft Registry inquiry — The FAA's public registry lets you confirm the registered owner, model and airworthiness date of any US tail number you are quoted.
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.