Very Light Jet Charter from Chicago
A very light jet charter buys the cheapest jet hour on the market: $2,600–$3,800 for 340–400 kts of cruise at 41,000 feet, above the weather that keeps turboprops bouncing. The catch is size — 4–5 passengers and a curtained lavatory, not an enclosed one.
Get the passenger count right and this class is the best value in private aviation for the Chicago buyer. Get it wrong and you have paid jet money for a cabin that cannot take the sixth person or the sixth bag. Everything below is aimed at telling those two situations apart before you book.
What defines a very light jet charter
Very light jets are the smallest civil jets certified for commercial charter — twin turbofans, 1,100–1,400 nm of range, and a maximum takeoff weight low enough that many are approved for single-pilot operation, though most Part 135 operators still crew them with two. They emerged as a category in the late 2000s and matured into a genuinely reliable, genuinely economical fleet rather than the air-taxi revolution they were initially sold as.
The defining number is cabin volume. Both common models give you about 11 feet of cabin length and 4 ft 2 in – 4 ft 9 in of height, laid out as four club seats facing each other. That is fine for a two-hour leg with four people who know each other and awkward for six hours with strangers. Baggage is more generous than the cabin implies — the Embraer Phenom 100EV carries 70 cubic feet, better than several larger jets.
Lavatory arrangements matter here more than anywhere else in the fleet. This class is curtained rather than enclosed, which most passengers treat as effectively no lavatory on a shared business flight. If the passenger list includes clients rather than colleagues, that single fact usually pushes the decision one class up.
Connectivity is the other honest weak spot. Rare in this class; plan on cellular before departure. Plan on downloading what you need before departure and treat any in-flight connection as a bonus rather than a given.
- Passengers: 4–5 passengers, genuinely, with the fifth seat often a jump or side-facing position.
- Non-stop from Chicago: Chicago to Teterboro, Atlanta, Denver or Naples with one stop in strong headwinds.
- Best for: One to four passengers on 500–1,200 nm legs who want jet speed at the lowest jet price.
- Altitude: 41,000 ft ceiling puts you above most convective weather and nearly all traffic.
- Runway: shorter field performance than a light jet, so more of the Chicago reliever fields work at full fuel.
Very light jet specifications and Chicago hourly rates
The gap between the two models is worth understanding. The Cessna Citation M2 Gen2 carries 372 nm more range and one more seat for roughly $200 an hour more at the low end. On a Chicago to Denver or Chicago to Naples leg that range difference decides whether you stop for fuel, and a fuel stop costs forty minutes plus a landing fee — often more than the hourly difference over the whole trip.
Headwinds are the variable that turns a published range figure into a real one. Westbound in winter, a 1178 nm book range can behave like 950 nm. Operators plan conservatively and will tell you a stop is likely rather than promise a non-stop they cannot deliver, which is the correct behaviour and worth rewarding. Our hourly rates page shows how those planning assumptions translate into billed hours, and the full cost guide covers the fees that sit on top.
| Aircraft | Passengers | Range | Cabin height | Typical Chicago hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turboprops (class below) | 6–9 passengers | 1,000–1,800 nm | 4 ft 9 in typical | $1,900–$3,400 |
| Very light jets | 4–5 passengers | 1,100–1,400 nm | 4 ft 2 in – 4 ft 9 in | $2,600–$3,800 |
| Embraer Phenom 100EV | 4 | 1178 nm | 59 in | $2,600–$3,300 |
| Cessna Citation M2 Gen2 | 5 | 1550 nm | 57 in | $2,800–$3,600 |
| Light jets (class above) | 6–7 passengers | 1,300–2,000 nm | 4 ft 8 in – 4 ft 9 in | $3,200–$4,800 |
Choosing a very light jet versus the classes either side
Step down to a turboprop for seats, bags and short runways
A turboprop charter at $1,900–$3,400 per hour overlaps this class on price while carrying 6–9 passengers. If you have six or more passengers, if the bag list includes skis or golf clubs for everyone, or if the destination runway is under about 4,000 feet, the turboprop is simply the better aircraft and the jet badge is costing you capability.
The trade you accept is a lower, louder, bumpier ride and thirty to sixty minutes more block time on a typical Midwest leg. Frame it as a question about the passengers rather than the aircraft: if everyone on board has flown together before and the trip is work, the turboprop is fine. If the cabin has to make an impression, buy the jet.
Step up to a light jet for the lavatory and the range
A light jet charter costs $3,200–$4,800 per hour — roughly $600 an hour more at the entry point. That buys an enclosed lavatory, 6–7 passengers, and enough range to reach New York, Miami, Denver and Aspen non-stop with confidence rather than with a headwind caveat.
For a client-facing trip, an all-day itinerary or anything with a spouse and luggage aboard, that step is usually worth taking. For one to three people on a two-hour business leg, it is money spent on capability you will not use.
Three Chicago routes that fit a very light jet
Chicago to Teterboro — 635 nm, the signature leg
Two hours and five minutes of block time in this class, comfortably non-stop in either direction, into the field twelve miles from Midtown. Two or three people, overnight bags, out Monday and back Thursday: this is the exact mission the class was designed around and where its economics beat everything else with a jet engine. Full detail on Chicago to Teterboro.
Chicago to Naples — 1,030 nm, at the edge of the book
A Cessna Citation M2 Gen2 does this non-stop most days; a Embraer Phenom 100EV will do it with a light load and favourable winds and stop when it cannot. Snowbird season makes this one of the busiest corridors out of Chicago, so book early and accept the fuel-stop possibility in writing. See Chicago to Naples.
Chicago to Denver — 785 nm with an altitude caveat
Straightforward westbound in winter only if the winds cooperate, and the return from a high-altitude field on a hot afternoon comes with real performance limits in a small jet. Operators will sometimes offer an early-morning departure specifically to avoid density altitude penalties. Route specifics on Chicago to Denver.
How these jets are crewed, based and dispatched
Both models in this class are certified for a single pilot, and that fact generates more questions than any other in the category. In practice most Part 135 operators in the Chicago area crew them with two pilots anyway, either because their insurance requires it or because their own operations specifications do. Ask the question directly when you get the quote. A single-pilot operation is legal and safe under the certificate, but two-crew operations carry an extra layer of redundancy, and some corporate travel policies simply mandate it.
Basing matters more than in larger classes. These aircraft are economical precisely because they do not fly long empty positioning legs, so a quote sourced from a tail based at Chicago Executive, DuPage or Waukegan will beat one sourced from Ohio by a wide margin on a short trip. When the price you are shown looks high for the class, positioning is almost always the reason, and asking where the aircraft starts its day is a fair question.
Fleet age is young by charter standards. Both models entered service in the 2010s and most airframes flying charter today have low enough cycles that the maintenance-driven cancellations common in older equipment are rare. The offsetting risk is fleet depth: there are far fewer of these aircraft within positioning distance of Chicago than there are light jets, so a short-notice request in a busy week may return nothing in this class at any price.
Three things belong on the trip sheet before you sign. Confirm the actual passenger count the operator has planned for and whether bags are included in that calculation. Confirm whether the leg is planned non-stop or with a technical fuel stop, in writing, because on the longer routes in this class that assumption drives the whole schedule. And confirm the lavatory configuration on the specific tail rather than the model, because interiors on this fleet were fitted to order and vary.
Very light jet models flown from Chicago
Embraer Phenom 100EV — specifications and rates. 4 in the club, a fifth seat available on some airframes, 1178 nm, Mach 0.70, $2,600–$3,300 per hour. The wider of the two cabins at 61 inches, with an interior designed by an automotive studio and 70 cubic feet of baggage. The value pick when the leg is under about 900 nm.
Cessna Citation M2 Gen2 — specifications and rates. 5 passengers plus a single pilot on many Part 135 operations, 1550 nm, Mach 0.71, $2,800–$3,600 per hour. More range and an extra seat, backed by the deepest parts and service network in business aviation, which shows up as fewer maintenance cancellations on short notice.
Both are frequently the cheapest jet available on a given date out of Chicago Executive or DuPage. Send your dates and passenger count through request a quote and ask to see the light jet price alongside — on a full cabin the difference is often smaller than buyers assume.
Frequently asked questions
How many people really fit in a very light jet?
Four in comfort. The class is rated 4–5 passengers, but the fifth seat is usually side-facing or belted near the lavatory and nobody chooses it voluntarily on a leg over an hour. If your group is five or more, or four with substantial luggage, price a light jet before booking — the cabin difference is larger than the price difference.
What does very light jet charter cost from Chicago?
The typical market range is $2,600–$3,800 per flight hour before taxes, segment fees and FBO charges. A Chicago to Teterboro round trip with an overnight generally lands in the mid five figures once the daily minimum and return positioning are counted. Actual quotes vary with date, aircraft and availability.
Is there a real lavatory on board?
No, not in the sense a light jet buyer means. Both common models have a curtained rather than an enclosed lavatory, positioned at the rear of the cabin. It works for an emergency on a two-hour leg. On a client flight, or any leg beyond about three hours, this is the single most common reason buyers move up one class.
Can a very light jet fly Chicago to the West Coast?
Not non-stop. With 1,100–1,400 nm of range and westbound headwinds, Los Angeles and San Francisco require a fuel stop that adds roughly forty minutes plus landing fees. If the coast is a regular trip, a super light or midsize jet is the honest recommendation rather than a small jet flown to its limits.
Is a very light jet cheaper than a turboprop?
Sometimes, on a per-trip basis. The bottom of this class at $2,600 an hour overlaps the top of the turboprop band, and the jet's higher cruise speed means fewer billed hours on legs over 600 nm. On short legs with six or more passengers the turboprop wins clearly. Price both — a good broker offers the comparison unprompted.
Related pages
Further reading from the blog
Sources and further reading
- Embraer Phenom 100 — Embraer published performance and cabin specifications for the Phenom 100
- Cessna Citation M2 — Textron Aviation published specifications for the Citation M2 Gen2
- FAA — Federal Aviation Administration, which certifies these aircraft and the Part 135 operators that fly them
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.