Private Jet Charter vs Business Class...London to Paris Day Return
| Let's fly a group of 8 passengers on a short notice day return flight from London, United Kingdom to Paris, France. We will consider 3 options - private jet charter, business class service on a major scheduled airline and also taking a low-cost carrier. |
While the business jet charter is the most expensive in this case, we will see how time-effective it can be compared to the commercial airlines.
1. Executive Jet Charter day trip
A day return is probably the most cost effective way to utilise a corporate jet charter. This is because we avoid any empty leg fees which would be added to a standard one way aircraft charter fee to bring the aircraft back to its home airport.
London
Luton to Paris
Day Return £5450 with an air charter operator
8 passengers
Price
per person £681
Travel Timetable
Arrive
at London Luton Airport at 0800
Check-in at private jet terminal
Take-Off
0845
Land Paris Le Bourget 1050
12 km trip to city - reach central Paris
by 1130
Leave
city for airport 1915
Take off Paris Le Bourget 2025
Land London Luton 2030
2. Business Class Flight
Booking at the last minute we expect to pay a higher fare and some flights may be sold out as we have 8 biz class seats to find. We will fly British Airways from London Heathrow who operate Airbus A319s and A320s on the route to Paris Charles De Gaulle. While this option is 22% cheaper than the private jet charter, we have a much earlier start and have 2 1/4 hours less time in central Paris.
London
Heathrow to Paris Charles De Gaulle
British Airways Club Class (business class)
day return
8 passengers total cost £4217.60
Price per person £527.20
Travel Timetable
Arrive
at London Heathrow at 0520
Check-in at Club Class desk
Spend 1 hour in lounge
then move to gate
Flight delayed 35 minutes
Take-off LHR 0755
Land Paris
CDG 1005
25km trip to city - reach Central Paris by 1130
Leave
for airport in rush hour 1700
Arrive CDG 1815
Check-in and wait in lounge
Depart
on time at 2020
Land London Heathrow at 2045
3. Low Cost Carrier Option - No Frills
Booking on Easyjet the day before travel will cost our party £1308.40, or 'only' £163.55 each. In comparison, the same British Airways flights above in economy class came in at a pricey £395.10 each.
Travel Timetable
Wake
up in the middle of the night(!)
Arrive London Luton at 0430
Spend 35 minutes
in lounge (additional cost £16 per person)
Depart on time at 0605
Land
at Paris CDG at 0815
25km trip in rush hour - reach Central Paris by 0955
Leave
for airport at 1845
Arrive CDG 1945
Check-in and wait in hall
Flight
delayed by 45 minutes
Delayed departure at 2225
Land London Luton at 2230
In terms of time management, the private jet charter is by far the most effective - we avoid the very early start of the scheduled flights and can set our own timetable. Due to pre-screening we can take-off shortly after arriving at the airport and avoid the long airport waiting times. We land nearer Paris which cuts down transfer time to the city centre. In addition, we have the flexibility to change the schedule should we wish to do so.
On board, food and beverages can be customised to suit our needs and we can hold any meetings in privacy and comfort. And while the jet charter is more expensive here, on some routes it will work out cheaper than the business class option. By booking on short notice with scheduled airlines we face a heavy cost penalty. Business jet charters really come into their own if you are making multiple stops in one day, which would be very difficult to achieve on a commercial airline.
The low-cost airline is by far the least expensive option and would actually be very cheap if the booking was made well in advance. However, this is 'no frills' travel and we are faced with an extremely long and stressful day, perhaps not conducive to doing important business.
In summary, private jet charters can be a very useful business tool when travelling on day return trips. With the introduction of Very Light Jets, air charter will become even more affordable in the future.
If you need a listing of the UK's premier jet charter operators, brokers and block hour providers, you should consider investing in our UK Private Jet Charter Directory.
Air Travel Articles & Resources > Private Jets Resources > Private Jets vs Business Class
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