The holidays,
booked before they book up.
Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year are the busiest stretch of the year in private aviation. By the time most people get around to it, the good aircraft are already spoken for and the price has moved. We lock yours early, so the holiday travel is the easy part of the season.
Beating the holiday rush is mostly timing
The earlier the plan, the more the choice — of aircraft, of price, of the days you actually want.
1 · Tell us the plan early
Where everyone's going, and the dates that can't move — Thanksgiving, the Christmas run, New Year. The sooner we have it, the more we can hold.
2 · We lock the aircraft
Over the holidays, aircraft and crew are the scarce thing, not the route. Booking ahead is how you get the right cabin instead of whatever's left.
3 · Plan around the peak days
Some days — the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the days around Christmas, the return in early January — are busier than others. We time the trip to dodge the worst of it where we can.
4 · One trip for everyone
Kids, grandparents, dogs, the extra luggage a long stay needs — sized onto one aircraft so the family travels together, not in shifts.
What the holiday rush actually does to charter
The pressure points
- Aircraft and crew run out before the dates do — the cabin you want may simply be gone if you wait.
- One-way trips cost more over the holidays, because the aircraft often has to reposition empty for its next booking.
- The peak days (pre-Thanksgiving Wednesday, around Christmas, the early-January return) are the tightest of all.
- Last-minute is possible, but you're choosing from what's left, at holiday prices.
How we stay ahead of it
- We hold the right aircraft early, while there's still a choice.
- We price one-way honestly and flag when a small date shift saves real money.
- We time the trip around the peak days rather than into them.
- We keep a plan B for weather and changes, because the holidays rarely go exactly to script.
Peak-day patterns per industry data; booking windows and peak-day surcharges vary by program and year. Reference: SherpaReport on private-jet peak travel days.
Tell us your holiday plans.
The dates, the people, the pets. The earlier you send it, the better the aircraft and the price — we'll reply in about 30 minutes.
Private jet charter for the holidays
When should I book a private jet for the holidays?
As early as you reasonably can. Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year are the busiest weeks of the year for charter, and it's aircraft and crew — not routes — that run out. The scarcity is real enough that the fractional and jet-card programmes impose their longest lead times over these dates (commonly 72 to 120 hours' notice on designated peak days, versus far less the rest of the year). Booking well ahead is the difference between the cabin you want and whatever is left at peak prices.
What are the busiest days to fly private over the holidays?
The tightest are usually the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after; the days right around Christmas (roughly the 23rd and 24th); and the first few days of January, when everyone flies home at once. These are the recognised peak-demand days across the industry, and we plan your trip around them where your dates allow.
Why do holiday charters cost more?
Demand is at its yearly peak, so aircraft and crew are stretched and operators apply peak-day surcharges — often around 5% — on top of higher hourly rates. One-way trips can cost more again, because the aircraft may have to reposition empty to or from your trip. We price it straight and tell you exactly what's driving the number.
Can I still get a jet last-minute at Christmas or New Year?
Sometimes, yes — but you'll be choosing from what's left, at holiday prices. If a late booking is your reality, call the desk and we'll work the available fleet quickly.
Is a one-way more expensive over the holidays?
Often, because the aircraft may have to fly empty to or from your trip. We'll show you when a round trip or a small date change makes the number materially better.
Can you take the whole family — kids, grandparents, pets, luggage — on one trip?
Yes. We size the cabin and cargo to everyone and everything, so the family travels together on one aircraft. Pets fly in the cabin, and a long-stay amount of luggage is planned in rather than squeezed in.