Jet Card Rates Down Both Sequentially and YOY in Q3

North American jet card rates fell to $10,958 per hour in the third quarter, down 3.1% from the second quarter and 2.7% from a year earlier, according to data from Private Jet Card Comparisons (PJCC). While this marks the lowest average since the end of 2023, it still remains 23.7% above pre-pandemic figures.

Turboprops fell the most, down 19.9% from the second quarter and 21.7% year over year (YOY), to $5,022 per hour. PJCC said OneFlight, which listed more than a dozen turboprop rates, weighed most heavily on the average after pausing operations in mid-September. Fractional operator PlaneSense also ended sales of its Pilatus PC-12 card because the program sold out.

Very light jets dropped 4.5% sequentially, to $7,341 per hour, and large-cabin jets slid 2.9%, to $14,791. Ultra-long-range jets, up 1.2%, and midsize jets, up 0.5%, were the only categories to rise quarter over quarter.

Daily minimums rose to 95 minutes from 92.9 minutes, raising the cost of short flights. PJCC president and editor-in-chief Doug Gollan noted that “consumers like jet cards because once they find a good match for their specific needs, most programs lock in pricing and terms for 12 months and sometimes longer.”

PJCC’s analysis covers published rates for entry-level cards of fewer than 50 hours and excludes promotional deals.