Instant estimated flight times between 50 of the world's most popular private-jet cities, by light, midsize and heavy jet. 1,225 routes covered.
Estimates are shown as a range: great-circle distance, the spread of cruise speeds in each jet class, a route up to about 5% longer than the direct line, and about 20 minutes for taxi, climb and descent.
Typical cruise speeds by class: light jets about 430 knots (around 495 mph / 795 km/h), midsize jets about 460 knots (530 mph / 850 km/h), and heavy jets about 500 knots (575 mph / 925 km/h). Individual models vary by roughly 30 knots in either direction, which is why each route here is shown as a range.
Because no two flights are identical. Different aircraft in the same class cruise at different speeds, airways rarely follow the straight great-circle line, and winds can add or remove time. The range brackets a fast jet on a direct routing and a slower jet on a slightly longer one, plus about 20 minutes for taxi, climb and descent.
In the air, cruise speeds are similar to airliners. The time saving is on the ground and in the routing: private jets fly direct between smaller airports that are often closer to where you actually are, there is no airline schedule to wait for, and boarding takes minutes. A route that takes a full travel day commercially can be a few hours door to door by private jet.
Each city is mapped to its main business-aviation airport - for example Teterboro for New York, Van Nuys for Los Angeles, and Farnborough or Luton for London. Airport coordinates come from the public-domain OurAirports dataset. Each route page lists the exact airports used.
Every route page shows the great-circle distance between the two cities' main business-aviation airports and converts it to a flight time range for each jet class. The short end assumes a fast jet in the class (typical cruise speed plus 30 knots) on the direct great-circle route; the long end assumes a slower jet (typical speed minus 30 knots) on a route about 5% longer, since real airways rarely follow the straight line. Both add about 20 minutes for taxi, climb and descent. Airport coordinates come from the public-domain OurAirports dataset; cruise speeds come from ranges published by charter-industry sources. Strong winds can still move a real flight outside the range.