Passenger charter flights out of the Los Angeles area runs across over 140 different aircraft in eleven categories. We can arrange flights in smaller three-seat single engine piston aircraft all the way up to an airliner size plane carrying 100+ passengers as a group. The right one is decided by how many people are traveling, how far, and what the airports at both ends will allow based on aircraft performance and runway capabilities.
Categories and Hourly Rates
Rates below are industry hourly ranges across the aircraft we list in each category as of 7/2026. Every individual aircraft page carries its own rate, specifications and gallery.
- Piston Aircraft — 9 aircraft, $800 to $1,800 per hour
- Helicopters — 6 aircraft, $1,200 to $5,000 per hour
- Turboprops — 15 aircraft, $1,500 to $3,500 per hour
- Entry-Level Jets — 8 aircraft, $2,000 to $4,700 per hour
- Light Jets — 16 aircraft, $3,000 to $5,500 per hour
- Super Light Jets — 6 aircraft, $3,500 to $5,800 per hour
- Midsize Jets — 11 aircraft, $4,000 to $6,500 per hour
- Super Midsize Jets — 13 aircraft, $5,500 to $9,500 per hour
- Heavy Jets — 17 aircraft, $6,500 to $11,500 per hour
- Long Range Jets — 17 aircraft, $10,000 to $18,500 per hour
- VIP Airliners — 16 aircraft, $8,000 to $45,000 per hour
Choosing a Category for a Los Angeles Trip
Under about ninety minutes, a turboprop or a piston twin often lands closer to where you are actually going than a jet does, and Catalina Island can only be served by them. Between ninety minutes and three hours, light and super light jets do most of the work. Past three hours the cabin starts to matter more than the hourly rate, which is where midsize and heavy aircraft earn their cost. For the Pacific Rim and Europe, only the long range category goes nonstop.
Group size sets the floor. Nine passengers rules out most light jets on baggage before it rules them out on seats, and past nineteen the conversation moves to VIP airliners. These trips would no longer fall under FAR Part 135 standards but would possibly operate under FAR Part 121 or foreign equivalent standards.
Vetting Behind Every Trip
Every operator, aircraft, and crew goes through our internal due diligence before we present any options. Our internal standards meet or exceed what the FAA requires:
- FAR Part 135 charter operators for traditional private aircraft, or FAR Part 121 for airliner-size and group trips (or the foreign equivalent on international legs)
- Operator subscription to Wyvern and ARGUS reviewed where the operator participates; reports may be provided on request.
- Pilot experience and operator incident history reviewed before we recommend an aircraft.
- Fewer than 60 brokers worldwide hold Premium Wyvern Broker Member status, and Air Charter Advisors is one of them.
Los Angeles Patterns We Plan Around
Awards season between January and March is the busiest window of the year and Van Nuys and Hollywood Burbank book out first. Van Nuys operates a jet noise curfew for louder aircraft between roughly 10pm and 7am; Ontario runs 24 hours with no curfew and has the runway length for a fully fueled heavy jet. John Wayne enforces night noise limits rather than a flat curfew, and Santa Monica has been a 3,500-foot runway since 2017 and is scheduled to close at the end of 2028.
Contact
For a passenger charter quote in or out of Los Angeles, call +1 (888) 987-5387 or use our contact page. See our safety page for the vetting behind every trip and the aircraft directory for cargo and medical options. The National Business Aviation Association sets the broader operating standards we work within.
The hourly rates provided are estimates based on 2026 market data and are for informational purposes only. These figures are subject to change and do not constitute a final offer. Final pricing is dynamic and depends on real-time factors including, but not limited to, specific itinerary requirements, aircraft positioning (“ferry” fees), fuel price volatility, and current market availability. These estimates exclude all applicable taxes, de-icing, landing and handling fees, special event fees, international surcharges, overnight crew expenses, and premium catering. Please contact Air Charter Advisors directly for a firm, all-inclusive quote tailored to your specific travel needs.