You Can Have a Private Jet Experience from SF to LA on a Budget
What if you found out you could experience private flying for the price of a commercial flight? Well, that’s what I’m about to tell you!
These days airlines seem to charge for everything – bags, a reasonable amount of legroom, wifi, a seat with a power outlet, priority boarding, snacks on the plane. This model may work for the budget consumer traveler, but for a business traveler it can feel like a downright nightmare. And that’s not even including the ancillary costs involved with getting to and from the airport, or parking if that’s your scenario.
It’s enough to take the fun out of business travel. But I have good news for our friends on the west coast. Earlier this year I had a business trip in Los Angeles, and instead of fighting the crowds at SFO, I hopped on a flight from Concord to Burbank with JetSuiteX, an air travel company that sells seats on their private jets for roughly the same price as a ticket on a commercial flight. Here’s how it went.
Getting to the JetSuiteX Concord Hanger
For starters, JetSuiteX operates out of private hangars which translates to free parking, a peaceful gate experience and no security lines. In fact, they do a security check before your flight so all that’s required when you arrive is a 5-second swab of your hands.
Getting to their Concord hangar from our SoMa office took a little longer than an Uber ride to SFO, but it’s less expensive and pretty easy. I hopped on the BART from the Montgomery St. Station and rode it to the Concord Station. It set me back $5.80 and took 42 minutes.
Pro tip: Taking the BART is actually faster than driving when there’s traffic on the Bay Bridge and in the Caldecott Tunnel. I would just note that it’s not ideal if you have a ton of luggage. Fortunately business travelers are pros at packing in a carry-on. From the Concord Station I paid $6.00 for a 14-minute Uber ride to the JetSuiteX hangar.
The total commute from San Francisco to the JetSuiteX Concord hangar was 60 minutes. A bit longer than the commute to SFO, but I definitely saved time once I was there since there are no TSA lines. And did I mention you can show up 15 minutes before takeoff? That was exciting news for me.
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The JetSuiteX Flight Experience
Once at the hangar I grabbed a few complimentary snacks (they also offer coffee), relaxed and snapped an Instagram photo in front of the jet.
JetSuiteX handles all your bags, and there are no limitations, but they do call before your flight to confirm your reservation and ask how many bags you will be bringing. Since I flew midweek with other business travelers, no one brought a dog, but JetSuiteX lets you fly with your dog for free. Another perk of flying JetSuiteX.
We were called to board just 5 minutes before takeoff. The jets seat 30 passengers, but on the morning I flew to Los Angeles there were about 10 people on board. We were all on board in minutes, they sealed the door, and we were off.
In the air, we had a smooth and quick flight. It felt like by the time I settled in we were landing. During the flight we were treated to complimentary snacks, beverages and wifi by our friendly flight attendant. When we touched down at the Burbank airport where JetSuiteX operates a private hangar, offboarding took just 5 minutes. Our luggage was already waiting on a cart inside the hangar.
Since the hangar is private, my Uber was able to drive right up to the front door. My coworker, who arrived the night before, was able to walk up to the Go Rentals counter in the hangar and her rental car was ready outside.
Flying into the Burbank airport was actually extremely convenient for us since we were staying in West Hollywood. The UberX ride cost $14 and I was dropped off at Mama Shelter in 35 minutes (a breeze considering Los Angeles’ infamous traffic).
When it was time to return to San Francisco the next evening, we were actually looking forward to our flight.
In Brief
In brief, when we compared flying JetSuiteX to a commercial airline for our trip in April, the prices were comparable and flying JetSuiteX saved us time.
For drivers, JetSuiteX is actually cheaper than flying commercial when you consider the ancillary costs like parking.
And in terms of time, JetSuiteX took 2 hours, 55 minutes door to door whereas flying commercial would take around 4 hours, 15 minutes (not including the time you have to show up early to SFO).
JetSuiteX operates flights between Concord (serving the Bay Area), Burbank (serving Los Angeles) and Las Vegas year round and is the air travel secret that is quickly spreading through the Bay Area.
Use the promo code TB1 to book a flight with JetSuiteX as a TravelBank insider.
