Exclusive | JSX and Aero offer private jet-like service for as little as $149 one-way

Onboard, the exclusive-ish experience continued, Dana said — complimentary fruit-and-cheese plates and olives, free cocktails, and the pleasure of being one of just 20 or so people on his flight.

“Everyone seemed to get along — like you actually want to get to know your neighbor,” Dana recalled — categorizing the unique experience as “a perfect hybrid of commercial and private, without the cost.”

Yes, it was a little expensive — well over the $450 or more you’d pay round-trip from New York-Miami at peak times on a regular carrier — he later explained to his 43,000 Instagram followers. But “you’re paying for the experience and the time you’re saving,” he pointed out.

They’re taking off

Dana is one of many would-be jet-setters enjoying a whole new way to travel without breaking the bank, said Skift editor-in-chief Sarah Kopit, who told The Post that semi-private operators like JSX are experiencing a boom right now.

And why not — JSX flights typically start as low as $199 for short hops between the likes of Los Angeles and Las Vegas, an easy upgrade over the usual $130 and up for commercial first class on that route — a current promotion for flights out of Santa Monica Airport rings in even lower, at just $149.

“Semi-private is a natural byproduct of a travel economy where affluent consumers will pay aggressively for time, freedom and predictability,” Kopit told The Post. “Providers cracked the code by removing the worst parts of commercial flying — security lines, airport chaos, 90-minute buffers — without requiring true private jet money.

“They’ve built a premium tier for the wealthy-but-not-yet-billionaire class — and that segment is only growing,” Kopit continued. “As long as the rich keep getting richer — and they are — the halo around semi-private will keep expanding.”

Gary Leff, a veteran travel expert and author of the website View from the Wing agreed — saying that JSX gives passengers the unique ability to “fly in an all first-class product to and from private terminals” — without the requisite budget of a millionaire.

“It’s a better flying experience that cuts out the hassles of the airport and treats you well along the way,” Leff told The Post. “It includes checked bags, first-class seats, drinks, Starlink Wi-Fi … It’s just like you’re sitting at home online.”

JSX, which first launched in 2016, currently flies up to 140 public charter flights a day to 28 — soon to be 29 — destinations across the U.S. and Mexico, using 51 Embraer ERJ-135 and -145 jets and two ATR turboprops.

The airline’s hybrid model means it “doesn’t have many true like-for-like competitors in the United States,” Skift editor Gordon Smith told The Post — the closest comparison would be Aero, another popular semi-private carrier, based out of the Teterboro of Los Angeles — Van Nuys Airport — and primarily serving West Coast destinations, along with New York.

Aero flights are far pricier, often well over $1,000 each way. Either way, that’s still, in many cases, either on par with or well below the cost of a First Class ticket on a major carrier.

“Beyond that, consumers are essentially choosing between a traditional private jet operator — like NetJets, Flexjet or Vista — or regular scheduled services from the big-name commercial carriers,” added Smith.

But there’s a catch

Predictably, major players in the industry aren’t happy with the idea of no-name start-ups stealing their premium business, Leff said — saying that some carriers even see JSX as a “threat.”

“Customers that [normally] pay for a better experience at American and Southwest would prefer to fly JSX and have comfort and less hassle in their travel,” he said — noting that those airlines specifically had actually tried to put the carrier out of business back in 2023, ultimately unsuccessfully.

Their main gripe, Leff said, was how, operating as a public charter, JSX is able to avoid the industry-standard “1,500-Hour Rule,” Leff said — this requires pilots to spend that number of hours in flight before acquiring an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate — and it allows pilots to fly after age 65, which the commercial carriers can’t do.

And while little JSX with its few dozen planes may not exactly be taking over the skies just yet, carriers like Aero entering the fray and managing to stick around — the latter launched back in 2019 — show that the idea’s here to stay, at least for the time being.

As you might expect at starting fares closer to $1,000 each way, Aero offers an even more elevated experience, offering luxury amenities like 16 oversized Italian leather seats in a 1-1 seat layout and gourmet meals from LA favorites Erewhon and Flora Farms on select flights.

Upgraded service

Benji Stawski, an NYC-based travel writer and personal finance expert who has used both JSX and Aero, told The Post that Aero feels even more like a private jet, with its “sleek, black Italian leather seats, mood lighting, noise-reducing suede walls, and a generally more design-forward cabin.”

“JSX is still comfortable, but the focus is more on convenience and time savings,” Stawski continued, “whereas Aero leans into a more first-class experience and really feels like you are sharing a private jet.”

“If the price were comparable, I would definitely pick Aero, but there is a very significant price difference,” Stawski continued.

“From a time and convenience standpoint, (Aero) is very similar to JSX,” Nina Ruggiero, the LA-based senior editorial director of Travel + Leisure who has flown with JSX and Aero, told The Post. “It’s just more of a luxury experience …The plane is a little sleeker, and it’s more about the style of your travel.”

Those heading to Europe can’t get the private terminal treatment without the usual astronomical prices, at least not yet, but for now, there’s La Compagnie, which serves Paris and other major European destinations out of Newark — with an all-business class, lie-flat seat cabin onboard two A321neo planes and fares as low as $2,400 round-trip.

And while Leff wouldn’t necessarily call these carriers the future of air travel, he did emphasize that they are “a niche player that shows it is possible to do air travel better,” at a price people can afford.

“It’s not that they are going to take over air travel or that air travel is going to become more like them,” said Leff. “But it points out that air travel doesn’t have to be as drudge-erous as it is today.”