What percentage of Americans fly private?

The study highlights the increase in private jet travel and the top reasons people choose to charter non-commercial planes. Researchers assessed responses from 1,250 consumers who earned 50,000 or more annually. According to the report, 27 percent of middle-class Americans have flown privately at least once.



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The High Life Amidst Austerity. At the heart of this dichotomy was Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's private jet travel. Despite the company's rigorous cost-saving measures, Zuckerberg's personal jet expenses soared to nearly $2.3 million in 2022, outstripping the $1.8 million spent in 2020 and the $1.6 million in 2021.

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And—the closest thing we've seen to the number we're after—18 percent of Americans said they had never flown in their life, meaning that 82 percent had.

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It can be more affordable to fly privately if the cost is shared among all the passengers or by booking a flight on an empty leg. When you book a private jet charter, you're renting the entire aircraft. Bringing other paying passengers with you can reduce the cost.

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In 2015, Bezos replaced his Dassault Falcon 900EX with a new G650ER before purchasing a second in 2019, both under his holding company. The capable aircraft once shattered records for speed and range, though these records now belong to the Bombardier Global 8000.

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Mukesh Ambani: Boeing Business Jet 2, $73 million. Elon Musk; Jeff Bezos; Sergey Brin; Larry Page: Gulfstream G650 ER, $70 million each. Bill Gates: Bombardier 8000, $66 million.

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Private jets are very expensive, so naturally the small minority of people that have the unique privilege of owning one are very wealthy. The median net worth of people who own their own private jet is $190 million, and it's $140 million for people who co-own a private jet with other individuals.

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