Home / Guides / Light Jet vs Midsize: A Guide to Private Jet Categories
The five private jet categories explained, with example models, seat counts, typical empty-leg price ranges, best use cases, and a simple rule for choosing.
Private jets fall into five broad categories, and picking the right one matters as much as finding a good deal. The category determines how many people fit, how far you can fly nonstop, how comfortable the cabin is, and how much an empty leg on that aircraft typically costs. Here is a practical tour of all five, from smallest to largest.
Example models: Cirrus Vision Jet, Embraer Phenom 100, HondaJet. Typical seats: 4 to 5 passengers. Typical empty leg range: roughly $3,000 to $6,000.
Very light jets are the entry point to private flying. They are efficient, nimble, and able to use small regional airports, which makes them ideal for short regional hops of an hour or two. The cabin is compact, standing headroom is limited, and range is modest, so they are best for a couple of passengers with light luggage going a short distance. For a quick point-to-point regional trip, they are hard to beat on price.
Example models: Cessna Citation CJ3, Embraer Phenom 300, Learjet 75. Typical seats: 6 to 7 passengers. Typical empty leg range: roughly $4,000 to $8,000.
Light jets are the workhorses of short-to-medium private travel. The Phenom 300 in particular is one of the most-flown business jets in the world, which means light-jet empty legs are common. They comfortably handle trips of two to three hours, seat a small group, and offer a real cabin with a modest lavatory. For regional business travel or a weekend getaway with a handful of people, a light jet hits the sweet spot of cost and capability.
Example models: Cessna Citation XLS, Hawker 800XP, Learjet 60. Typical seats: 7 to 9 passengers. Typical empty leg range: roughly $6,000 to $12,000.
Midsize jets add range, cabin room, and stand-up or near-stand-up headroom. They can cover most transcontinental-adjacent trips of three to four hours and carry a full small group with luggage in genuine comfort. This is the category behind a classic New York to Miami run, which is why midsize empty legs are so frequently listed on that corridor. If you want a balance of comfort, capacity, and reasonable cost, the midsize is the default choice for most travelers.
Example models: Cessna Citation Longitude, Bombardier Challenger 350, Gulfstream G280. Typical seats: 8 to 10 passengers. Typical empty leg range: roughly $10,000 to $20,000.
Super-midsize jets deliver true coast-to-coast range, a wider and taller cabin, and enough space to work or relax on a long flight. They can typically fly New York to Los Angeles nonstop with room to spare. For longer domestic trips or a group that wants space to spread out, the super-midsize is the step up that makes a five-hour flight feel effortless.
Example models: Gulfstream G650, Bombardier Global 6000, Dassault Falcon 7X. Typical seats: 12 to 16 passengers. Typical empty leg range: roughly $20,000 and up.
Heavy and ultra-long-range jets are the flagships. They offer full stand-up cabins, separate living and sleeping zones, and the range to cross oceans nonstop. These are the aircraft for transatlantic or transcontinental group travel where comfort over many hours is the priority. Empty legs on these jets are the most expensive in absolute terms, but they can still represent enormous savings against a full charter that might run six figures.
One point worth understanding is that on empty legs you do not always get to pick the category at all: you take whatever aircraft is repositioning on the route you want. Knowing the categories still pays off, because it lets you judge instantly whether a listed leg is right-sized for your trip. When an alert lands for a super-midsize on a route where you only need a light jet, you will know it may cost more than necessary; when a heavy jet leg appears at a light-jet price, you will recognize the bargain.
Choose your category by combining three inputs: how many passengers, how far, and how long you will be aboard. Match the smallest category that covers all three comfortably. For a short regional hop with a few people, a very light or light jet is plenty. For a two-to-four hour trip with a small group, a midsize is the reliable default. For coast-to-coast, step up to a super-midsize; for oceanic or large-group travel, go heavy. Buying more airplane than the trip needs just raises the price, and buying too little means a cramped, fuel-stopping flight.
Once you know your category, let the market work for you. Register your routes and preferred aircraft size, then set up free alerts on the /alert page so matching empty legs in the right category come straight to you.
Empty legs are perishable. Tell us your routes and we will email you the moment a matching flight is published.
Set up free alerts