Private jet charter in Chicago

Chicago is where a transatlantic charter from Britain stops being routine: the routed distance from the London fields is about 3,560 to 3,590 nautical miles, well beyond New York, and that gap decides which aircraft can fly it without a stop. Private Jets UK charters the aircraft that the crossing demands and the airfield that suits the passengers. Our customers have access to 6,500 jets of all types and configurations available for rent. We will help you choose the best option based on your needs and objectives. Our catalog contains the models from the largest manufacturers: Gulfstream, Dassault, Embraer, Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Learjet, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pilatus, HondaJet, etc. We have established partnerships with the world's largest airlines and VIP terminals, which means we can offer you favourable flight conditions and a high level of service. Our experts will manage the organization of your flight - starting with paperwork, agreements, etc., and ending with a transfer and meeting at the airport. Our company provides a full range of business aviation and concierge services. Chicago in Illinois has two big airline airports, three busy business jet fields at Midway, Wheeling and DuPage, and a ring of smaller ones in Waukegan, Gary and Milwaukee, so the real decisions are which airfield, which cabin and whether the border officer will be on duty when you land.

At your request, the aviation consultants of Private Jets UK will help you choose the jet with the suitable technical parameters (production year, flight hours, and home base). The cost of the private jet charter in Chicago depends on many factors, such as the model of the business jet, the number of passengers, departure and destination airports, type of flight, duration of parking, additional services, etc. On a sector of well over three thousand nautical miles the choice between a large-cabin jet that flies nonstop and a super-midsize with a stop in Newfoundland moves the price more than any other item. Therefore, we calculate the price of each order individually taking into account your wishes. You can use an online calculator to get an instant charter quote. Please indicate your real contact details to get the final calculation.

You can calculate the cost of your flight in several ways:

• using an online calculator on the website (however, it shows only the approximate price);
• via Messenger (WhatsApp or Telegram);
• by landline or cell phone;
• via e-mail (jets@private-jets.co.uk).

Please note that the above-mentioned price is indicative only. It is calculated on this basis: a departure from a London airfield, a super-midsize jet such as an Embraer Praetor 600 with a stop at Gander and two passengers aboard. If you want to get a personal quote, just fill out the online booking form below. Our aviation consultant will make the calculation within 20 minutes, and then contact you to specify the details of the flight.

How long does it take to fly to Chicago?

A Global 6000 flies London to Chicago nonstop in about 7 h 55 min from Farnborough, a little less from Edinburgh or Aberdeen. The routed distance to Midway runs from 3,316 to 3,586 nautical miles depending on the British field. Embraer publishes a range of 3,900 nautical miles for the Praetor 600, quoted with four passengers, and the Challenger 605 class is published at about 4,000. On paper both clear the crossing, but the margin is only 314 to 584 nautical miles for the Praetor before a westbound headwind, reserves and a full cabin are taken off, so we plan both with a stop at Gander in Newfoundland. A Challenger 350 is published at 3,200 and falls short, and a Citation Latitude at about 2,500 is well short; both also go via Gander. The Global 6000 is published at 6,000 and the long-range Gulfstreams and Globals carry more. Chicago keeps Central time, six hours behind Britain for most of the year, so a morning departure lands in the middle of the morning. The times below assume the headwind the North Atlantic normally supplies on the way west. The table gives the sector from each British field we use.

Prices for the private jet flights to Chicago

Typical trips from Britain, cheapest first, all of them into Chicago Midway. Convention weeks, the Lollapalooza weekend and the marathon weekend sit above these figures, and the calendar block further down explains when.

We can arrange the flights from any cities in the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) and European countries. Due to a large database of available business jets, we can help you find an optimal jet and crew. If you have any questions about the departure or the flight itself, you can ask them using the form below:

Private jet flights from Chicago

Chicago is a hub for the Midwest as well as a destination. Lake Geneva and Milwaukee are each a short hop, Detroit is a morning flight, and the way home is the same crossing as the way out, with the wind on the tail. Typical one-way prices:

Prices depending on the type of business jet

We can clearly show the high dependence of the cost of the flight, on the type of aircraft - we have collected approximate data, at the price of 1 flight hour, for various types of business jets:

The cost per hour indicated in the table is preliminary and does not constitute an offer or a commercial offer. Exact prices are available from the managers of the company.

Online Calculator

If you want to make an urgent calculation of the cost of a private plane flight, use our online calculator. Just fill in all the fields of the form with a note that you are interested in a specific model of the aircraft and get the final price. NB! - the figures are sent to you by email or messenger, please carefully fill in the contact details to get the calculation.

All our calculations are as transparent as possible for you. After receiving the request, we will prepare a beautiful offer - where the costs and the final price will be clearly described. The exact price is agreed in advance and is written in the contract, so you can be sure of the final cost.

Private jets are ready to take off

Our database contains over 6,500 business jets (about 3,500 in Europe and 3,000 in the rest of the world) of different configurations and production years. The list of models is constantly updated. Unfortunately, we can't post a full list of available jets on our website due to confidentiality issues. Please contact the managers of the company for more accurate information. We will help you choose a suitable model taking into account your wishes. These are the typical choices for the Chicago run:

This is a small part of what is available. Aircraft that can cross the Atlantic with a Chicago load are fewer than the ones that serve Europe, and their positions change daily, so a long-range jet already waiting in London is often cheaper than one that must first be brought over from North America. The Midwest works the other way round: a jet that is going back across the ocean anyway can sometimes be had on better terms for the eastbound leg.

How to book a private jet?

You can book a private jet flight to Chicago in 6 easy steps:

1. Flight request - indicating the route and your preferences for the model of business jet and other points.
2. Coordination of flight details - our consultant will contact you to offer the possible flight options and answer all your questions.
3. Commercial offer - we will send you a final offer on a specific model taking into account all your wishes.
4. Signing of the contract.
5. Payment for the flight and booking a business jet.
6. Departure at the agreed time and date. Assistance during the whole flight.

In addition to renting the private jets and arranging the flights, we provide concierge services, premium transfer, security, exclusive catering, etc. We have learned to solve problems of any complexity, offering the service of the European level. Our experts will be happy to answer your questions and help you arrange your flight.

Business aviation airports in Chicago

Eight airfields matter to a private party in Chicago, and they are not interchangeable. The airline giant and the busy business jet fields are different places, and it helps to know which is which before a quote arrives with one of them in it.

Four details decide most Chicago arrivals:

Border, passport and US customs

Landing in Chicago from Britain means a full US border check for everyone on board, with no shortcut for a private flight. British passport holders travel under the Visa Waiver Programme: an approved ESTA allows a stay of up to 90 days for business or tourism, and the passport must stay valid for the whole trip. The ESTA is a permission to board, not a promise of entry, because the officer at the airport makes the final decision. Trouble tends to come from an arrest on record, even one without a conviction, from an earlier overstay, or from work done for an American employer, and a traveller with any of these on file is better off applying for a visa in good time. Make the ESTA application early and only through the official government site. On a private aircraft the ESTA normally works only if the operator holds Visa Waiver Program carrier status, which we check before we quote.

The aircraft has its own list of steps, which the operator and the handler carry out. The pilot in command files the passenger and crew manifest with the US border service through its electronic system no later than 60 minutes before leaving Britain, and the approval has to be in hand before the wheels turn. That approval does not allow the aircraft to land; landing rights come separately from CBP. At Midway the fact sheet we work from asks the pilot to obtain permission to land before leaving the foreign airport and at least 24 hours before the expected arrival, with a tolerance of 30 minutes either way, and a changed arrival time outside that window means asking again. The aircraft parks at the Atlantic or Signature ramp, the officer meets it there, and passengers and crew are processed plane-side. Passports, the pilot's licence, the aircraft registration and the crew documents are shown, and live animals are declared in advance. We confirm the procedure with the operator for each trip, because the text in force matters and a memory of last season does not.

The hours differ more in Chicago than in most cities. Midway lists inspections from 08:00 to 24:00 every day. The port page for Chicago Executive gives Monday to Friday, 11:00 to 19:00, and asks that an APIS transmission or a voicemail is never treated as a request: a duty officer has to be spoken to, and for an arrival outside the posted hours the arrangement is made by 17:00 on the previous business day. Waukegan follows the same weekday window. DuPage, Gary and Milwaukee are listed as customs airports, but we do not assume that an officer is on duty at the hour you land; we ask, and put the answer in the quote.

The flight home has its own paperwork. British and Irish citizens walk in without any permission, and most other visitors who need no visa must hold a UK electronic travel authorisation. The aircraft is declared on a General Aviation Report, which goes to the UK authorities between 48 hours and two hours before it leaves Chicago. Mistakes cost money: £2,500 for a first landing at an aerodrome outside the regulated list, and £2,000 for each passenger carried without permission. The operator and the handler file the report, and we check that it has been accepted.

From the apron to the Loop

Chicago is long and thin along the lake, and the airport you choose decides which end of it you start at. The figures below are straight-line distances from the Loop, which understate the drive but show the order of things.

Flying to Chicago with a dog or a cat

The United States asks for little paperwork on the way in and more on the way home. The animal normally sits with you in the cabin, though a flight with a stop at Gander adds an hour on the ground. What matters is the timing of three documents: the CDC import receipt for a dog, the health certificate and rabies record that Illinois wants to see, and the certificate for the return to Britain, which has a short life.

What the two countries ask for:

• For a dog, a CDC Dog Import Form receipt, which is free and covers one dog. The United Kingdom is not on the CDC list of countries at high risk for dog rabies, so the lighter rules apply: the dog must look healthy on arrival, be at least six months old and carry a microchip that a universal scanner can read. A dog from such a country may enter through any port of entry, so Midway and Chicago Executive both work;
• Illinois says that when the state is the final destination, a dog or cat must have an official health certificate issued within 30 days of entry, and that dogs and cats of 16 weeks and older must have been vaccinated against rabies, with the vaccine and the date shown on the certificate. The state accepts a certificate that meets the CDC and public health service entry rules. The page does not mention an exemption for a pet travelling with its owner, so we confirm the position for your dates. If the trip carries on to Wisconsin or Michigan, the rules of that state apply and we check them too;
• For the return to Britain, the United States is a "part 2" listed country: a Great Britain pet health certificate completed by an official vet and dated in the ten days before arrival, with a pet passport or animal health certificate not accepted. The rabies vaccination must be at least 21 days old, and the microchip must have been fitted before or at the same time as the vaccine. The official text lists no blood test for these countries;
• For dogs, a tapeworm treatment from a vet between 24 and 120 hours before arrival in Britain. Cats are exempt. No more than five animals per traveller.

Requirements for cats, ferrets, birds and anything less usual are collected on our flying with pets guide, and our managers confirm the position in writing for your dates before a booking is taken. We also confirm in writing the entry point and the paperwork for the animal on the way back into Britain.

The Chicago calendar: a motor show, a music festival and a marathon

Chicago runs on a calendar of big fixed weeks, and many of them belong to the convention halls at McCormick Place, about 1.6 km south of the Loop and the largest convention centre in North America. Winter brings the shows, summer fills Grant Park with festivals and the lakefront with aircraft, and autumn belongs to the marathon. Knowing which week you want matters more than choosing an aircraft.

Ways to bring the Chicago price down

• Pick the aircraft for the ocean, not for the cabin photographs. A super-midsize with a stop at Gander costs noticeably less than a long-range jet flying nonstop; for four to eight people who do not mind the hour on the ground it is the fair trade;
• Ask where the aircraft is based. A long-range jet positioning from London needs less ferrying than one coming from Florida or the west coast, and on a transatlantic sector positioning is a large share of the bill;
• Be flexible by a day or two. A flight that avoids the Auto Show week and Lollapalooza is easier to price, and a return that fits an empty leg is cheaper than a fresh charter.

Types of flights

Chicago produces its own mix of trips, because it is a convention city, a business centre, a sporting town and a gateway to Lake Geneva and the Midwest at the same time.

• Convention and exhibition travel to McCormick Place, tied to show dates, with parties of two to eight and a firm return;
• Business trips to the Loop and the suburbs, where timing is fixed and the officer's hours at the airport are the main concern;
• Festival and sporting weekends, from the Auto Show to Lollapalooza and the marathon, which tie the flight to a date set by the organisers;
• Summer leisure to Lake Geneva and the Wisconsin lakes, usually a transatlantic jet to Midway or Chicago Executive and a turboprop, a light jet or a helicopter for the last stretch;
• Onward journeys to Milwaukee and Detroit, using Chicago as the port of entry to the United States and a lighter aircraft from there.

Look twice at one-way against return. At this distance a return inside a week is two full sectors plus the crew's rest and hotel in Chicago, so we price both ways. On a stay of two or three days the aircraft usually waits in the Midwest and flies you home, which beats ferrying it back empty and fetching it again; after a week or more, two separate one-way charters are simpler than a jet standing idle.

Empty Legs

An empty leg is a flight the aircraft has to make anyway, with nobody paying for the seats, and it can be sold at a fraction of the normal price. On the Chicago corridor the supply follows the calendar more than the traffic, so it helps to know where it comes from.

Few aircraft can make the crossing, so a client who can give three days has a far better chance than one who needs a particular evening. The discount costs you control: the operator owns the date and the hour, and a leg can vanish when the original booking moves. Whatever is free is listed on our empty legs page, and we flag a Chicago match the day an operator releases it.

Helicopter charter

In Chicago a helicopter is a tool for the lakefront and the last stretch, and not for the long haul. Operators fly scenic flights over Lake Michigan and the skyline, executive charters across the Midwest, and leisure routes to Lake Geneva and northern Wisconsin. Unlike New York, there is no rule that confines sightseeing to a single heliport, but landing sites in a built-up area are still limited, so most helicopter work starts at an airport or a prepared helipad.

For scenic work the usual choice is the Airbus H125, for villa and marina transfers the roomier H130, and where a twin is wanted the H135 or the Bell 429. We book the helicopter alongside the jet, so that both crews follow one timetable.

Flight payment options

The main goal of our company is to provide the highest level of comfort to our customers. Therefore, we're always ready to meet you halfway. Our consultants will offer you a wide variety of flights to meet your needs and budget. Most customers prefer a non-cash method (a transfer to an EU bank account), which guarantees a high level of confidentiality and security of payment. All payment details are provided in advance, so you'll have enough time to make the necessary checks. For years of working in business aviation, our company has gained an impeccable reputation. We practice transparency and are always ready to present all necessary documents.

Private Jets UK works with both physical and legal entities. We guarantee the confidentiality and security of payments. You can pay for the flights from Chicago in any convenient way:

• cashless (by transfer to our account);
• by cash;
• by card;
• by cryptocurrency.

Our company works with European and British banks, which allows you to choose the most convenient payment method. In addition, we conclude formal agreements and provide our clients with all necessary documents and invoices, which guarantees the safe payment and delivery of services. If you have any financial questions, feel free to contact our private aviation consultants.

If you need to book an urgent flight, please keep in mind that the bank transfer can take a few days. In such situations, we may need to involve our partner companies so that you can pay for your flight in cash. If you have any questions, you can contact your personal consultant 24/7.

Flights from the UK to Chicago

The long-range and large-cabin jets for Chicago leave mostly from Farnborough, Biggin Hill, Luton and Stansted. Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow save a northern client the drive south and take 100 to 250 nautical miles off the crossing. The price table higher up covers twelve of those pairings. Our clients have access to all airports of the UK and Europe. Due to the unique partnership conditions, we can offer our clients the best prices for business aviation services. Our experts will consult you on the availability of private jets in a particular city and help you choose the best option.

List of TOP 25 business aviation airports:

 

Airport	Country	ICAO	IATA
London Heathrow Airport	England	EGLL	LHR
Birmingham Airport	England	EGBB	BHX
London Gatwick	England	EGKK	LGW
London City Airport	England	EGLC	LCY
London Luton	England	EGGW	LTN
Edinburgh Airport	Scotland	EGPH	EDI
Leeds Airport	England	EGNM	LBA
Manchester Airport	England	EGCC	MAN
London Stansted	England	EGSS	STN
Liverpool John Lennon Airport	England	EGGP	LPL
Newcastle Airport	England	EGNT	NCL
Bristol Airport	England	EGGD	BRS
Glasgow Airport	Scotland	EGPF	GLA
East Midlands Airport	England	EGNX	EMA
Southampton Airport	England	EGHI	SOU
Jersey Airport	Channel Islands	EGJJ	JER
Cardiff International Airport	Wales	EGFF	CWL
Inverness Airport	Scotland	EGPE	INV
Bournemouth Airport	England	EGHH	BOH
London Farnborough Airport	England	EGLF	FAB
Oxford Airport	England	EGTK	OXF
London Biggin Hill	England	EGKB	BQH
Belfast Airport	Northern Ireland	EGAA	BFS
Gibraltar Airport	Gibraltar	LXGB	GIB
Aberdeen Airport	Scotland	EGPD	ABZ

Chicago charters from the booking notes: six typical trips

What the corridor looks like once a quote turns into a flight. Six typical jobs of the kind that come through our booking notes, described in outline, with the particulars changed.

Frequently asked questions about flying to Chicago