CP JETS Request a quoteQuote
Market · West Palm Beach, FL

Flying private in West Palm Beach

Palm Beach is a season market with a big, well run airport minutes from the island and two smaller fields at either end of the county. Here is what a pilot who works it would tell you before you book.

Airports

The airports, and when each one wins.

N ↑PBISUABCT
Airport locations, north up. This schematic is not a navigation map. Check road traffic and the exact FBO address before travel.
PBI · Palm Beach International

When it wins

The airport for Palm Beach island, West Palm Beach, Wellington and Manalapan, and the default for the county. Any size aircraft, customs on the field, and a 10,000 foot runway. Airline traffic shares the runways, so it costs a few minutes of sequencing at the busy hours, and in season the ramp is full.

FBO: Several FBOs on the general aviation side, each with a lounge, a ramp car and hangar space. In the holiday weeks book parking early; the ramps fill and the aircraft may overnight at Stuart or Boca instead.

Ground travel: Palm Beach island about 15 minutes over the bridges. Wellington about 20 to 25 minutes. Jupiter about 25 to 35 minutes. Manalapan about 25 minutes. Delray Beach about 35 minutes. Boca Raton about 35 minutes.

Any drive times are approximate; traffic and FBO location affect the journey.

Depart from PBI View ground directions

SUA · Stuart Witham Field

When it wins

The north end. It wins for Jupiter, Hobe Sound, Tequesta and Stuart, where it is closer than PBI, and it has customs on the field, which matters for a Bahamas return. The runway is about 5,800 feet, so light and midsize jets use it routinely and many super midsize jets on a normal day.

FBO: FBOs with lounges and ramp cars, no airline traffic, and an easier ramp in season than PBI. A good overnight home for an aircraft when the Palm Beach ramps are full.

Ground travel: Hobe Sound about 15 minutes. Jupiter about 25 minutes. Palm Beach island about 45 minutes.

Any drive times are approximate; traffic and FBO location affect the journey.

Depart from SUA View ground directions

BCT · Boca Raton

When it wins

The south end. It wins for Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Highland Beach, where it is closer than PBI, and for a light through super midsize jet. The runway is about 6,300 feet, and there is no airline traffic.

FBO: FBO service with a lounge and ramp cars, a busy corporate ramp on weekdays, and none of the airline terminal around you.

Ground travel: Boca Raton about 10 minutes. Delray Beach about 15 minutes. Palm Beach island about 35 minutes.

Any drive times are approximate; traffic and FBO location affect the journey.

Depart from BCT View ground directions

Plan the drive from the airport

Compare the airport against your hotel, home or meeting location. Directions open in Google Maps.

Confirm your FBO’s exact pickup address before travel. Traffic and arrival conditions can change.

The season

When West Palm Beach is busy, and what it does to price.

Season runs from November through April. The weeks that fill first are Thanksgiving, Christmas through New Year's Day, Presidents Day weekend, the spring break weeks in March and Easter weekend. The winter equestrian season in Wellington runs from January through March and adds steady weekend traffic on top. In those weeks aircraft sell out early, PBI parking fills, and prices sit in the upper half of the range. Southbound is tight in November and December and northbound is tight in April. From May through October the market is quiet, aircraft are easier to find, and empty legs appear.

Routes

Plan a route in or out.

Explore the route, compare cabin options and start a trip request.

BNA to PBI

Nashville to West Palm Beach

Light jet, round trip · 6 to 8 seats

Explore the route and cabin options →

Route

West Palm Beach to Nashville

Ask us to check aircraft and pricing for this route.

Request this route
Route

New York to West Palm Beach

Ask us to check aircraft and pricing for this route.

Request this route
Route

Boston to West Palm Beach

Ask us to check aircraft and pricing for this route.

Request this route
Route

Chicago to West Palm Beach

Ask us to check aircraft and pricing for this route.

Request this route
Route

Atlanta to West Palm Beach

Ask us to check aircraft and pricing for this route.

Request this route
Route

West Palm Beach to the Bahamas

Ask us to check aircraft and pricing for this route.

Request this route
Aircraft

What fits the runway and the mission.

PBI takes any aircraft. Stuart and Boca are size limited: light through super midsize jets in normal conditions, with the larger heavy jets going to PBI. Nashville to Palm Beach is about an hour and a half in a light jet, and a midsize jet earns its keep for a full cabin with season bags. New York, Boston and Chicago are two and a half to three hour legs that fit a midsize or super midsize jet. The Bahamas are a short hop from here, about an hour or less in a light jet or turboprop, and the return needs an airport with customs, which PBI and Stuart both have.

Local notes

Details to plan before you fly.

  • Palm Beach island is 15 minutes from PBI in the off season and longer in the season traffic across the bridges. Plan the car for the bridge, not the map.
  • Jupiter, Hobe Sound and Tequesta are closer to Stuart than to PBI, and Stuart has customs. For those clients it is the airport.
  • PBI's ramps fill on the holiday weeks. The aircraft may drop you at PBI and overnight at Stuart or Boca; the positioning is in the quote.
  • A Sunday evening departure in March waits its turn behind the airline push. Leave mid afternoon or Monday morning and you roll straight out.
  • The Bahamas return has to clear customs on arrival in the US. PBI and Stuart both have customs on the field, so plan the whole trip around one of them.
  • Wellington equestrian season runs January through March. The Sunday departures after a show weekend are the ones to book early.
  • In summer the sea breeze builds storms over the coast by early afternoon. A morning departure is the smoother one.
  1. 1 · Trip
  2. 2 · Contact
  3. 3 · Options

Enter your trip and contact details to receive a planning estimate by email. No payment is required.

Trip type
City, airport name or code

Use local time at each departure airport. We confirm timing and time zones with your itinerary.

Guides

The aircraft category guides.

Our standards

Every airplane has to fit the trip.

  • We review the airplane, its condition, the pilots’ experience and the requirements of your trip.
  • Our starting preference is an airframe from 2005 or newer. An exception comes with an explanation.
  • Your written quote identifies the airplane, what the price includes and the terms that could change it.

Read the standards →

Fair questions

Flying private in West Palm Beach questions.

Which airport should I use for Palm Beach?

PBI for Palm Beach island, West Palm Beach, Wellington and any heavy jet. Stuart for Jupiter, Hobe Sound and Tequesta, and for a Bahamas return on a smaller aircraft. Boca Raton for the south end of the county. Tell us where you are staying and we pick the field with you.

How far ahead should I book in season?

A week or more for a normal trip from November through April, and two to four weeks for Thanksgiving, Christmas through New Year, Presidents Day, spring break and Easter. Aircraft and PBI parking both sell out in those weeks. From May through October a few days is usually enough.

Can I fly to the Bahamas from West Palm Beach?

Yes. It is a short hop, about an hour or less in a light jet or turboprop, and it is one of the trips we quote from here in season. Passports are required, the operator files the arrival paperwork, and the return clears US customs at PBI or Stuart. We walk you through what the trip needs before you book.

How much does a private jet to West Palm Beach cost?

Your emailed planning estimate shows the current range by aircraft category once you enter the other end of the trip and your dates. Nashville sits at the lower end on a light jet; New York, Boston and Chicago sit higher on a midsize or super midsize jet. In the holiday weeks expect the upper half of the range. Your quote will be exact.