(Un)Chartered Territory: The Private Jet Flight I Was Not Supposed to Be On

Let’s set the story: Summer 2021. I was 15 years old and bored out of my mind. As an AvGeek, pretty much nothing excited me more than the idea of flying on a private jet. I had scoured the internet and read up on every possible avenue of getting on one (including Ben’s private jet experience) without paying the tens of thousands required to charter one.

Then came my hero: XO, the app succeeding JetSmarter (an all-you-can-fly private jet model which, unsurprisingly, went out of business). While there was no longer an all-you-can-fly subscription or any “free” flights, there were select Jet Deals (empty legs) that you could purchase tickets on by the seat for a relatively cheap price, usually in the hundreds of dollars.

I scoured the app for months until I finally got a notification of a flight from near my home in Washington DC to Indianapolis (I had a few previous failed attempts which resulted in flights cancelled at the last minute, including one as I was at the airport, about to reposition to catch the flight).

I immediately pulled the trigger and researched the policies XO and XOJet Aviation (the operator of the flight) had for unaccompanied minors. In short, there wasn’t a definitive answer. I got anywhere from 16+ to fly solo on a Jet Deal according to older JetSmarter documents to “on a case-by-case basis.” So, I called them up. The representatives were understandably confused by my request but eventually I was transferred to a lady who said that as long as someone was picking me up on the other end, I would be fine to take the flight. Perfect!

The following morning I got to Manassas Regional Airport early to catch my Challenger 300 to Indianapolis Executive Airport. The moment I got out of the car at the FBO (private jet terminal) and saw my plane, in VistaJet colors no less, I was shaking with excitement. The crew hadn’t arrived yet so I was told to wait.

Eventually they showed up and asked for my ID. Crap. I handed them my passport and they went off with it and made a phone call (presumably to their operations team). It was what felt like hours until the captain beckoned to me to follow him to the plane, still on the phone. SCORE! They motioned for me to climb the stairs and get settled in. While I couldn’t make out every word, it seemed like they were still debating if I could fly. As soon as they climbed up the stairs and said “it’s about an hour en route” I let out a huge sigh of relief.

Soon enough, the engines came to life, we taxied to the runway, and began our takeoff roll. What an absolutely incredible takeoff. The power and sound of the engines on takeoff was so strong it truly felt like a rocket ship, with the pre-placed bottles of Fiji water at each of my 8 seats flying backwards.

Within minutes, the seatbelt sign was off and I got up to explore the cabin. There was a self-serve galley with plenty of snacks and drinks (“NO alcohol,” I was told — not that I would have tried). The seats were incredibly comfortable leather chairs with plenty of recline and legroom. The bathroom was almost more impressive, with VistaJet branded amenity kits, Le Labo room spray (with “bottled for VistaJet” written on them), a bathroom scale, among just about any other thing you could possibly need.

Before too long, we had started our descent. It was so incredibly cool to be able to see straight ahead into the Challenger 300’s stunning cockpit on approach. We had a quick taxi to our parking stand and then I was quickly escorted to the FBO after managing to get the pilots to take a photo of me in front of the plane.

As for the person waiting for me on the other end? That was my Uber to Indianapolis International to fly immediately back home.

Of course, once I had a taste of the high life, I was desperate to fly private again. I tried a few more times which ended both in cancellations and eventually a message from XO saying that I had to be over 18 to fly on empty legs alone.

And for anyone hoping for an empty leg flight by the seat: XO sadly no longer offers them.

I am so incredibly grateful to have been able to fulfil my lifelong dream and slip through the cracks. The moral of the story is to seize the opportunity before it disappears — which couldn’t be more relevant in today’s points landscape.