Guaranteed jet cards became more expensive and more restrictive in the first quarter of 2026, according to the latest analysis of more than 80 providers and over 1,000 programmes by Private Jet Card Comparisons.

“Average hourly rates only increased modestly, however, flying terms, including daily minimums, peak days and lead time to book all increased,” says Doug Gollan, president and editor-in-chief of Private Jet Card Comparisons, the buyer's guide to jet cards, membership and fractional ownership private jet programmes, adding, “Since most guaranteed jet card programmes have rate locks for at least 12 months, increasing the daily minimums is a de facto price increase for shorter flights.”

Jet card hourly rates edged up 1.6 per cent quarter-to-quarter at the end of the first quarter of 2026 and 2.5 per cent year-over-year. The average hourly rate stood at $11,426 at the end of the first quarter of 2026, ranging from $6,729 per hour for turboprops to $19,301 per hour for ultra-long-range private jets.

The average hourly rate for light jets was $8,563 per hour at the end of Q1 2026. The hourly rates reflect jet cards in North America that offer guaranteed availability and capped or fixed hourly rates. Pricing is based on occupied hours, meaning flyers do not have to pay for repositioning costs.

The price increases, which include fuel surcharges and the 7.5 per cent federal excise tax, come as jet fuel prices have doubled year over year.

While the hourly rate increases were modest, daily minimums increased by 11.6 per cent, indicating jet card providers are increasingly concerned about the profitability of short flights. What's more, daily minimums were up 19.0 per cent year-over-year.

The daily minimum is the minimum amount of flight time charged, even if your flight takes less time. For example, if your flight was 45 minutes and the daily minimum was 90 minutes, you would be charged for 90 minutes. Midsize jets saw the largest increase, up 21.6 per cent. year-over-year.

The number of peak days also reversed their post-COVID downward trend. The average number of peak days at the end of Q1 2026 stood at 36.3 days. That was up from 35.6 days sequentially. Year-over-year peak days increased from 35.4 dates to 36.3 in 2026. Compared to pre-COVID, peak days are currently 59.1 per cent higher. Back in Q4 2019, the average programme had just 22.8 peak days.

The lead time to book guaranteed rates also increased. The non-peak callout increased from 62.5 hours to 66.9 hours for non-peak bookings. The average callout was 7.0 per cent longer at the end of Q1 2026 compared to the end of 2025.