COMMERCIAL · GLOSSARY
Block Hour
The unit of flight time used for pricing: from the moment the aircraft begins to taxi until the moment it parks after landing.
IN PRACTICE
Block hours, not airborne hours, drive charter pricing. A short hop between two busy hubs may register 1.2 block hours for only 35 minutes of flight time, because taxi and hold time at airports like Teterboro is significant.
Most operators bill a minimum block per day — typically 1.5 or 2 hours — to ensure crew and aircraft costs are recovered on short missions.
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Frequently asked
What does Block Hour mean in private aviation?
The unit of flight time used for pricing: from the moment the aircraft begins to taxi until the moment it parks after landing.
How does block hour work in practice?
Block hours, not airborne hours, drive charter pricing. A short hop between two busy hubs may register 1.2 block hours for only 35 minutes of flight time, because taxi and hold time at airports like Teterboro is significant.
When is block hour the right option for a charter client?
Block hour fits flyers who match the usage pattern described above. For one-off trips, on-demand charter is usually more flexible; for recurring travel, structured products like jet cards or fractional programmes can be more predictable.
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