Phenom 300 Charter from Miami
A Phenom 300 charter Miami buyers price for a Caribbean weekend usually comes down to one question: does the extra money over a cheaper light jet buy anything real? On this airframe it does. The Phenom 300E cruises at 464 kts (Mach 0.80), carries 76 cu ft of bags and has an enclosed, externally serviced lavatory, which is a different trip from the entry-level end of the class.
What follows is the specification as it appears on a trip sheet, the rate structure, the South Florida legs the type flies well, the legs where it quietly runs out, and the two aircraft you should price beside it before you sign anything.
What a Phenom 300 charter from Miami buys you
Speed is the headline. At 464 kts the Phenom 300E is quicker than most of the light jets it competes with, and on the northbound corridor that difference stops being academic. Miami to New York is 950 nm and the published light jet block time is 2h 35m; a slower airframe on a January headwind day is the one that starts talking about a fuel stop in Savannah.
The second reason is the baggage compartment. 76 cu ft in an aft hold is the most in the class, and South Florida charter is a luggage business — dive gear to Providenciales, golf bags to Palm Beach, four large cases for a family relocating for the season. Passengers rarely ask about cubic feet until the bags are on the ramp and one of them is going home in a car.
The third is the lavatory. It is enclosed, externally serviced, meaning the ground crew empties it from outside rather than the cabin, which is the difference between an aircraft that smells fine on the third leg of a busy Saturday and one that does not. On a 1h 35m run to Providenciales with six adults aboard, that detail matters more than the seat leather does.
Availability in the region is good. The type is common on Florida Part 135 certificates, which keeps short-notice pricing sane and makes an operator's recovery options realistic when a tail goes technical on a Friday afternoon. Compare that with the light jet class page if you want the wider view of what else is based here.
Phenom 300E specifications
Read the cabin numbers as a set. 59 in of height with 65 in of width is a seated cabin with a dropped aisle — you walk in a stoop and then sit comfortably, and the width is what makes two facing passengers workable rather than intimate. The certified ceiling of 45,000 ft matters over Florida in July, when the useful move is to get above the buildups rather than around them, and a low cabin altitude at high flight levels is part of why passengers step off this type less tired than the class average.
| Specification | Figure |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Embraer |
| Current generation, first delivery | 2020 |
| Typical passengers | 8 — 7 in the club-plus-side-facing layout, 8 with the belted lav seat |
| Range, 4 passengers, IFR reserves | 2,010 nm |
| Typical high-speed cruise | 464 kts (Mach 0.80) |
| Certified ceiling | 45,000 ft |
| Cabin height | 59 in |
| Cabin width | 65 in |
| Cabin length | 17.2 ft |
| Stand-up cabin | No — seated cabin with a dropped aisle |
| Baggage volume | 76 cu ft |
| Lavatory | Enclosed, externally serviced |
| Connectivity | Frequently equipped with Gogo Avance L5 |
| Typical market rate | $4,000–$5,000 per flight hour |
The cabin over a three-hour leg
Seats, light and noise
The standard arrangement is a four-place club with additional forward seating, 7 in the club-plus-side-facing layout, 8 with the belted lav seat. The oval windows are large for the class and the cabin is quiet enough that a call on the ground before departure and a conversation across the club at altitude feel like the same room. Seat width is generous; what you give up against a midsize jet is the ability to stand and stretch, and on anything over three hours some passengers notice that.
Treat the published 8-seat figure carefully. The belted lavatory seat is a legal seat, not a comfortable one, and nobody volunteers for it twice. For a Caribbean week, six passengers is the number that works with luggage aboard.
Connectivity and the working flight
Connectivity is frequently equipped with gogo avance l5. That is better odds than most of the class, but it is still a per-tail question rather than a type guarantee, and any charter advisor who tells you the aircraft "has Wi-Fi" without naming the system on that registration is guessing. If the flight is a working one, ask for the tail number and the equipment list before you accept the quote.
Catering is limited by the galley, which on a light jet means a refreshment centre rather than a kitchen. Hot food comes aboard from the FBO in insulated boxes and is served by the crew or by you. That is normal for the class and not a reason to move up a size.
Rates and the lines around the flight hour
The typical market range on this type is $4,000–$5,000 per flight hour, near the top of the $3,200–$4,800 band that covers the class. A quote is built from more than the hour, and the items below are where two quotes on the same aircraft diverge. Everything here is a typical market range for South Florida lift; actual quotes vary with date, aircraft and availability, and the charter cost guide sets out the same structure across every class.
| Line item | Typical treatment | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Flight hour | $4,000–$5,000 per flight hour | Operator, airframe age, and whether December-to-April peak demand is in play |
| Daily minimum | Commonly 1.5–2.0 hours per day | Hurts most on island trips with short legs and long ground time |
| Positioning | Charged when the tail is not already in South Florida | Zero on a based aircraft, several hours on a peak weekend |
| Federal excise tax | 7.5% on domestic charter plus per-segment fees | Statutory, applied to the transportation charge |
| Ramp fee and handling | Passed through at cost | Varies by FBO; Miami International is the highest in the region |
| International handling | Passed through on Bahamas and Caribbean legs | Customs, landing permits and agent fees at the island end |
| Overwater equipment | Normally included on an island-capable tail | Confirm rafts and vests are aboard, not in a hangar |
Miami legs the Phenom 300E flies well
The block times below are the published light jet figures for each pairing, gate to gate including taxi, and the bands are for the whole aircraft one way rather than per seat. Most departures leave from Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport (OPF), which has 8,002 ft of runway and customs on the field — the practical starting point for anything crossing water. The Miami to Nassau leg is the one people underestimate: at 160 nm the flying is barely longer than the drive to the airport.
| Route | Distance | Light jet block time | Typical one-way band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami to Nassau | 160 nm | 35m | $5,000–$7,000 one way |
| Miami to Key West | 115 nm | 30m | $5,000–$6,500 one way |
| Miami to Orlando | 160 nm | 35m | $5,000–$7,000 one way |
| Miami to Turks and Caicos | 505 nm | 1h 35m | $8,500–$12,000 one way |
| Miami to Atlanta | 520 nm | 1h 30m | $8,000–$11,500 one way |
| Miami to New York | 950 nm | 2h 35m | $11,500–$16,000 one way |
| Miami to Boston | 1,085 nm | 2h 55m | $12,500–$18,000 one way |
Against the Citation CJ3+ and the Citation XLS+
These are the two quotes that will land beside it. The Citation CJ3+ is slower by 48 kts and carries 11 cu ft less baggage, and it is cheaper by roughly $600–$700 an hour at the ends of the two ranges. On a 35m hop to Nassau you will not feel the speed difference, and the cheaper aircraft is the right answer. On a Providenciales week with six people and dive bags, it is not.
The Citation XLS+ goes the other way: taller cabin at 68 in, 90 cu ft of baggage, and a price band starting where this aircraft's ends. It is slower in cruise. The trade is space against speed, and the answer usually depends on whether your longest leg of the trip is two hours or four.
| Embraer Phenom 300E | Cessna Citation CJ3+ | Cessna Citation XLS+ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cruise speed | 464 kts | 416 kts | 441 kts |
| Range | 2,010 nm | 2,040 nm | 2,100 nm |
| Cabin height | 59 in | 57 in | 68 in |
| Cabin width | 65 in | 58 in | 66 in |
| Baggage | 76 cu ft | 65 cu ft | 90 cu ft |
| Lavatory | Enclosed, externally serviced | Enclosed | Enclosed, externally serviced |
| Typical market rate | $4,000–$5,000 per flight hour | $3,400–$4,300 per flight hour | $4,400–$5,600 per flight hour |
Where this aircraft stops making sense
The limits are worth naming, because planning around them costs nothing and discovering them at the FBO costs a day. When you have dates and a passenger count, request a quote and we will price the specific tails that are actually available to you.
- The West Coast. Miami to Los Angeles is 2,035 nm. The published options on that pairing start at super midsize for a reason; a light jet means a fuel stop and a long day.
- Eight passengers. The 8th seat is the belted lavatory seat. Six adults with luggage is the honest number for a multi-hour leg.
- Deep South America. Northern South America and the eastern Caribbean edge past 2,010 nm once you load people and bags; that is midsize territory.
- Pompano Beach Airpark. At 4,500 ft it is turboprops and very light jets; larger types are runway-limited. If you want to depart from north Broward, plan on Fort Lauderdale Executive instead.
- A guaranteed connected cabin. Ask per tail. Nothing about the type promises it.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to charter a Phenom 300 from Miami?
The typical market range is $4,000–$5,000 per flight hour, and a one-way Miami to Nassau leg lands around $5,000–$7,000 one way while Miami to New York sits near $11,500–$16,000 one way. Those are whole-aircraft ranges, not per-seat fares and not quotes. Positioning, ramp fees, international handling and the federal excise tax move the final number, and December through April runs at the top of the range.
How many passengers fit comfortably?
Six with luggage. The published figure is 8 passengers — 7 in the club-plus-side-facing layout, 8 with the belted lav seat — but the belted lavatory seat is a legal seat rather than a comfortable one. With 76 cu ft of baggage volume, six adults on a week-long Caribbean trip is a load the aircraft carries without argument. Seven or more is a reason to price a super light or midsize aircraft.
Can a Phenom 300E fly non-stop to the Caribbean from South Florida?
Most of the near Caribbean, yes. Providenciales is 505 nm at a published 1h 35m block time, and Nassau, the Exumas and the Bahamian out islands are all comfortably inside its 2,010 nm range. The eastern Caribbean and northern South America are where a full cabin and full bags start pushing you toward a midsize aircraft.
Does the aircraft have a real lavatory?
Yes, and it is enclosed, externally serviced. That means a door rather than a curtain, and servicing from outside the cabin rather than through it. On short island hops it is a formality; on a three-hour leg to the Northeast with a full cabin, it is the single biggest comfort difference between this aircraft and the very light jet class below it.
What does the operator need for an overwater flight?
Life rafts and life vests sized to everyone aboard, plus an eAPIS manifest filed with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in both directions and an arrival appointment at the U.S. port of entry. Passports are required for every passenger including children. Your operator arranges the filings and the island-end handling; confirm the equipment is aboard the specific tail rather than assumed.
Is the Phenom 300E worth the premium over a cheaper light jet?
On short island hops, usually not — the block times are within minutes of each other and the money is better spent elsewhere. On three-hour legs to the Northeast, on trips with six passengers and real luggage, and on any flight where the lavatory will be used, the speed, the 76 cu ft hold and the externally serviced lavatory earn the difference.
Related pages
- Light Jet CharterThe parent class: 6–7 passengers, 1,300–2,000 nm, $3,200–$4,800 per hour.
- Cessna Citation CJ3+ charterThe cheaper light jet, and the right answer on short Bahamas hops.
- Learjet 75 Liberty charterThe other fast light jet, certified to 51,000 ft.
- Cessna Citation XLS+ charterOne class up, with a taller cabin and far more baggage volume.
Further reading from the blog
Sources and further reading
- Embraer Phenom 300 product page — Manufacturer specification and cabin data for the current production aircraft
- Federal Aviation Administration — The regulator that issues the Part 135 certificates every charter flight operates under
- National Business Aviation Association — Industry body publishing operational and business aviation guidance
Get a quote for your flight
Send us the route, the date and the number of passengers. You will get real options with all-in pricing, the operator's certificate and safety rating, and the aircraft's actual tail number — not a stock photo and a starting-from price.