A large cabin business jet with oval windows parked on the ramp in clear weather, photographed from ahead of the wing

MMSD to KHOU 868 nm ENE 060 degrees true

Private JetCharter Cabo SanLucas to Houston

868 nautical miles direct. About 2h 32m nonstop in a very light jet. Operators bid on this leg without knowing who is flying it.

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Great circle

868nm

1,608 km, 999 statute miles

Initial track

060°T ENE

Departing MMSD toward KHOU

Nonstop block time

2h 32m

In a very light jet, the smallest reference class that flies it nonstop

Clock change

+2h

Summer offset. Winter runs +1h.

The leg

Cabo San Lucas to Houston

Cabo San Lucas to Houston is 868 nautical miles direct, tracking ENE out of MMSD. Plan on about 2h 32m block to block in a very light jet and adjust from there.

At this length the aircraft reaches a settled cruise and the class differences start to show up on the clock, though not dramatically. The bigger separation is cabin comfort and baggage volume. The clock change is 1 hour ahead in winter and 2 hours ahead in summer, because the two cities shift their daylight saving rules on different dates.

You do not need a large cabin for the distance. A Embraer Phenom 100EV in the very light jet class covers it nonstop with margin left over.

Book range figures assume long range cruise, standard reserves and a stated payload. Load the cabin, add bags, put the departure field at elevation on a hot afternoon, and the real number comes down. We treat anything above roughly 80 percent of book range as a leg that needs the operator to confirm against the specific tail number rather than the brochure.

Orthographic projection, great circle track Static plot

Aircraft

What flies this leg, and how fast

Block time and nonstop capability across the classes for 868 nautical miles. Times are planning estimates in still air.

Aircraft comparison for Cabo San Lucas to Houston
Aircraft	Class	Seats	Block time	Book range	This leg
Cessna Citation M2 Gen2	Very Light Jet	6	2h 32m	1,550 nm	Nonstop
Embraer Phenom 300E	Light Jet	8	2h 15m	2,010 nm	Nonstop
Cessna Citation XLS+	Midsize Jet	9	2h 21m	2,100 nm	Nonstop
Bombardier Challenger 350	Super Midsize Jet	9	2h 14m	3,200 nm	Nonstop
Gulfstream G450	Heavy Jet	13	2h 13m	4,350 nm	Nonstop
Gulfstream G650ER	Ultra Long Range Jet	14	2h 10m	7,500 nm	Nonstop

Airports

Which runway you actually use

Departing Cabo San Lucas. Most charter traffic uses Los Cabos International (MMSD / SJD). The credible alternates are Cabo San Lucas (CSL). Which one you leave from is worth deciding on ground time rather than on the map, because twenty minutes of extra driving often buys a cheaper ramp and a faster departure.

Arriving Houston. Most charter traffic uses William P Hobby (KHOU / HOU). The credible alternates are Sugar Land Regional (SGR), George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) and Ellington (EFD). Pick the one closest to where you are actually going. The airport with the famous name is frequently the wrong answer.

Ask the operator to confirm ramp availability and customs hours for your specific date. Parking at popular fields is the constraint people forget, and it is usually what pushes a departure by an hour.

Airport	ICAO	IATA	Metro	End	Role
Los Cabos International	MMSD	SJD	Cabo San Lucas	Departure	Preferred
Cabo San Lucas	MMSL	CSL	Cabo San Lucas	Departure	Alternate
William P Hobby	KHOU	HOU	Houston	Arrival	Preferred
Sugar Land Regional	KSGR	SGR	Houston	Arrival	Alternate
George Bush Intercontinental	KIAH	IAH	Houston	Arrival	Customs
Ellington	KEFD	EFD	Houston	Arrival	Alternate

Cost

What moves the number

The honest answer to what this costs is that it depends, so here is precisely what it depends on.

Positioning. Where the aircraft sits when you call. If it is already on your departure ramp you pay for your legs only. If it has to fly in empty and fly home afterwards, someone pays for that, and it is you.
Daily minimum. Most operators bill a minimum number of flight hours per day the aircraft is away. A short leg with a three night stay can price higher than a long leg that returns the same day.
Crew duty. A crew has a legal duty limit. Cross enough time zones or depart late enough and the trip needs a second crew or an overnight, and both cost money.
Ramp and handling. Landing fees, ramp fees, overnight parking and the FBO handling charge vary enormously between fields in the same metro.
Peak days. Operators apply surcharges around the predictable weekends. Thanksgiving Sunday, the Super Bowl, Art Basel, the Fourth of July and the ski season change of week all price differently.
International handling. Customs, immigration, overflight permits, landing permits and a local handling agent. On some routings the permits need days of lead time.

Our fee sits on top of the operator price as its own line, visible, so you can see both halves. Send the trip and the operators bid against each other on all of the above at once.

Timing

Season, weather and the clock

Demand on this pair follows the business calendar more than the weather. The tight weeks are the ones either side of major holidays, when the same aircraft are wanted in both directions at once.

A twin engine business jet parked nose out in a lit hangar at dusk with the air stair lowered and the taxiway beyond — SJD to HOU

Questions

SJD to HOU

A large business jet parked on the ramp seen through the floor to ceiling glass of a private terminal lounge — Representative cabin and ramp

How long is a private jet flight from Cabo San Lucas to Houston?

The great circle distance is 868 nautical miles, which is about 1,608 km. A very light jet covers it nonstop in roughly 2h 32m block to block. A heavy jet flies the distance in about 2h 13m, and a light jet in about 2h 15m if it can make it without stopping. These are planning estimates in still air and exclude winds and air traffic routing.

Can a light jet fly Cabo San Lucas to Houston nonstop?

Yes. A Embraer Phenom 300E covers this leg nonstop with comfortable margin, using about 44 percent of its published range. That is inside the band where a full cabin and average winds will not force a stop.

Which airport should I use in Houston?

William P Hobby (KHOU) handles most charter traffic. The alternates are Sugar Land Regional (SGR), George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) and Ellington (EFD). Choose on ground time to your final address rather than on the name you recognise.

Do I clear customs on a private flight from Cabo San Lucas to Houston?

Yes. Crossing a border on a private aircraft still means customs and immigration at both ends, but it happens at the private terminal rather than in a terminal queue, and it is usually a matter of minutes. The operator files the passenger manifest in advance, so passport details are needed before departure rather than at the airport. Some routings also need landing or overflight permits with days of lead time, which is worth raising early.

What does a private jet from Cabo San Lucas to Houston cost?

We do not publish a figure, because a fixed number for this route would be invented. The dominant variable is where the aircraft is parked when you call, not the aircraft type. Positioning legs, daily minimums, crew duty, ramp fees, peak day surcharges and taxes all move the total. Send the trip through the quote form and certificated operators bid against each other on it, sealed, without knowing who you are.

Are empty legs available on this route?

Sometimes. An empty leg exists when an operator has to reposition an aircraft along this track anyway, so the timing is theirs and not yours. They appear and vanish with little notice and get cancelled when the paying trip behind them changes. Flag empty legs on the quote form and we will include any that fit your window, but do not build a fixed commitment around one.

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