A white and blue business jet climbing away with the landing gear still extended against a clear blue sky

KMDW to KASE 884 nm W 266 degrees true

Private Jet CharterChicago to Aspen

884 nautical miles direct. About 2h 35m nonstop in a very light jet. Operators bid on this leg without knowing who is flying it.

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Great circle

884nm

1,638 km, 1,018 statute miles

Initial track

266°T W

Departing KMDW toward KASE

Nonstop block time

2h 35m

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

Clock change

-1h

Aspen against Chicago, year round

The leg

Chicago to Aspen

Measured airport to airport, MDW to ASE is 884 nautical miles. A very light jet does it nonstop in something close to 2h 35m once taxi, climb and descent are counted.

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. Aspen runs 1 hour behind of Chicago year round, which is worth building into the schedule at both ends.

The smallest aircraft that clears this leg nonstop with real margin is the Embraer Phenom 100EV, a very light jet.

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 884 nautical miles. Times are planning estimates in still air.

Aircraft comparison for Chicago to Aspen
Aircraft	Class	Seats	Block time	Book range	This leg
Cessna Citation M2 Gen2	Very Light Jet	6	2h 35m	1,550 nm	Nonstop
Embraer Phenom 300E	Light Jet	8	2h 18m	2,010 nm	Nonstop
Cessna Citation XLS+	Midsize Jet	9	2h 24m	2,100 nm	Nonstop
Bombardier Challenger 350	Super Midsize Jet	9	2h 16m	3,200 nm	Nonstop
Gulfstream G450	Heavy Jet	13	2h 15m	4,350 nm	Nonstop
Gulfstream G650ER	Ultra Long Range Jet	14	2h 12m	7,500 nm	Nonstop

Airports

Which runway you actually use

Departing Chicago. Most charter traffic uses Chicago Midway (KMDW / MDW). The credible alternates are Chicago Executive (PWK), DuPage (DPA) and O Hare International (ORD). 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 Aspen. Most charter traffic uses Aspen Pitkin County (KASE / ASE). The credible alternates are Eagle County (EGE) and Garfield County (RIL). Pick the one closest to where you are actually going. The airport with the famous name is frequently the wrong answer.

Aspen restricts aircraft wingspan to 95 ft and sits at roughly 7,820 ft elevation in mountainous terrain. Operators require specific crew qualification, and weather can close the field with little notice.

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
Chicago Midway	KMDW	MDW	Chicago	Departure	Preferred
Chicago Executive	KPWK	PWK	Chicago	Departure	Alternate
DuPage	KDPA	DPA	Chicago	Departure	Alternate
O Hare International	KORD	ORD	Chicago	Departure	Customs
Aspen Pitkin County	KASE	ASE	Aspen	Arrival	Preferred
Eagle County	KEGE	EGE	Aspen	Arrival	Alternate
Garfield County	KRIL	RIL	Aspen	Arrival	Alternate

Cost

What moves the number

Any site quoting you a fixed price for this leg is guessing. These are the components that decide it.

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.
De-icing. Winter departures from northern fields add de-icing, which is charged by volume of fluid and can be a serious number on a large aircraft.
Federal excise tax. Domestic United States charter carries a federal excise tax plus segment fees. It is a real line and it belongs in any quote you are comparing.

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

Mountain fields are the ones that reward planning. High elevation cuts engine performance, summer heat cuts it further, and the combination reduces how much weight the aircraft can lift. Winter brings snow closures and de-icing. Both seasons can change which aircraft the operator will put on the trip.

A business jet photographed head on in level flight above a layer of cumulus cloud — MDW to ASE

Questions

MDW to ASE

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 Chicago to Aspen?

The great circle distance is 884 nautical miles, which is about 1,638 km. A very light jet covers it nonstop in roughly 2h 35m block to block. A heavy jet flies the distance in about 2h 15m, and a light jet in about 2h 18m 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 Chicago to Aspen nonstop?

Yes. A Embraer Phenom 300E covers this leg nonstop with comfortable margin, using about 45 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 Aspen?

Aspen Pitkin County (KASE) handles most charter traffic. The alternates are Eagle County (EGE) and Garfield County (RIL). Choose on ground time to your final address rather than on the name you recognise. Aspen restricts aircraft wingspan to 95 ft and sits at roughly 7,820 ft elevation in mountainous terrain.

What does a private jet from Chicago to Aspen 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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