I Flew On a (Semi) Private Jet. It Was...Disappointing.

hey guys so I just got off a semi-private flight and I've got some thoughts let me explain [Music] as I make my way to the airport this morning let me give you some background today I'll be flying JSX from Orange County to Oakland currently JSX mostly operates short haul routes on the u.s. west coast and their value prop is that they offer a private plane like experience at normal economy prices and you definitely start to feel that private jet experience before you even board the flight here at John Wayne Airport in Orange County JSX uses the ACI jet private terminal meaning you don't have to deal with normal check-in and security rather you just step up to this little desk they check you in they swab your bags for explosives and that's it now I don't know how this works from a regulatory perspective but I do know it makes check-in a breeze this is the quote unquote gate area which kind of feels like the lobby of an office building there was no views of the plane from here which I thought was kind of a bummer but the lounge did offer free coffee and the Starbucks logo was prominently featured on both of the cups and the coffee pot now I'm always skeptical of the quality of free coffee but I'm pleased to say that this tasted like a genuine Starbucks brew the lounge was also connected to two boardrooms in case you need a private space to get some work done before your flight after only about 15 minutes of waiting we got called to board our flight here you get more of that private jet light experience so you walk out of the building and your plane is sitting right there jet suite operates a fleet of Embraer [Music] now as you may imagine my excitement and anticipation were at an all-time high at this point but before showing you my plane I want to show you exactly how JSX advertises their cabin product there are a few things you'll notice about this ad JSX posted back in 2016 there are leather seats no overhead bins power outlet side every seat nice clean carpeting and wood accents everywhere now this is what I was expecting to see on my flight but let's roll the tape [Music] yeah I was getting serious regional jet vibes from this plane apparently JSX was growing so fast that they were acquiring older planes like these but hadn't yet had time to retrofit them all I just got unlucky what the plane I was on and of course I was disappointed but hey at least there was ample legroom 36 inches of pitch to be exact quick sidenote something that's always struck me about Embraer jets is just how big their windows are they've seem much bigger than those on the a320 just about five minutes after boarding the flight we were already pushing back JSX likes to call this their hop on approach essentially you can show up just 15 minutes before scheduled departure and you'll still comfortably make your flight now I showed up a bit earlier about 30 minutes before pushback but I'm confident that had I shown up with just 15 minutes to spare I would have had no trouble making it on board as we taxied out to the runway I could tell this was going to be a gorgeous morning to fly and flying out of John Wayne Airport is always a treat that's because of a unique takeoff procedure that's mandated by Orange County in order to limit the noise impact on the surrounding neighborhoods pilots will set the parking brake at the end of the runway and run the engines up once at full power the pilots release the parking brake of the plane lurches forward and the pilots climb out of the airport at a steeper angle of attack it's quite the wild ride in any plane but especially in a small light jet like this one the acceleration really feels like you're in a sports car now I'm gonna stop talking for a second and let you enjoy this awesome takeoff but just a heads up for those wearing headphones it was quite loud and the engines are pretty high-pitched so you've been warned [Music] [Music] after just a couple of minutes we were already over the Pacific making a turn north and my hunch was right it was a beautiful day to be up in the air now usually at this point in the flight I tried to connect to Wi-Fi and JSX advertises free Wi-Fi on all of their flights but because this plane wasn't yet refurbished there was no Wi-Fi to be had [Music] just a few moments later though I looked out my window to see Catalina Island passing below us and I realized that I didn't need Wi-Fi to stay entertained all I needed was some of that blue sky action a few minutes later the cabin service started and the flight attendant brought us breakfast and more good coffee this coffee was also genuine Starbucks and was easily the best coffee I've ever had on a flight after finishing my coffee I ventured to the lavatory to see what that was like this is how JSX advertises their lavatories marble sinks and all and this is what mine looked like something curious I noticed when I went to the bathroom was that in the back of the plane it appears that about two rows worth of seats were missing I'm not exactly sure why this is but I couldn't resist taking a seat and stretching out Plus from here I got an excellent view of the plane's rolls-royce AE 3007 engine but shortly thereafter I had to return to my seat as we began our descent into Auckland now as we descended I try to consolidate my thoughts on this interesting experience I paid $89 for the flight but I could have flown the same route on Southwest one of my favorite airlines for just $59 so what did I really get for those extra 30 bucks well I sure didn't get a luxurious private jet and frankly I'm disappointed with the quality of the plane I was on for a carrier who emphasizes comfort and targets business travelers JSX shouldn't be putting jets like these into service until they're fully refurbished that being said there are a few things that I loved about this flight the ease of check-in and lack of crowds was refreshing the ample legroom was awesome and the good coffee was a nice touch I'd say that despite the mediocre plane the flight was easily worth the extra $30 however when booking my flight I came across fares for other JSX flights that were north of $350 had I paid that much to fly on this old plane I never would have given JSX my business again so can I recommend JSX well that's a tough question if you can find a cheap fare sure the best case scenario is that you end up paying $89 for a full-on luxury flight but the worst case is you pay hundreds to fly on an old dingy plane now I don't know how many planes in JSX is fleet are in this condition that information isn't readily available but if anyone at JSX is watching this video shoot me an email and let me know and if the fleet's all been updated by now I'd be happy to give the carrier another shot anyway that's it for this flight review thank you so much for watching and if you want me to do or reviews like this in the future leave a like and also let me know your thoughts on whether or not you defy JSX in the comment section below subscribe for more great a V Asian content and until I see you again don't forget to look up you

Channel: Coby Explanes

Views: 183,385

Keywords: JSX, Private Jet, PJ, Gulfstream, G6, Semi Private Jet, Flight Review, JSX Review, JSX Flight Review, Embraer, E135, Regional Jet, First Class, Business Class, Flying Private, Jetsuite X, Jetsuite, Bougie, Expensive Flight, Cheap Flight, Aviation, Avgeek

Id: E2-1UkHd3ug

Length: 10min 45sec (645 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 13 2020