Seen At 11: Thought You Couldn't Afford To Fly Privately? Think Again

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – For anyone who has ever dreamed of jetting off on a private plane, you may want to start packing.

Reserving your seat is almost as easy as calling a car service. As for the air fares, they make it even more tempting to rent a jet.

As CBS2's Maurice DuBois reported, flying on a private jet is no longer only for the rich and famous.

"We have flights going from LA to Vegas for less than $1,000," CEO and founder of JetSmarter Sergey Petrossov said.

That's $1,000 for eight people in a luxury jet, sitting in spacious leather seats with lots of leg room at a cost of $125 each.

"It's a totally different experience," Petrossov said.

But Petrossov explains you have to be willing to fly at a moment's notice to get the deal.

"Consumers can book it if they're willing to adjust their schedules to last-minute demand," he said.

For example, jets will fly customers paying full fares from Miami to New York. Next, that jet will have full fare customers waiting in Aspen and that plane may have to fly empty from New York to get them.

"Thirty percent of all jet flights are flying empty," Petrossov said.

They will sell these so-called "empty legs" for just the cost of fuel, so booking that empty plane can cost a few hundred dollars, instead of thousands. But you have to be read to go when the opportunity is there.

"It's like turning up to the airport and saying 'I don't care where I fly, put me on this plan.' It's really, really last-minute," Mark Ellwood said, contributing editor at Conde Nast Traveler.

"I did want to fly privately but I thought it was something I couldn't afford," customer Mike Lewis said.

Lew used a different service called JetSuite and got a bargain on an empty plane for the weekend getaway with friends and family to Tuscon.

"The cool factor is definitely there," he said.

As long as you're willing to travel where they are going, you're likely to get a deal.

But consider this: to charter a jet from New York to Miami at full fare can cost $11,500, but that next leg of the trip may create an inexpensive opportunity for someone looking for an adventure.

"The more flying that we're doing, the more opportunities anyone can have private flying,"

If you do get a bargain booking to fly one of the empty legs, you still need to find a way to get back to your original destination.