In all the years we have been arranging private charter flights, we look back fondly on the trips we have been lucky enough to arrange and ask ourselves what has been a commonality? Which aircraft has been the mainstay option provided over the years which has given the best overall provision of comfort, capability, and economy. In a simple conclusion we would say simply the Citation XLS, and here’s why.
If we take the traditional private jet charter request, in terms of flight time and passenger number, we would say that the majority of flights are below 3 hours, within Europe, and with less than 8 passengers the Citation XLS is the well-rounded aircraft that meets all of these requirements.
Here are some other specific benefits.
1. Cabin comfort – for a Super Light aircraft it competes with many Midsized jets, in fact, other private jet companies may even consider the XLS to be a Midsized jet for this reason. The XLS can seat up to 8 passengers and with a near-standing cabin, taller than its closest rival the Phenom 300, enabling you to freely move around the cabin to access the refreshment centre and rear lavatory.
2. The aircraft importantly weighs below the statutory requirement for the screening of passengers for commercial private jet charter flights, so unless specifically requested at the airport, you can drive straight to the aircraft door, board, and fly - something not permissible on the Citation Latitude and can be a big bugbear for the seasoned traveler.
3. Luggage allowance? If we compare similar models (the Learjet 60 and the Hawker 800/900) the baggage consideration always seemed to be an afterthought. The Phenom 300 is perhaps better in this respect but nonetheless, it is seldom that we hear the Citation XLS can’t take the expected luggage on the day.
4. Charter Cost Economy – given the choice of operators that have the Citation XLS series, there are opportunities for linking Empty Legs and early bird opportunities. Given its popularity, it's not particularly uncommon to upgrade clients from other smaller common Light Jets options to the Citation XLS.
So given the popularity and benefits of the Citation XLS what, perhaps being super critical, if any, are the commercial weaknesses of this famed private jet?
Being compared to other Midsized jets, the lack of a cabin attendant (generally speaking). Some operators can supply a flight attendant on board but with 8 passengers this can be a little cramped and for the most part, this is the common procedure. Instead, the aircraft was conceived from its design to be a more ‘self-serve’ approach, so if you don’t mind serving yourself and your guests this wouldn’t be an issue anyway.
The other small point to raise would be that the bigger Cessna Citation Series models, such as the Citation Sovereign and Latitude, have that little bit better braking performance, making airports such as Oxford Kidlington more accessible for commercial charter flights when landing in adverse wet weather conditions.
All in all though, the Citation XLS is a great Super Light aircraft and with the launch of the Citation Ascend in the coming years, we wait to see if this aircraft can hold up to the successes the Citation XLS has retained in the charter market for decades.
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