The World's Best Private Jet Terminals

Ask a seasoned private flyer what they are really paying for, and the answer is rarely the aircraft. It is the ground. The private terminal, known in the industry as a fixed base operator, is the counterpart to the airline concourse, and it is where private aviation delivers its greatest luxury, the near total absence of waiting. A handful of terminals and airports around the world have turned that idea into an art.

Farnborough, London

Just southwest of London sits Farnborough, which describes itself as the largest and most pre-eminent business aviation airport in the United Kingdom. It is a dedicated private airport rather than a corner of a commercial one, with its own terminal, an on site Aviator Hotel, and a standard of discreet, bespoke service built entirely around private travelers. The airport advertises a journey from arrival to wheels up in roughly half an hour, a promise no commercial hub could make.

Van Nuys, Los Angeles

On the other side of the world, Van Nuys is among the busiest business aviation airports anywhere, the private gateway to Los Angeles and the entertainment industry that surrounds it. Its field is lined with fixed base operators competing to offer the quickest, quietest passage from a car to a cabin, and for many travelers it is the true front door to Southern California.

Teterboro and Le Bourget

Two more airports define private travel on either side of the Atlantic. Teterboro, in New Jersey, is the closest business aviation airport to Manhattan and the default choice for private flyers heading to New York, close enough to reach the city in minutes. Le Bourget, just north of Paris, is Europe's principal business aviation airport and the historic home of French aviation, now given over almost entirely to private flights.

A Network That Follows You

Not every great private terminal is tied to a single city. Signature, the world's largest network of fixed base operators, runs private terminals at airports across the globe, which means a traveler can find the same standard of handling, lounges, and service in one city after another. For frequent flyers, that consistency is its own kind of luxury, a familiar private terminal waiting wherever the aircraft lands.

What Makes a Great Terminal

The finest private terminals share a common quality. They compress the distance, in time and in stress, between arriving and departing. A short drive to the door, a warm and private lounge, security handled quietly, luggage carried for you, and a walk of a few steps to the aircraft. The best of them turn what is, at a commercial airport, the most tedious part of any journey into the calmest. In private aviation, that is the whole point.