An hour-long hop that replaces a full day of airline travel for people who split their week between Hollywood and Silicon Valley: studio and media executives, venture investors, founders. Leaving from Van Nuys avoids the LAX terminals and traffic, and on the other end you can pick SFO, Oakland or San Jose depending on where the meeting is. A light jet is plenty for a small team, and same-day returns are the norm rather than the exception.
| Airport | IATA / ICAO | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Nuys | VNY / KVNY | departure · 516 km to SFO | One of the busiest general aviation airports in the country, in the San Fernando Valley; no scheduled airline traffic, suits Beverly Hills, Bel Air and the Valley. |
| Los Angeles International | LAX / KLAX | departure · 543 km to SFO | Alternative. |
| San Francisco International | SFO / KSFO | arrival | San Francisco's main airline airport on the Peninsula; suits the city and the northern Peninsula, with private terminals on the field. |
| Oakland San Francisco Bay | OAK / KOAK | arrival · 515 km from VNY | East Bay airport with a busy business-aviation side; suits Oakland, Berkeley and the East Bay, and is often quicker to use than SFO. |
| San Jose Mineta International | SJC / KSJC | arrival · 468 km from VNY | Airport close to downtown San Jose with a large business-aviation side; suits Silicon Valley, Palo Alto and the South Bay. |
Source: OurAirports, great-circle.
| Class | Example (published range) | Verdict for 516 km | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light jet | Phenom 300 (3,650 km) | Non-stop | 1 h 00 |
| Midsize jet | Citation XLS+ (3,889 km) | Non-stop | 1 h 00 |
| Ultra-long-range jet | Global 6000, Falcon 8X, Gulfstream G650 (11,112 km) | Non-stop | 55 min |
Rule: non-stop needs 15% range margin. Times are estimates.
6-8 passengers, 3,650 km of published range: 7.1 times this route.
See the aircraft ›9-12 passengers, 7,408 km of published range: 14.4 times this route.
See the aircraft ›13-19 passengers, 13,890 km of published range: 26.9 times this route.
See the aircraft ›From $9,500 one way, whole aircraft, on a very light jet. That is the lowest figure we found published by a charter broker for this route: a market reference, not our quote. Every quote we send is in US dollars, for the whole aircraft, and the price includes our service fee.
| When | What happens | Our advice |
|---|---|---|
| Weekdays | Morning departures north and evening returns south are the most requested times. | Book the return with the outbound so the crew can plan the day. |
| Summer mornings | Marine fog around the Bay can slow arrivals into SFO. | Oakland or San Jose are good alternatives. |
Your dates and group size for San Francisco.