As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found that flying has become more of a hassle. Going on vacation is supposed to be a relaxing and enjoyable experience, but I always dread the travel portion of any trip I go on (especially when I’m not flying business class) because it tends to involve waiting in long lines at the airport to check my bags and go through security, sitting in uncomfortable seats that are way too small and packed together like a can of sardines, and other unforeseen circumstances that can cause additional delays such as finding parking.

A few years ago when my husband and I attended his friend’s wedding in Missouri, we had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ride on a private jet. From the captain greeting us at the entrance of the jet to the luxurious seats and electric window shades to the flight attendant serving us freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, it was an incredible experience that I will remember forever—and it has also permanently ruined commercial flying for me (first world problems, I know!)

I had heard about JSX (formerly JetSuiteX) a few years ago from a colleague who had flown on it to Las Vegas, then in the past year I’d seen a few of my fellow editors documenting their experiences on Instagram flying with JSX—and I became intrigued.

If you’re not familiar with JSX, it’s an award-winning, hop-on charter jet service that is designed to make flying simple and more affordable. Its current coast-to-coast network serves 43 routes across 22 key North American markets, and it recently added Cabo San Lucas to its growing list of destinations (which includes various nonstop, seasonal winter and summer flights to Dallas, Denver, Miami, Nashville, and more). View the complete list of routes here.

For Memorial Day weekend, my husband and I were headed to Arizona for a spa getaway at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain, A Gurney’s Resort & Spa, and since JSX flies to Phoenix, we decided to book our tickets and give the public charter jet service a try. After booking via the website, we downloaded the JSX app so that we could check in and monitor our flights.

Our base fare for two roundtrip seats between Los Angeles and Phoenix cost $1,094.70. After factoring in tax ($101.30) and seat selection ($15 to $30 per person each trip), we spent $1,286 in total, which didn’t cost that much more than flying economy on a commercial airline (and way less than flying business class!)

Flights can cost anywhere from $249 to more than $700 one-way, but it all depends on where you’re flying to and when. JSX also offers two different fare options—Hop On (which we opted for) is cheaper, refundable as future flight credit, includes two checked bags up to 50 pounds each along with a small carry-on, and charges additional fees for seat selection as well as changing or cancelling your flight; whereas All In (which costs several hundred more) offers more flexibility, is refundable to the original form of payment, offers three free checked bags and complimentary advance seat selection, and doesn’t charge a change or cancellation fee.

JSX has terminals in Los Angeles and Burbank, but flights to Phoenix aren’t available from the LA location so we opted to fly out of Burbank, which is conveniently located closer to where we live so that ended up working out in our favor.

We booked our flights over a month in advance, and four days after booking I received an email and text notification that the departure time of our flights to and from LA had changed. Our flight to Phoenix changed from 3:30 to 2:25 p.m., and our flight back home changed from 1:30 to 12:25 p.m. I’m not sure if this is something that happens often with JSX, but fortunately the slight change didn't impact our trip in any way, and at least we were leaving and arriving earlier and not later.

We checked into our flight via the app the day before, and all we had to do was answer one question about whether we were traveling with any types of items that are forbidden on flights—and that was it! On the day of our flight, we didn’t have to show up until 20 minutes before boarding time, which was at 2:10 p.m. Because it was our first time flying JSX, we decided to get there 40 minutes early so we’d have time to look around.

My husband and I enjoyed a relaxing morning on the day of our flight. I ran some errands and we grabbed brunch, which is normally not something we would do on the morning of a flight. We didn’t have to worry about giving ourselves extra time to drive around the self-parking lots at the airport to find a space, or standing in long lines to check our bags and going through security in order to make it to our departure gate on time.

The JSX hangar in Burbank is located off to one side of the airport and there are signs along the way so that you know you’re headed in the right direction. At the entrance there is a valet station where you simply pull up in your car, leave the keys, and they’ll handle the rest. At Burbank JSX they charged $45 per day to keep our car and in Phoenix they charge $35 per day, so the cost differs slightly by location.

For comparison, the Burbank airport charges $32 per day for valet, while LAX terminal parking is $60 per day. So you’re not paying that much more to valet, and it’s a lot easier and a more enjoyable experience than having to drive around in the airport self-parking lot (especially at LAX) just to try to find a spot. Definitely worth it!

After valeting our car, we checked our bags at the inside counter and were handed our printed boarding passes. JSX uses TSA Secure Flight, which is the same TSA-provided background check process used by other major airlines, and they run the check 24 hours in advance of each customer’s flight.

All of their stations feature an enhanced security protocol called powered by Evolv, a state-of-the-art detection device that maintains a seamless security experience, as well as as non-invasive Explosive Trace Detection technology that they use to screen all passengers and bags so you can travel with confidence.

While waiting for our flight we walked around to explore the various amenities which included restrooms, two air-conditioned indoor lounges with TVs, coffee and water; and an open-air lounge that offered direct views of the runway so we could watch planes taking off and landing.

One interesting thing I learned is that the JSX hangar at Burbank is where historic female aviator Amelia Earhart used to keep her plane. Now that’s a cool piece of history!

Numerous passengers had their furry companions with them as they waited for their flights, which was a pleasant sight to see. For those looking to bring their four-legged friends with them on their travels, JSX is also pet-friendly and doesn’t charge extra fees for pets that fit in under-seat pet carriers. If you have a bigger dog, you can buy a second seat for them (no pets in cargo here!)

JSX is also one of the only air carriers that still happily transports emotional support animals, and they welcome all pets onboard with a unique JSX ‘Pets on Jets’ bandana. The “J” in JSX stands for joyful, and they believe that welcoming our furry family members on board is one great way that the company can spread joy one flight at a time.

I also noticed a few JSX planes on the runway that had the Vanderpump Dogs logo across them with paw prints, and I found out that the “Real Housewives” star had previously partnered with JSX as part of a philanthropic effort to raise money for her nonprofit rescue organization (donating $1 to her organization from every ticket booked).

When it was time for our flight to board, we all lined up (in no particular order) and as soon as our boarding passes were scanned, we walked to our jet where the flight attendant welcomed us aboard. The interior was clean and simple with 10 rows of three seats each (arranged in pairs and singles) for a total of 30 seats.

JSX also has several planes that are configured with 10 rows of single seats separated by a table and drink-stand which look even more luxurious, but those are currently only available on select flights. One thing I did notice is that when we checked in on both of our flights via the app, when I first viewed the seating arrangement it showed up as 1-1, but then changed later on to the 2-1 configuration. It got my hopes up slightly, but fingers crossed that on a future JSX flight I’ll get to try out the other seating configuration.

Because there were only 30 people on our flight, it took less than 15 minutes for everyone to board the plane and get settled in their seats. And unlike commercial planes, we didn’t have to wait on the runway for a long period of time until takeoff. We waited just a few minutes and then we were up in the sky!

Our plane had one flight attendant and a few minutes after we had taken off she came down the aisle to take our drink orders. JSX offers complimentary snacks and beverages, including beer, wine and spirits. I opted for water during my flight, but the menu includes cocktails, coffee, juice and soda, and much more. Because the flights are so short they don’t offer full meals, but I happily snacked on some gummy bears and sweet potato tortilla chips that were among the various treats available.

In addition to having more legroom, every row had a power outlet so I was able to charge my phone during the flight. While there are no TVs or in-flight entertainment, JSX offers free onboard Starlink WiFi, which provided a strong internet connection the entire time. My husband watched a soccer game on his iPad while I checked and responded to emails, browsed the web, and exchanged messages with friends on Instagram.

Our flight was a little over an hour and went by fairly quickly (I’ve spent more time sitting in traffic in LA just to get across town!) When we landed at Swift Aviation private terminal in Phoenix, I noticed that I didn’t suffer from any ear pain or pressure, which I always experience on commercial airplanes.

The only other time I’ve flown without any ear pain was the the time we flew private, which led me to discover that smaller planes are able to ascend and reach their cruising speed much faster than larger commercial airplanes, which take longer to make their ascent and descent—thereby contributing to increased stress on one’s eardrums when the air pressure in one’s middle ear and the environment are imbalanced. Yet another good reason to fly on a jet!

Less than five minutes after landing we all deboarded the plane. A few minutes later, they wheeled our baggage over to the waiting area and everyone grabbed their suitcases and went on their way! There was a designated pick-up area for Uber and Lyft, as well as a valet station where some people had their cars waiting.

Our Uber driver picked us up within a few minutes and we were headed to our resort. Altogether, we’d spent less than three hours traveling (which included getting to and from the airports, as well as our flight time) and we felt refreshed and ready for a relaxing Memorial Day weekend!

On the day of our return flight home, my husband and I were able to enjoy a nice relaxing morning at our resort without the stress of having to leave early for the airport. Our flight was at 12:25 p.m. so we had our Uber driver pick us up around 11:20 a.m. (our resort was a 30-minute drive from the aviation terminal).

We were the first ones to arrive so we checked our bags and got our printed boarding passes, then we proceeded to relax in the spacious and air-conditioned indoor lounge until our flight was ready. There was ample seating, outlets and tables, along with a beverage station that had water and coffee.

I was also impressed with the women’s restroom, which featured beautiful design details and had multiple stalls (the Burbank JSX only had one stall in the women’s restroom). I also was a fan of the cactus wallpaper in the hallway, which added a nice touch of Southwestern decor along with a decorative cow skull in the lounge.

Around 25 minutes before our flight, people began to arrive—but the lounge never got crowded or busy. When it was time to board, we were all on the plane within a few minutes and actually ended up leaving slightly early, which was nice.

The interior of the plane was exactly the same as our previous flight, and all of the amenities and snacks were the same as well. There appeared to be a bachelor party or some loud group of guys in their twenties who were returning from a weekend of partying, and because the plane was much smaller than a commercial flight, everyone was closer together so at times it felt a bit disruptive.

The flight attendant did talk to them at one point during the flight and they quieted down after that, and fortunately Apple AirPods do a great job at blocking out noise and distractions! Since our flight was so short and we deplaned quickly (which would have taken twice as long when flying commercial), it didn’t bother us that much. We were just happy to be home so quickly, which is the reason why we wanted to fly JSX in the first place.

Prior to getting off our plane, my husband received a link via text message from the valet to check out and pay. When we made our way out to the curb, our car was already waiting for us with the keys in the ignition and just like that, we were headed home!

All in all, we were very happy that we gave JSX a try and would absolutely fly them again in the future. At present with their current routes, they’re a great option for domestic travel across the U.S. (but they do have one international route from LA to Cabo San Lucas). They are also continuing to add new routes (I’m crossing my fingers for Hawaii and Atlanta!)

Whether you’re traveling for work or pleasure, JSX does a great job at cutting down travel time while removing some of the common hassles of flying like crowded terminals and long lines. I love that I get to experience some of the benefits of flying private without the hefty price tag. You just might find after you fly JSX that flying commercial will never be the same again.

For more information about JSX and to book a flight, visit their website. Follow on Instagram: @flyjsx

[Photos by Kamala Kirk]

Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk