Embraer Phenom 100

The Embraer Phenom 100 is the smallest jet in the Phenom family and belongs to the very light jet class. Its cabin is 3.35 m long, 1.50 m high and 1.55 m wide, and Embraer describes the cross-section as the tallest and widest in the class. The standard layout has four club seats, with a toilet behind a door at the rear.

From European hubs the type makes most sense for two, three or four people on legs of one to two and a half hours:

• a day of meetings, for example Paris - Geneva (1:08 h) or London Farnborough - Geneva (1:40 h)
• ski weekends to Samedan, Sion or Chambéry
• Riviera and island hops such as Nice - Calvi (0:47 h) or Madrid - Ibiza (1:12 h)

Four club seats and an enclosed toilet

In the Phenom 100 the four seats face each other in pairs on both sides of a narrow aisle. The oval cross-section leaves more room for shoulders and head next to the window than a square cabin would. The seats do not recline into beds, which few people miss on legs of up to two and a half hours. The interior was designed with BMW Group DesignworksUSA.

Three main versions fly under the same name, with practically the same cabin. In charter you get the one the operator has:

• Early aircraft have less powerful engines and cruise at about 720 km/h
• The 100EV has stronger Pratt & Whitney Canada PW617F1-E engines, up to 752 km/h and the Prodigy Touch flight deck based on the Garmin G3000
• The 100EX, the version in production, adds a refreshed cabin, a wider aisle with the armrests folded and a system that warns the pilots of a runway overrun

With 1.50 m to the ceiling of the Phenom 100 everyone sits comfortably, but an adult has to stoop on the way to the toilet. Compared with the Citation M2 the ceiling is 5 cm higher and the cabin 8 cm wider.

Baggage, skis and golf bags

With the cabin lockers Embraer gives the Phenom 100 1.80 m³ in total. Brokers count it as about five medium suitcases, more than most aircraft of this class carry.

• Four people: one suitcase and one small bag each
• Two or three people: large suitcases with room to spare
• Skis and golf bags: give the number and length, because the shape of the hold decides what fits
• London - Ibiza or Amsterdam - Palma with four on board: the operator asks for the baggage weight

The hold cannot be reached in flight, so passports, medicines and chargers stay in the cabin.

Embraer Phenom 100 speed, range and runways

The range applies at economy cruise with NBAA IFR reserves, including fuel for an alternate airport 185 km away. The Phenom 100 is certified for one pilot, but the operator decides how many fly, and with two pilots the figure covers only two passengers.

At its maximum take-off weight of 4,750 kg the Phenom 100 needs 972 m to take off and 741 m to land. That opens smaller airports:

The 537 m sloped altiport at Courchevel is too short; for the French ski resorts the jet lands in Chambéry or Geneva.

What changes for a light aircraft in Europe

Phenom 100 flights from European hubs

The table shows thirty one-way flights from all thirteen hubs, from Nice - Calvi (0:47 h) to Paris - Lisbon (2:45 h), all non-stop. Most take one to two hours, where the Phenom 100 gives the most for the money.

Prices are for the whole aircraft one way with crew, without airport fees and passenger taxes. Flight time is the great-circle distance plus taxi, climb and approach, at the type's planning speed.

One-hour hops between cities, the Alps and the islands

Two hours and more: the Balearics, the Aegean and Lisbon

Choose the route and number of passengers, and the calculator shows an indicative price for the Phenom 100 or another very light jet.

Phenom 100 charter price

The rate starts at EUR 2,600 per flight hour for the whole aircraft. A one-hour leg costs more than the rate suggests: Paris - Geneva takes 1:08 h and costs from EUR 8,500, because positioning, the operator's minimum charge and airport handling weigh the same on a short flight as on a long one. On London - Nice (2:06 h, from EUR 11,000) or Amsterdam - Palma (2:42 h, from EUR 12,500) these fixed costs matter much less.

The number of passengers does not change the price, so two people pay the same as four.

London Farnborough - Geneva for the whole aircraft, split between the passengers, before taxes and airport fees:

How to pay less

• Return the same day: no crew hotel, and on hops like Paris - Geneva the crew can wait at the airport
• Keep the departure time flexible, so that an aircraft finishing a trip nearby can take the flight
• Ask for the Citation M2 and the HondaJet as well: they have the same hourly rate and widen the choice
• On short hops an aircraft of the first series is sometimes offered at a lower price

Splitting a flight with other passengers is rare in this class and hard to plan; an Empty Leg is the more realistic saving.

Empty Legs with very light jets

Empty Legs on the Phenom 100 appear less often than on the larger Phenom 300, because fewer are based in Europe. They show up mainly on short legs between Switzerland, northern Italy, the Riviera and Sardinia, often in summer, and can be 40-65 % below a normal charter.

Similar very light jets

Clients who consider the Phenom 100 usually compare it with the Citation M2 and the HondaJet of the same class, the older Citation Mustang and the larger Phenom 300.

How to book

Write in the request:

• departure, destination, date and preferred time, and if you return the same day
• number of passengers and suitcases; skis, golf bags and a dog with size and weight
• airports with special rules such as Samedan or Lugano, so that we ask only approved operators

We check free Phenom 100 aircraft with operators holding an AOC and send a quote with the version, year of build and price including positioning. Within Schengen there is no passport control, but the operator still needs each passenger's passport or ID; EU citizens flying to the UK need an ETA.

Embraer Phenom 100: questions and answers

• • How much does a Phenom 100 flight cost?

  • From EUR 2,600 per flight hour. In the table London Farnborough - Jersey costs from EUR 8,000, London - Geneva from EUR 10,000 and Paris - Palma from EUR 11,000 for the whole aircraft one way. Airport fees and passenger taxes are added.

• • What does the price include, and what is extra?

  • Included are the aircraft, crew and fuel. Airport and handling fees, passenger taxes, catering, winter de-icing and, for a return days later, crew hotel or empty legs are added in the quote.

• • Why is a short flight relatively expensive?

  • Positioning, minimum charge and airport fees are the same for a 50-minute hop as for a two-hour leg. London - Jersey (0:53 h) costs from EUR 8,000, while London - Nice, more than twice as long, is from EUR 11,000.

• • How can I save on a Phenom 100?

  • Fly out and back on the same day, keep the departure time flexible and ask us to check the Citation M2 and HondaJet at the same time. Empty Legs give the largest saving when the dates are flexible.

• • Are there Empty Legs on the Phenom 100?

  • Sometimes, mainly on short legs around the Alps, the Riviera and Sardinia. They can be 40-65 % cheaper, but the date and route are fixed. Send your route and a date window to empty-legs@jets.flights.

• • How many people fit?

  • Four sit comfortably in the club seats. The fifth place is the side seat if the aircraft has one, the sixth is the belted toilet. Embraer allows seven passengers only with a single pilot. For five or six people a light jet with more seats is more comfortable.

• • Is there a toilet on board?

  • Yes, at the rear in its own compartment with a door. There is a WC only, no washbasin. When all places are taken, one person sits on the belted toilet for take-off and landing.

• • How far can the Phenom 100 fly without a stop?

  • Embraer quotes 2,182 km with four on board including the pilot. In practice that covers legs such as London - Nice or Amsterdam - Palma; Malaga, the Canary Islands or Marrakesh from northern Europe normally need a fuel stop.

• • Can we bring skis, golf bags or a dog?

  • Usually yes, in limited numbers: the rear hold is 1.50 m³ and its length decides what fits, so give the number and length of the bags. A dog flies in the cabin once the operator has agreed.

• • Can the jet land at Samedan or Courchevel?

  • Samedan yes, if the crew has the mandatory training for the airport, and instrument approaches are possible only in daylight. Courchevel no, the runway is 537 m. For the French ski areas the jet lands at Chambéry or Geneva.