JSX ERJ145 Flight Review: A By-the-Seat Charter Jet Experience [DAL to SNA via SCF]

The author flew as an invited guest of JSX. All opinions are the author’s own, and neither the flight crew nor JSX management had input in any part of this review.

Airline: JSX (XE)
Aircraft: Embraer Regional Jet ERJ145
Flight #: XE750
Route: Dallas Love Field (DAL) to John Wayne Airport (SNA)
Date: May 5, 2025
Duration: 4 hours, 35 minutes
Cabin and Layout: Single cabin, 1-1 seating arrangement
Seat: 7C
Cost: $999 per person

I like flying, but I hate some downsides, like long waits at security, noisy terminals, and needing to arrive multiple hours before departure.

If I could always fly without those aspects, the experience would be better. That’s the idea behind JSX, a by-the-seat charter operator that flies semi-private flights to a growing number of destinations.

This was my second flight with JSX, and the experience on a newer aircraft with a more spacious layout was elevated compared to my previous flight. We also didn’t have crazy winds like my last flight, so that’s a win.

Here’s a look at my recent flight from Texas to California with JSX, including some of its new offerings and a connection in Arizona to drop off and pick up passengers.

Booking a JSX Flight

You won’t find JSX flights on portals like AmexTravel.com. Instead, you must book directly at jsx.com or play with dates on Google Flights before heading to jsx.com.

If you want to use miles for a JSX flight, you could pay with a miles-earning Capital One card, such as the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, and then cover the eligible travel purchase using miles at a 1-cent-per-mile rate, as long as you make the redemption within 90 days of your purchase. Alternatively, the new Club JSX rewards program allows you to earn future flight credit, which you can then redeem toward a reservation.

Flying from Dallas Love Field (DAL) to John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Southern California, JSX connects through Scottsdale (SCF), Arizona, or Las Vegas (LAS). Neither required a plane change, just a stop to drop off and pick up passengers.

JSX has 2 fare types: Hop On and All In. The more expensive All In fare offers an extra checked bag, flight changes at no cost, refunds, and complimentary seat selection.

The flight going through Scottsdale departed earlier and had a shorter connection time, though it cost $70 more when purchasing the cheaper Hop On fare. The more expensive fare type, All In, cost the same on both options.

JSX’s website shows all-in pricing, including taxes, when displaying flight details and prices. That means there aren’t any surprises on the payment page.

With the Hop On fare, it’s still possible to choose a seat, though there’s a fee. Some seats cost more than others, ranging from $25 to $55.

Hot Tip:

When paying for JSX flights, use a card that earns bonus rewards on airfare purchases. For example, The Platinum Card^® from American Express earns 5 points per $1 spent on airfare purchased directly with an airline or from AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 of these purchases annually, then 1 point per $1 spent).

How Do the Prices Compare to Other Carriers?

Economy flights with mainline carriers (so not low-cost airlines like Spirit) are available from $175 per person, but factoring in the difference with lounges before departure and JSX’s extra baggage allowance may increase the price when booking with United or Delta.

For business class (or domestic first class) on American, Delta, and United, prices start around $500 per person for a 1-stop connection between Dallas and Orange County. This will offer checked luggage benefits and better seats, and you may get a meal on your flight, depending on the distance of each flight segment. JSX doesn’t offer meals, which could be a differentiator.

Is the Higher Cost of JSX Worth It?

That depends on your checked luggage needs, how much you want to avoid the crowds, and what elements of the trip you find important — plus how much you’re willing to pay for them. Personally, I don’t think paying nearly double the price for JSX is worth it compared to traditional domestic first class.

At DAL

Checking In

As a public charter carrier, JSX doesn’t operate from the regular terminal where you find major airlines. At Dallas Love Field, JSX’s facility is at 7201 Lemmon Avenue — on the opposite side of the runway from the main terminal and next to the Frontiers of Flight Museum.

The main entrance to the building was nondescript, save for a small sign indicating the check-in area was beyond these glass doors.

As I approached the check-in desk, a friendly woman smiled and asked for my ID. Within seconds, I had checked in my roller bag and received a boarding pass. JSX planes don’t have overhead bins inside, so anything bigger than a backpack needs to be checked in. All fares include complimentary checked luggage.

Hot Tip:

Because JSX uses a separate terminal, lounge, and security checkpoint, guests don’t need to arrive at the airport 2 hours before departure like a regular flight. JSX recommends arriving 20 to 30 minutes before departure.

JSX Lounge

From here, I poked around the lounge, which was spacious and bright. I found coffee machines in the corner near the restrooms, a cooler with canned drinks, and a rack with several snacks. Options included cookies and chips.

Nearby was a Farmer’s Fridge vending machine selling healthy snacks such as protein bowls and salads.

The lounge had departure boards near the main seating area and by the restrooms, indicating departure and arrival times.

Close to the main entrance, several leather armchairs faced a pair of wooden stools that doubled as coffee tables.

There were padded seats along the wall that felt like privacy pods with high dividers between them.

The other end of the room had a coworking table facing the windows to the parking lot. Numerous outlets and high-top chairs here provided a place to get things done.

The center of the waiting area had a restaurant vibe, with circular tables surrounded by either 2 or 4 chairs. Beyond this were 2 rows of sofas.

The lounge had complimentary Wi-Fi for visitors, and it was reliable. Speeds were good at roughly 70 Mbps.

Boarding

When it was time to board, passengers presented identification and boarding passes before exiting a door at the rear of the lounge. This took us into a small walkway at the side of the maintenance hangar. At the beginning of the hallway, there was a security checkpoint — something similar to the 2 poles you pass through at sports stadiums, rather than a traditional TSA checkpoint.

We turned right to exit the hangar and walk toward the plane. Since it was an outdoor walk, umbrellas were available in case of rain.

Cones and employees led us toward our plane with a ramp at the forward door.

Most JSX planes have a white body with a red stripe. Ours was very different. It celebrated JSX’s award as the best domestic carrier by Travel + Leisure readers in 2024. To celebrate, the carrier created this special livery with the names of every employee working at JSX at the time. When I asked, the flight attendant was happy to tell me where her name was located.

On Board JSX’s ERJ145

Cabin and Seat

JSX has a fleet of Embraer Regional Jets, including 135 and 145 variants. This flight was on an ERJ145 model, using a 1-1 layout. Every seat had direct aisle access. With no overhead bins in the plane, space above the seats felt generous and open.

The A seats (those to my right when entering the plane) sat along the window.

On the opposite side, C seats had a small, padded leather box that served as both a work station and a cupholder. I sat in seat 7C in the center of the plane.

Since there weren’t overhead bins, seat numbers were next to the seats rather than overhead. For A seats, the number was quite literally next to the seat.

The numbers for C seats were on the armrest under the window — next to the button for reclining the seat.

Spacing around my seat was generous, as I didn’t have a passenger next to me. While this box was at hip level, there was nothing next to my shoulder and head in the center of the plane, creating a very open feeling during the flight.

There was ample space on the ground to fit my backpack under the seat in front of me and still have room for my feet. Pitch (the space between your seat and the one in front of it) was generous, and my knees weren’t pressed into the back of the seat. For reference, I’m 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and taller passengers would likely find sufficient space for their knees.

To my left, I found a pair of cupholders (of different sizes) on the leather-topped box. During the flight, I saw passengers using the box in various ways: holding a laptop, setting down documents they were reviewing, or keeping items that didn’t fit in the seatback pocket handy.

Speaking of the pocket, it easily held my 14-inch laptop. I also found the safety information card here, as well as a fold-out menu with information about flight amenities on the back.

Each seat had a tray table that was released by a simple latch. It had a divot for a cupholder, and I liked the wood-look design.

The table’s size was generous, easily holding my 14-inch laptop with room to spare.

Every seat had a 3-prong outlet for charging. Mine was along the outer wall of the plane and worked well to charge my phone.

Overhead, each seat had individual air nozzles, reading lights, and a flight attendant call button.

Prior to departure, our flight attendant provided a safety demonstration that felt similar to other flights. The demonstration covered emergency procedures, putting luggage under the seats, and using oxygen masks.

Thanks to the excellent crew-to-passenger ratio and comfortable seating, the spacious cabin and 1-1 layout felt like flying in business class. Plus, with the plane less than half-full, I didn’t have other passengers in my row or the row in front of me.

Hot Tip:

Check out my review of a flight on JSX’s ERJ135 aircraft from Orange County, California, to Reno, Nevada.

Food and Beverages

JSX flights don’t include full meals. However, complimentary snacks and beverages are available for all passengers. A menu in the seatback pocket explained the options, and there was a chart identifying symbols for gluten-free, kosher, vegan, and allergen warnings. Drink options included sodas, coffee, hot tea, spirits, mixed drinks, beer, wine, and mocktails.

The back of the menu had information about the JSX mobile app, using the inflight Wi-Fi, and how to earn miles with United Airlines or JetBlue when flying with JSX.

After taking drink orders, the flight attendant passed through the cabin with a basket of snack offerings. These included chips, trail mix, olives, and other goodies. Get these Jackson’s chips; you won’t regret it.

JSX serves Mingle brand mocktails, and I ordered the blood orange-elderflower mimosa. It was great, and it arrived with a JSX-branded stir stick.

I quickly understood why my seat had 2 sizes of cupholders, as the cup fit perfectly into one of them but would’ve fallen to the bottom of the larger space.

Amenities

Internet

Air carriers are racing to catch up with the high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi JSX has provided on all of its flights for a while now. Qatar Airways, United Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines now offer this same internet, and download speeds on my flight were impressive at 110 Mbps.

Entertainment

There were no screens on the plane, and there wasn’t an inflight network to join for accessing games, movies, and TV shows. However, given the internet speeds, passengers could easily watch whatever they liked from their personal devices.

Lavatory

The JSX ERJ145 had a single restroom at the rear of the cabin. It was compact. The lavatory had a large mirror above a sink with a marble pattern on the counter.

The other side of the lavatory had a standard toilet.

Amenity Kits

JSX doesn’t distribute amenity kits on its flights.

Service

The service on my flight was fantastic, even with a delay. After pushing back from our parking position, we sat still for a while. Then, the pilot announced that we needed a new flight plan due to weather moving into West Texas.

We received regular updates as we waited for the new plan to be approved, sat in line for take-off, and eventually got the green light. The pilots didn’t ramble but told us what we needed to know to keep us informed.

A passenger sitting near me was also going to Orange County, California, and wondered if she would miss her connecting flight when we stopped in Scottsdale, Arizona. The flight attendant was very friendly as she confirmed that the same plane would continue from Scottsdale, so there was no way to miss the second leg of our flight. The flight attendant also passed through the cabin offering bottled water to anyone who wanted it during the delay.

The friendliness continued once we were airborne. The flight attendant smiled as she took drink orders and distributed snacks. Once she saw that I’d finished my drink, she asked if I wanted the rest of the can rather than taking the cup away, which I happily accepted.

We also received additional updates from the captain, who told us we would experience some turbulence shortly before landing in Scottsdale and should take our seats early.

Connection at SCF

Once we arrived in Scottsdale, the flight attendant informed us that anyone continuing to Orange County could deplane or remain on the flight, even though there would be a crew change.

I got off the plane to stretch my legs and look around. Once it was time to board, employees asked me to come inside and go through the line with other passengers to ensure they got an accurate head count. When it was my turn, I realized my ID was on the plane. The employee at the security checkpoint radioed for a member of the ground crew and asked if she remembered me getting off the plane — a better experience than the problem I expected to encounter.

After boarding, we received greetings from our new pilots and flight attendant, conducted another safety briefing, and then were on our way.

Arrival at SNA

Once we arrived at John Wayne Airport, we quickly taxied to JSX’s new facility at SNA. Once parked, a ground crew member came on to tell us that our luggage would be waiting outside the plane, rather than needing to go through a traditional baggage claim experience. Once the luggage was organized and ready, the flight attendant told us we could deplane.

Friendly employees welcomed us to Orange County as we picked up our belongings planeside, and another held a sign for cars to stop as passengers crossed the walkway between the plane and the lounge facility. The facility had valet (found in the far corner), but I turned the other direction to wait for my ride. As a local, my wife came to pick me up.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed both of my flights with JSX, though my second was better than the first. I had better weather on this flight, plus the lounge and cabin featured upgraded offerings. Given the choice between a flight on the ERJ135 or ERJ145, I would definitely pick the latter. However, service on both flights was friendly and attentive.