The Numbers That Matter
The Citation Longitude charters for $4,000 to $5,200 per flight hour. The Challenger 350 runs $5,200 to $7,000. That gap, roughly $1,500 per hour at the midpoint, adds up to $6,000 on a four-hour transcontinental flight. The Longitude also carries 300 nautical miles more range: 3,500 nm versus the Challenger's 3,200 nm. On paper, the Cessna wins on economics and range.
But paper comparisons miss the one thing charter clients actually feel: the cabin. The Challenger 350 cabin is 7 feet 2 inches wide. The Longitude cabin is 6 feet 4 inches wide. Ten inches of cabin width is not a rounding error. It is the difference between sitting comfortably next to someone and wishing you had booked a larger jet.
Cabin: Where the Challenger Justifies the Premium
The Challenger 350 cabin measures 7 feet 2 inches wide, 6 feet tall, and 28.5 feet long. The Longitude cabin measures 6 feet 4 inches wide, 6 feet tall, and 25 feet long. Both seat 9 to 12 passengers in standard charter configurations. Both offer flat floors and full stand-up headroom in the aisle.
Where the 350 separates itself is shoulder room and table width. In club seating, the 350 accommodates four adults around a table with laptops open and elbows relaxed. The Longitude seats the same four adults, but the person by the window is compromising on elbow space. On a two-hour flight, nobody notices. On a five-hour coast-to-coast trip, everyone notices.
Charter clients who fly the Challenger 350 after booking a Longitude rarely go back. The reverse is also true for cost-conscious clients who discover the Longitude. Neither aircraft is wrong. They serve different priorities.
The Longitude reaches Mach 0.84 and requires approximately 4,900 feet of runway for takeoff. The Challenger 350 tops out at Mach 0.83 and needs about 4,835 feet. These are functionally identical performance envelopes. Both aircraft access the same airports, fly at the same altitudes (FL450), and handle the same city pairs.
Range is where the Longitude pulls ahead. At 3,500 nm with four passengers, the Longitude covers New York to London at the ragged edge of its envelope. The Challenger 350 at 3,200 nm needs a fuel stop in Reykjavik or Shannon. For domestic operations, this rarely matters. For transatlantic positioning or international charter, it does.
Engine Comparison
The Longitude uses two Honeywell HTF7700L engines producing 7,665 lbs of thrust each. The Challenger 350 runs two Honeywell HTF7350 engines at 7,323 lbs. Both are mature, well-supported powerplants with extensive service networks. Maintenance costs per engine hour are comparable at roughly $250 to $350 depending on the program enrollment.
Operating Economics: Beyond the Hourly Rate
The Longitude burns approximately 190 gallons per hour. The Challenger 350 burns about 210 gallons per hour. At $7.00 per gallon for Jet-A, that is a $140 per hour fuel advantage for the Longitude. Over 400 hours of annual utilization, that is $56,000 in fuel savings.
Insurance premiums are lower on the Longitude due to its single-pilot certification option under Part 91. The Challenger 350 is a two-pilot aircraft in all operations. For owners, this matters. For charter clients, both aircraft fly with two pilots regardless.
$4,400/hr
Longitude Charter
$5,900/hr
Challenger Charter
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The Challenger 350 fleet is approximately three times the size of the Longitude fleet in the United States. Bombardier started delivering the 350 in 2014; Cessna delivered the first Longitude in 2019. More aircraft in the charter pool means more availability on short notice and more competitive pricing when multiple operators bid on the same trip.
For last-minute bookings, the Challenger 350 is the safer bet. For cost-conscious clients willing to plan 7 to 14 days ahead, the Longitude is available and often priced 20-25% below the 350 for identical city pairs.
- Challenger 350 U.S. fleet: ~350 aircraft (150+ on charter certificates)
- Citation Longitude U.S. fleet: ~120 aircraft (50+ on charter certificates)
- Challenger 350 same-day availability: moderate to high
- Citation Longitude same-day availability: low to moderate
Avionics and Technology
The Longitude ships with the Garmin G5000 touchscreen avionics suite. Three 14-inch displays, synthetic vision, SurfaceWatch runway awareness, and autothrottle are standard. Garmin's interface is intuitive enough that transitioning pilots report shorter ground school times compared to Honeywell or Collins Proline-based systems.
The Challenger 350 runs the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics package. It is a mature, reliable system that every charter pilot in the super-midsize segment has trained on. However, it is a generation older than the Garmin G5000 in terms of display technology and integration. Bombardier addressed this with the Challenger 3500 (the 350's successor), which upgrades to the Collins Pro Line Fusion suite with touchscreens.
For charter clients, the avionics difference is invisible. You will never touch the panel. For owners and pilots, the Longitude's Garmin system is considered more modern and more capable at the current software revision. Both aircraft are certified for RVSM, ADS-B Out, CPDLC, and all current NextGen airspace requirements.
Connectivity
Both aircraft offer Gogo AVANCE L5 or similar air-to-ground WiFi for domestic operations. International connectivity via Viasat Ka-band or Inmarsat SwiftBroadband is available as an option on both types. The Longitude's Garmin system integrates flight tracking and cabin management more seamlessly, but real-world WiFi speed depends on the specific aircraft's installed equipment, not the airframe type.
The Verdict: Which One to Book
Book the Longitude if budget matters more than cabin width. If you are flying solo or with two to three passengers, the Longitude cabin is more than adequate and saves $6,000 to $8,000 on a coast-to-coast trip. It is also the better choice for flights over 3,000 nm where the Challenger needs a fuel stop.
Book the Challenger 350 if you are traveling with four or more passengers and the flight exceeds three hours. The wider cabin earns its premium on long trips with full loads. It is also the practical choice for same-day bookings when you need an aircraft in two hours and cannot afford to wait.
Skip both and look at a Praetor 600 if your mission profile demands super-midsize range with a large-cabin feel. The Praetor splits the difference: wider than the Longitude, longer range than the 350, and priced between the two.
