Turboprop

A turbine engine turning a propeller instead of a fan. The tradeoff is fixed: slower than a jet, lower than a jet, less fuel burned per leg, a rugged airframe, and access to shorter runways and smaller regional fields a jet can't use. On a 45-minute regional leg the speed gap barely registers, and the field at the far end can be the one close to the actual destination rather than the nearest one with a long runway.

In the cabin

Headroom and seat count run comparable to a light jet. The propeller turns ahead of the passengers, so the ride carries a steady drone and a faint vibration in the armrest that a jet does not have. Cruise is lower, in the weather rather than above it, so a summer afternoon over the mountains is bumpier. The door is an airstair with a handrail, and the bags ride in the back where a passenger can reach them in flight.

When it fits

Where it loses is a long leg, where the slower cruise turns into real time in the seat. For short Southern California hops it is often the right airplane rather than a compromise: the least expensive way to fly private, and on SoCal runs into small airports the field access outweighs a jet's speed. The airplane parks on the same ramp as the flight-school trainers.