Citation Longitude VS. Embraer Praetor 600
Battle of the super-mid jets.

October 9, 2020

Embraer

Citation

While you might think of the Challenger 350 or maybe even the Gulfstream 280 when asked about the best super-mid jets on the market, there are other strong contenders these days. The question is, is the Cessna Longitude or the Embraer Praetor 600 a more desirable jet for a given owner or charter client when in need of a super-mid cabin jet? There are so many things to analyze here but let’s start with what is arguably the most important after safety, the cabin interior and passenger comforts. Then we will analyze other things like baggage space, sort field take-off performance, speed, and more.

Both the Praetor 600 and the Longitude have a lot to offer when it comes to cabin comfort. Size matters and the Praetor wins in this category. Both offer a cabin height of 6’ tall but the Praetor has the Longitude beat in cabin length and width. The Longitudes cabin is 6’5” wide while the Praetor offers five extra inches in a cabin with a 6’10” width. The Praetor has a cabin length of 26’10” while the Longitude is only 25’2” long. While it doesn’t seem like these dimensions differ by much, think about having five extra inches between seats in the isle or having an extra twenty inches of leg room to work with. Before you ask, yes, both aircraft offer the same configuration options. Now that we have clarified who wins the size contest, let’s talk about some other comforts offered in each of these cabins.

Two of the biggest reasons for travel fatigue are inflight noise and cabin altitude. They split the wins here. The Longitude offers the quietest cabin in class but that isn’t to say that the Praetor is loud. Their “ultra-quiet” environment is also great for work or relaxation. Both aircraft are impressive in the noise category. Another category that both are impressive in is cabin altitude. The Praetor wins here but not by much. In either plane, you will actually feel like you are descending while taking off out of Aspen or Vail after your ski trip. The Longitude keeps passengers at a cabin altitude of 5,950 feet while at a cruising altitude of 43,000 feet. The Praetor offers a cabin altitude of 5,800 feet even at an impressive 45,000 ft cruising altitude.

In cabin technology is something that is becoming more and more desirable for both owners and charter clients. The Longitude offers you the ability to control an array of features from your personal device through an app which is very cool. Window shades, movies, music, cabin temperature and lighting can all be controlled with your tablet or phone. If you don’t want to depend on your personal device connectivity to control these features, the Praetor might be a better option for you. The industry leading overhead touchscreen panel allows you have access to cabin controls right at your fingertips. With state-of-the-art Wi-Fi connectivity through Gogo AVANCE L5, an immersive audio experience, and the ability to stream 1080p HD video, the Praetor might take the cake on entertainment but not by much and at what cost? A study conducted by Apple shows that touch screens that require the user to lift their arms for extended amounts of time are not as user friendly as some may hope for. Hence why Apple has not made their laptops or desktops touchscreen.

Baggage is the next test. The Praetor offers 155 Ft3. The Longitude offers 112 Ft3. Praetor wins there. Both aircraft offer in flight access to the luggage compartment. Slightly easier access to luggage on the Longitude doesn’t quite make up for the 28% less amount of space.

As a final comparison, let’s move on to performance. The Praetor offers short field takeoff performance that allows it to take off from runways as short as 3000 feet which is astonishing but let’s compare apples to apples. When the Longitude is at max takeoff weight (MTOW), it requires 4,810 feet of runway while the Praetor only requires 4,436ft at MTOW. Landing distance for the Longitude is 3,170 feet while the Pretor requires 2,270 feet to land. These performance measurements allow the Praetor to be an option in and out of countless airports that simply cannot accommodate the Longitude safely. This also means that when departing out of certain airports such as St Martin, owners will be able to travel much further on a Praetor 600 compared to a Citation Latitude which would have to take on minimal fuel to even be able to get off the ground. Perhaps even more important than takeoff distance requirements, range is one of the most important performance measurements when considering what jet is the right fit for you. With four passengers, the Praetor has a range of 4,018 NM while the Longitude comes in at 3,500 NM. This makes a huge difference. For instance, both options can get you from New York to Europe non-stop with ease but while fighting the headwinds on the way back, the Longitudes ability to get passengers there without needing a fuel stop in Maine or Iceland is questionable. The Praetor can guarantee you that non-stop performance. The Longitude wins with max cruising speed at .84 mach speed but the Praetor is close behind at .83 mach. Both have a max ceiling of 45,000 feet. The Longitude can climb to cruising altitudes in 16 minutes while it takes the Praetor 22 minutes and finally, fuel consumption. The Praetor consumes 236 US gallons per hour while the Longitude consumes 250 gallons per hour.

While both planes are truly impressive pieces of machinery, we think there is a clear winner here. With better overall performance, a larger cabin, more baggage space, better fuel efficiency and technology that can’t be beat both in the cabin and in the cockpit, the Praetor 600 came out on top for us. Finally, if you are thinking to yourself, “but how much more is the Praetors asking price?”; you would be surprised to hear that the sticker price on a Longitude is $27 million while you can purchase a new Praetor 600 starting at $21 million.

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