Flying a Private Jet is much more than a luxury trip and it’s more than simply getting from Point A to Point B. Chartering a Private Airplane is about convenience, safety and privacy and it all starts way before you step into the Private Terminal at your favorite airport.
The Air Charter Broker is your First Point of Contact
The way to do it is by calling your personal Air Charter Broker. He’s familiar with all the available options based on your trip itinerary and special requests. He’s your ally when it comes to finding the perfect aircraft for your mission. Based on the length of your trip, the amount of people traveling and what kind of comfort you want, they will present to you several options for you to choose from. Once you decide, you just drive to the airport and the aircraft will be waiting at the FBO (Fixed Based Operator).
The FBO is the facility at the airport dedicated to private travel. It includes a reception area, a lounge, business center, lounge, meeting rooms, flight planning and pilot areas and more. They are located with easy road and ramp access and is one of the conveniences of flying on a chartered private aircraft. You usually arrive at the FBO 15 to 20 minutes prior to departure and fly away. No waiting in lines, no TSA and no Security Checkpoint.
The Right Tool
Private jets range from Very Light Jets for up to 4 to 5 passengers to Boeing Business Jets. Of course there are still some Air Charter Operators who offer Turboprop options as well. There are plenty of inventory to choose from, it all depends on the length of the trip, the amount of passengers, comfort and budget.
Price is per flight-hour and it ranges from $1,500 to $5,000 per hour and more. In addition, special catering, airport related fees, international fees and taxes and extras will be added to the bottom line. The Air Charter Operator will charge the amount flown and the empty leg (or getting the aircraft back to it’s home base). This varies from Operator to Operator and now you can also get on their Loyalty Programs for an annual fee and they will waive the empty leg charge. If your trip is within a 1 to 3 day period, the aircraft may wait for you and just charge you for the amount flown plus fees that include pilot accommodations, etc. on top of the airport and taxes. You just need to consider what makes sense based on the amount of hours per year that you plan to travel private.
The Bottom Line: Time
All things considered, chartering a Private Aircraft is about comfort, convenience and time. Time is basically why you are chartering a Private Aircraft in the first place. If you are traveling for business, and taking into consideration that 75% of business travel is made within a 250 mile radius, it doesn’t make sense to fly commercially. Conversely, chartering an aircraft will get you to your business meeting and back home the same day vs spending 5 hours on the road just to get to your meeting, sleeping at a hotel away from home and driving back the next day. Those hours on the road are not productive. 250 miles will probably take you 30 minutes, no wait at the airport and back for dinner at home.
The cost of chartering a private aircraft must be measured on time and convenience and factor in wasted time of driving or flying commercially. Besides, of the 20,000 or so airports in the U.S., there are 14,000 private airports to choose from. This means there is an airport closer to your destination so that you can fly to your meeting and back in no time.
