Private jet brokers have a great understanding of the industry and can use their connections to outsource the right plane to fit your needs. Brokers reach out to charter operators and do most of the work for you, in regard to finding an aircraft and arranging the contract details for your trip. (It should be noted that brokers are not required to hold any formal licenses, so it is important to ask about their background and ensure they have qualified knowledge of the industry. Many do belong to professional organizations; however, such as the Baltic Air Charter Association (BACA) or the Air Charter Association of North America (ACANA), all of which act to elevate professional standards.) Once hired, a broker is able to walk you through the process and tell you what to expect while booking your chartered flight. Brokers do not own or operate any aircraft; they are essentially just a middleman resource who locate aircraft from operators all over the country or globe.

Like Latitude 33 Aviation, many companies are fixed-fleet operators, which means that the company either owns or manages/operates a fleet of planes that they charter out to people. Charter operators have full control over the aircraft and are the ones that will actually fly the passengers. You can reach out directly to the company and they will help you schedule your flight from their own fleet of planes. The personalized service will often include help scheduling your transportation to and from the airport, as well as any catering or special requests you have while onboard. This is when familiarity with the lingo of the industry comes in handy. Chartering a jet through a fixed-fleet operator is a great option for getaway weekends to exotic locations for the family and won’t tie up any capital or leave you to fret over logistics. In that way, it is very much like renting a car. There may be a repositioning charge, though, which is the cost of paying for the jet to return to its home base. The price you pay will be to charter the entire aircraft, not per passenger, and charged hourly. Ask plenty of questions to ascertain the fees involved, such as daily minimums and taxi fees. Don’t forget to ask about safety: any reputable private jet operator will have safety information readily available (perhaps even featured on their website), and they can also tell you about the possible incident history of their jets and experience of their pilots.

Jet cards are great for high-volume flyers who have repetitive traveling needs. This option allows you to buy a set number of hours (generally starting at 25 hours) from a company and then use those hours towards a specified selection of planes. Essentially, this is similar to receiving a “bulk” discount – purchasing a large number of flight hours upfront in exchange for slightly lower rates. If you travel often for business and need consistent flights, having a jet card would be great for you. Often, you don’t get to choose from a large variety of aircraft, so jet cards work better for consistently similar trips using the same aircraft type. This option for chartering can be a great way to “test run” a few different types of jets, though, to help you discern which you prefer and can be valuable if you are considering private jet ownership.

Another option for those who travel by air regularly is a flight membership. This opportunity will require an initiation fee along with annual dues. Membership benefits range widely by company and program, with some providing access to book aircraft at reduced rates and other memberships providing an unlimited number of flights on pre-determined routes and schedules. A wonderful benefit of having a membership is that you are guaranteed access to a certain fleet of aircraft. Flight memberships, like jet cards, are best for frequent flyers who usually have consistently similar traveling needs.

If you are looking for a last-minute flight, you can check to see if any company has an empty leg/one-way flight for you. One-way flights occur when an aircraft needs to be repositioned, which means they plan to fly empty to a certain location. Most companies will sell these flights at a discount and, although these flights are pre-determined on set days, there could be a flight that works perfectly for your schedule. Some companies offer email notification lists, which you can join to be notified about their upcoming one-way flights. These flights can provide significant discounts when compared to traditional charter flights. For those who are pre-existing members, some companies will even offer unlimited, free access to their empty-leg repositioning flights once you’ve paid your initiation and annual membership fees. One significant drawback to this option is that, if the trip is canceled or changed, you no longer have a way to get to your destination; but if your schedule allows for last-minute flexibility then this is a great bargain, with the bonus of lessening your carbon footprint!