Corporate jet charters

The advantages of a corporate jet over using scheduled flights fall into three categories: flexibility, privacy and productivity. Individuals and groups of Executives can move between several locations without waiting for connections. Security compliance is much easier than through commercial airports. Travel time can be used for business. Managers can arrive at destinations refreshed and ready for work.

There are many kinds of aircraft from which a purchase decision can be made. Technological advance makes obsolescence relatively quick. Needs in terms of numbers of passengers and distances to be covered can grow or change even whilst a new aircraft order is being processed. Such uncertainties make corporate jet charters an attractive option to outright purchase.

Corporate jet charter is a complex issue involving skills and knowledge ranging from the technical to the commercial. It is best for a company engaged in a line of business unrelated to aviation, to use the services of a professional and reputed broker. Retired pilots are often suitable for such an assignment.

Commercial airlines use some five hundred airports in the US and eighty per cent of their scheduled flights are from twenty-two major hubs. There are some five thousand other airports not used by large airlines that could be closer to a company site and that are fully security conscious but not crowded. Selection of an airport that is more convenient than one used by scheduled flights, is a first step in corporate jet charters.

Choice of aircraft involves balancing between conflicting needs. A small aircraft may not accommodate special luggage such as skis and large golf bags; it may not have a toilet and could have a low fuel capacity. It may appear cheaper at first sight, but work out to be less productive in reality. The broker should be briefed in detail on the number of passengers to be carried, the places to be visited and the budgetary limits, so that an appropriate aircraft is chosen.

The charter operator should be reputed and adequately resourced to maintain the aircraft and related infrastructure. Certification and insurance documentation should be checked with care for compliance and validity.

Pricing and payment terms are the key commercial matters that a broker has to negotiate with a charter operator, after selection has been made on technical specifications.