As the pace of your life accelerates, it’s clear that your time is becoming too valuable to spend waiting in airports for delayed flights to activities or meetings that had to be postponed until you arrived! You begin thinking about private jet charter -- a faster, easier, more customized way to travel to your destination. Luckily, flying in a private jet is one of the safest and most luxurious ways to travel. Unlike commercial airlines, private jets fly in and out of smaller suburban airports that are closer to departure and destination points. Also, typically smaller airports do not have the long lines or delays passengers have come to expect at any of today’s large urban airports.
Steps :
1. Identify the Right Charter Operator. Yes, one could check the local yellow pages or a favorite search engine to locate charter companies. However, there won’t be any information about the quality of individual companies there, other than what is written in advertisements created by the companies themselves. A better source for overall quality is a charter broker who uses only officially rated operators (such as Jets International) or an auditing company such as Wyvern Consulting or Aviation Research Group.
2. Validate the Charter Company. The next step is verifying the charter company’s advertising claims through official documentation. In order to simplify this complicated task, one can break down the process into three categories: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) documentation, insurance and third-party audits.
* FAA Documentation – Each charter company must have a valid Part 135 air taxi certificate which authorizes it to fly for hire. Obtaining a Part 135 certificate requires the charter company to adhere to tough FAA guidelines and is strictly enforced by the FAA. Unfortunately, there are some charter companies that will attempt to fly under the less strict Part 91 (owner flown) regulations. These rules have far less FAA oversight, and for this reason, the liability of the passenger is increased. Therefore, it’s important not only to ask for a copy of the FAA air taxi certificate, but also to ask the company under which regulations your flights will be flown.
* Insurance – Often overlooked, insurance can provide a great deal of information about a charter company. Typical limits for a charter company are $25M for a small jet (such as a Cessna Citation, Lear 35 or Beachjet), $50M for a mid-sized jet (such as a Hawker, Lear 55 or Citation III) and $100M for a large jet (such as a Challenger, Gulfstream or Falcon 900.) Often, these higher insurance limits require an audit by the insurance company to assure that the pilots and mechanics have the appropriate experience to operate a safe flight. Also, another free service most operators will offer is for the passenger to be “named additional insured” on the policy. This option is really a personal decision. It should be considered if the passenger flies private charter on an ongoing, regular basis.
* Third Party Audits – There are several companies that specialize in auditing charter companies. The industry’s most used service is Aviation Research Group (ARG/US). ARG/US compiles several databases, including FAA, Department of Transportation (DOT) and one on aircraft transactions, to determine the safety records of the operator, its pilots and its aircraft. In addition, these companies will perform on-site audits on safety procedures, aircraft log books and additional documentation.
3. Look for Good Customer Service: Ideally, there should be a single person responsible for your trip. Also, live help should be available around the clock for if you must change your plans, make a special request, or ask a question. It's a good idea to get references so that you can talk to others who have used this service.
4. Select an Aircraft: Often, a charter company will provide pictures of an aircraft under consideration for a trip. Be warned, however, that pictures are deceiving and may not be current. The only way absolutely to ensure the status of an aircraft is to view it personally, or to talk with others who have flown in it. Your charter broker should be able to help make that previous passenger connection. Also, because insurance levels can change at any time and vary by aircraft within the same fleet, it is important to ask for a copy of the insurance policy before each and every flight.
5. Check up on your Pilot: Find out what the provider's standards are for minimum pilot hours. Different jet types require different pilot hours. Once you have chosen an aircraft, verify that the assigned pilot has the required number of pilot hours on that type of craft. Generally, each captain should have at least 3000 total flight hours and 300 hours in a specific aircraft type.
6. Find Out How Much it Will Cost: As the details of your needs become more specific, you should be able to get a clear quote, not a vague estimate that leaves room for surprises on the final invoice.
Tips
* Different countries have different regulations. Those set forth by the FAA are specific to the United States. Other Civil Aviation Authorities (CAAs) include:
o United Kingdom - United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority
o Australia - Civil Aviation Safety Authority
o United Nations - International Civil Aviation Organization
* Some aircrafts are restricted in terms of night landings and must abide by some kind of "curfew." If you think you're going to need to go on night flights, ask about such regulations when you're choosing an aircraft.
* A helicopter may be better for short trips to remote areas, but they can't fly under high winds or low visibility conditions.
Warnings
* Make sure the charter company doesn't attempt to fly under the less strict Part 91 (owner flown) regulations.
* Beware of outsourcing. There's the possibility that a well-known provider may place you on a small independent company's jet, and that company may or may not meet their safety requirement.
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