What role do Private Jet Brokers play in the Charter Jet Industry?

A private jet broker can be a valuable partner in a constantly evolving marketplace.  With so many forces working against the consumer in retail private jet charter, a broker is an essential partner.

The role of a private jet broker is to provide assistance in the following ways:

  • Industry Guidance
  • Peace of Mind
  • Improved Pricing
  • Capital Retention

Private Jet Charter Brokers: Industry Guidance

If you’re new to private jet charter, you probably have a variety of questions.

  • Who owns the planes and where do they come from? What guarantees exist for safety, quality and fair pricing?
  • A good broker can answer all of these questions and more. The private jet rental industry is complex, with nuances in pricing and trip planning.
  • Your private jet broker should be a reliable industry advocate – understanding pricing and logistical drivers will create confidence in your jet charter decisions.
  • Be wary of companies that avoid questions about pricing or seem unclear of the operational requirements of your trip.
  • Charter brokers should provide transparency in bookings and show a desire to educate – good deals and free catering only goes so far!

Peace of Mind When Chartering a Private Jet

Despite the high costs and exclusivity, the private jet charter industry is unregulated, disjointed and not always user-friendly.

  • With hundreds of companies representing thousands of individual aircraft owners, there is almost no regularity in how to book trips, compare prices or evaluate service in the jet charter industry.
  • Aside from acquiring the FAA license to operate charter flights, there is no regulation on how charter companies price, treat clients, or operate with integrity as a business.
  • This can cause a great deal of stress for individual and first-time flyers who are unfamiliar with the air charter marketplace.
  • With new aircraft operators constantly selling fresh planes on the charter market, a broker can act as an industry advocate for clients.
  • Brokers know the business, and they know which aircraft to trust, how to leverage relationships with owners and how to protect the best interests of clients in every transaction.

Charter Jet Brokers: Improved Pricing

If you read our Pricing section, you already have some insight into how a good private jet broker can maximize your travel dollars.

  • Local fixed-fleet operators can be restrictive in the aircraft offered, and a limited fleet will almost never be able to provide point-to-point value on one-way charter flights.
  • Jet cards are incredibly expensive in cost per hour, and make sense only for high-volume flyers with repetitive needs.
  • Fractional ownership offers reliable service, but with extremely high upfront and monthly maintenance costs. For most clients, the economics of fractional ownership rarely make sense compared to on-demand charter.
  • Jet brokers can limit flight time costs by sourcing aircraft on a per-trip basis, rather than grossing up hourly rates to offer fixed costs, like jet cards and fractional providers.

Capital Retention

The broker model is generally on-demand in nature, requiring no capital commitment.

  • Jet cards and fractional programs require major upfront commitments ($100k+ in most cases), with monthly and/or annual usage minimums.
  • For clients flying fewer than 50hrs per year, these programs simply do not make sense.
  • High-volume flyers can also benefit from on-demand service. Most providers offer bulk pricing packages or other tailored programs.

Disaster Recovery

Airplanes break and bad weather cancels flights – these are immutable laws of aviation.

  • With a jet card or fractional ownership, unforeseen circumstances can and will delay flights from time to time – even the most expensive planes and programs are not immune!
  • Jet Card and fractional contracts guarantee recovery aircraft within 12-24hrs of your planned departure, but is that really enough?
  • With a good broker, you can secure a recovery option in under 2-4hrs, as you are not limited to a defined fleet.

Browse the articles below to learn more, or return to the Industry Overview main page to view all available topics.

Learn more about private jet charter.

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