Each charter flight is affected by the economical, political and any other international or domestic factors that can impact the cost such as:
Fluctuating fuel prices, supply and demand levels, high-low seasons, holidays / sports and any other major event occurring at the departure or arrival destination.
Other factors that may impact charter prices:
- political distress
- state of conflict / war
- zones
- strikes – pandemic
- recession
- natural events / calamities
- etc.
A charter itinerary is like the plot summary of a story. When we open the book, some details can play a role in altering the final outcome. These aspects are:
- passenger number
- distance between point A to B
- luggage
- aircraft range
- special cargo onboard (precious stones, arms, etc)
- non-standard catering and beverage requirements
- fuel stops
- infants on board (up to 2 yrs)
- pets (breed, weight, etc.)
- aircraft supply in and around the region
- restrictions in place
- slot coordinated airports (airport allocated departure / arrival)
- weather conditions enroute and onground
- political climate
- time of departure / arrival
- airport operating hrs.
An operator, or an air carrier, is a person or entity that owns an AOC (Air Operating Certificate) issued by a CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) for one or multiple aircraft which comprise a fleet. Operators are also required to have several departments in charge of safety, operations, maintenance, crewing, etc., and are periodically subject to CAA audits which are simultaneously compliant with FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) and EASA (European Aviation Safety Associated), and any other national aviation governing bodies.
A broker is a person or entity that has the knowledge, ability, and means to source reliable aircraft from the marketplace / operators, and the legal ability to contract and perform charter flights for the end client. The broker acts as a representative and advocate on behalf of the flying passenger, overseeing every aspect of the trip from inception and negotiation, to completion.
A broker’s main duty should be to always act in the best interest of their client while maintaining high standards of cooperation and ethics with the players in the market.
Like your lawyer and accountant, sometimes you simply need your charter specialist on speed dial.
In business aviation, there are a multitude of discussions and negotiations transpiring behind the scenes to close the deal, and beyond that, a host of checks and due diligence that need to be carried out to ensure that the charter deal meets high-end industry standards and safety requirements to justify the cost of this exclusive commodity.
As is the case for any high-skill industry, aviation requires years of learning and hands-on experience to gain in-depth technical insight, all of which contribute to the skillset of aviation professionals. It can be a tedious and time consuming process, and as brokers that have hopelessly fallen in love with aviation and all of its myriad of rewards and challenges, it’s our pleasure to let our clients rest easy while we do what we do best.
Private jets are booked for bespoke journeys per trip. Therefore, unless 2 separate charter itineraries line-up perfectly, the aircraft will need to finish the charter in Destination A, reposition to Destination B in order to perform its next charter to Destination C, or simply return to its home-base. In such cases, the ferry connecting the separate itineraries, known as Empty Leg or Empty Sector, is often sold at heavily discounted prices.
It is important to note that an Empty Sector is just one element of the operator’s schedule based around other full-priced charter bookings, and therefore subject to change.
