Gregg Brunson-Pitts gives eight tips for first-time charter users.

8 Questions To Ask Before Booking A Charter Flight

A seasoned broker lists essential queries.

BJT Staff

February 2022

Definitely ask about safety ratings.
How many hours has the crew flown on this type of aircraft?
How much luggage are you bringing?
If you are traveling with a family, will you be bringing strollers or pack-and-plays or things like that? If the type of aircraft that you are chartering does not match your luggage needs, that is a big problem.
Do you expect to get an invoice post-trip?
Does the quote include taxes? The Federal Excise Tax is 7.5 percent. Some brokers don’t include this in their quotes.
Make sure that you are very clear about your expected departure time. If there is a mechanical situation and your plane is unable to fly, there might be costs associated with getting a replacement plane flown in. I would encourage somebody who is new to charter to have a discussion about how that situation will work. If you are a prolific charter customer, it might be that those costs are covered for you, but if you’re brand new, they probably won’t be.
My biggest piece of advice is if somebody feels that their charter provider is not being fully transparent, it’s probably not a good thing. Get someone else.