So Now You Have Decided to Charter an Aircraft?

After reviewing your aircraft usage, organizational structure & financial status, along with consideration for aircraft leasing and purchasing, you have concluded that charter is your best option.

So what's the next step... well you now need to consider what charter options are available and which one is right for you... Air Taxi, Ad hoc, Frequent Flyers Membership or Public Charter (full). Next we will briefly discus these main options of Air Taxi, Ad hoc, Membership & Public Charter.

Air Taxi:

Primarily designed to provide point-to-point air services over relatively short distances between non-serviced airports. Air Taxi services are targeted more at the business road user rather than the established charter market. Traditionally, the Air Taxi companies utilize small piston or turboprop aircraft (typically 3-5 seats), offering a no-frills service and allowing the customer to purchase either a single seat or charter the entire aircraft. More recently, with the advent of Very Light Jets (VLJ's), we are increasingly seeing more jet aircraft being utilized in this market.

Ad hoc Charter:

If the frequency of your flights are infrequent or even just a one-off then use an ad hoc charter, or the airlines (if for personal usage, the exception might be if you need to fly into poorly served or regional airports).

Air charter companies are generally governed on a less stringent regulations than those designed for scheduled air carriers.

Frequent Charter Membership:

If the frequency of your flights are more often and you don't have the capacity to operate your own aircraft then a membership program could be your solution. Slightly off the topic, but if you have greater usage then perhaps you can consider Fractional Ownership.

Public Charter:

This option is mainly aimed at Tour Operators, looking to provide "scheduled" charter flights and package holidays and who are without the infrastructure or business interest in aircraft operation. If you are a Start-up airline then you should consider this option, especially if you don't hold, or have access to, an Air Operators Certificate (AOC) then you could conduct your flights under a public charter.

The Air charter company performs all the functions of aircraft operation, leaving you to concentrate on selling tickets, building your airline and gaining valuable experience in airline management. The line of responsibility between the charter company and your airline can be flexible on some issues, such as aircraft cleaning, passenger handling etc.