Private jet charter, answered plainly

No. We are a charter broker: we arrange flights operated by licensed air carriers, and every quote names the operator, the aircraft type and the registration once it is assigned. We do not own, operate or crew aircraft. Any company telling you about 'our fleet' while acting as a broker is describing something that does not exist.

Per aircraft per leg, not per seat. The price is built from the operator's hourly rate for the flight time, plus positioning — flying the aircraft to you and away again — plus crew duty and any overnight, landing and handling at both ends, and applicable taxes. Positioning is usually the largest variable and the main reason two quotes for the same flight can differ substantially.

Usually not, and we will tell you when it is not. Charter can become competitive on a short leg with a group of six or more, on a route with no convenient scheduled service, or on a same-day return where the alternative is an overnight stay. On a single traveller flying a well-served route it very rarely is.

An aircraft repositioning without passengers — flying to collect a charter, or flying home after one. Because the flight is happening anyway, operators sell these at a discount. The trade-off is real: the date, the time and the route are the operator's, they can change or disappear at short notice, and they are only worth pursuing if your plans genuinely bend around the aircraft.

It depends on the leg and the season far more than on a general rule, so we will not quote you a headline response time. A midweek domestic light jet can often be arranged inside a day. Nice in event season, Geneva on a winter Saturday, or anywhere over a major holiday can be constrained weeks out — usually by airport slots and parking rather than by aircraft availability.

The same as any other flight. Passports and visas apply exactly as they do on a scheduled service for international travel, and customs and immigration must be notified in advance. Flying privately changes where you are processed, not whether you are.

Often, and usually in the cabin, but it is the operator's decision for each aircraft and it is never automatic. Country import rules apply in full and some destinations require paperwork weeks ahead. We confirm it with the operator before you commit rather than on the day.

The operator is responsible for providing the flight, and in practice will look for a replacement aircraft. That is not instant and it is not guaranteed. What we do is put the specific terms for your charter in front of you before you pay, so you know what you are entitled to rather than discovering it at the FBO.

Less than the seat count suggests, and this is the most common misunderstanding in charter. Baggage volume, not passenger count, is what forces a category upgrade most often — particularly with ski or golf equipment. Tell us what you are carrying and we will size the aircraft to it, because discovering it at the aircraft is expensive.

Yes. Be aware that a one-way charter is not half the price of a return: the aircraft still has to get back or on to its next job, and that positioning is part of what you are paying for. Where a route is a common repositioning corridor, an empty leg may be a genuinely cheaper way to fly it one-way.