You’ve decided to charter an airplane. Good choice. So what’s your
next step? First of all, lay out your travel plans. Ask yourself the following
questions:
What city do you want to depart from and where are you going?
Will there be any intermediate stops?
What is your return date?
How many people will be traveling with you?
Will you need ground transportation arranged?
Will you need any special catering for your flight?
This way, you’ll have all the necessary information ready when you
call your local charter operator. Now all you need to know is what
to ask when you call.
Ask about the fee structure.
Some charter operators will charge by the mile and some will charge
by the hour. Hourly rates are determined based upon the type of aircraft
chartered, and normally include the cost of the aircraft, pilot(s), and
standard catering.
Operators will sometimes charge by the mile rather than by the hour,
and their mileage rate will also include those items mentioned in the
hourly rate method.
Because the services offered are customized to fit your specific
desires, it is difficult to give general price estimates. Keep in mind
that the charter operator may need to adjust the final cost of your
charter due to changes in logistics or en route deviations. If there is
a potential for variations from a quoted price, this should be clearly
noted at the time an agreement is reached with the operator.
