Flying Private: The Advantages of On-Demand Charter
Fly Louie Alliance member, SC Aviation’s Falcon 900
Gone are the days where you have to be a billionaire or a millionaire to experience the luxury of private jet travel. In today’s market, there are numerous ways to fly on private planes, and aviation companies are offering more affordable options for wider audiences to access the benefits of flying private.
With options like shuttle flights, on-demand charters, subscriptions, jet cards and plane ownership, it’s easy to get lost in the private aviation jargon, leaving yourself wondering: What is best for me? Here, we’ll break down your options and demonstrate that more often than not, the on-demand charter experience is a smart way to go.
What is On-Demand Charter?
On-demand charter is a pay-per-trip model that requires no long-term commitment, making it the most flexible way to fly. It is great for the occasional getaway or isolated event to fit your personalized travel needs.
When flying on demand, you are free to shop around for your ideal aircraft and price using platforms such as an instant quote tool, designed to give you a wide array of flight options. You can customize your flights for the different needs of every trip, while comparing prices to ensure you’re getting the best possible value.
Paying on a per-flight basis allows you to access limited-time savings, such as empty leg flights that offer up to 50 percent discounts on standard charter rates. Empty leg flights are one-way trips that are scheduled to fly without passengers, so the charter operators offer these trips at heavy discounts. Although the dates and destinations for these flights are rarely flexible, passengers receive the same private charter experience while saving big.
The real bang for your buck? Schedule as many flights as you’d like with no initiation or annual fees. For the traveler who plans ahead and is flexible with dates, on-demand charter can deliver great savings.
Options Beyond On-Demand Charter
Per-flight purchases aren’t for everyone, and there are plenty of other options.
Jet cards and memberships require upfront purchases of scheduled flight hours, typically in 25-hour increments, along with initiation and annual fees for guaranteed service. They come with pre-negotiated flight rates and guaranteed access to certain fleets of aircraft. Jet cards and memberships often provide the flexibility to book travel with as little as a six-hour notice prior to your desired takeoff. This is a great option for companies or individuals who know they will be flying consistently and value the predictability of guaranteed hourly rates, even if it means a higher cost.
Other higher-commitment options include fractional or full aircraft ownership. This is an arrangement where an individual purchases a share of an aircraft and is entitled to full or partial use of that aircraft. Although full ownership of the aircraft comes with the freedom to fly whenever and wherever, the trade-off is the upfront capital commitment and the ongoing expenses associated with ownership, such as maintenance and pilot costs.
What’s Best For Me?
To summarize, some key questions to ask yourself when considering the right private jet option include:
How often do I plan on flying private?
What sort of upfront commitment am I willing to make?
How flexible am I? How far in advance do I want to be able to arrange my flights?
How attractive is a guaranteed hourly rate?
What safety standards are important to me?
If you’d like to learn more about on-demand charter with Fly Louie, the Fly Louie team is standing by and ready to help. Email us at charter@flylouie.com or call us at (833) FLY-LOUIE.