Why charter an aircraft? Here are some good reasons:
The increased security and hassle of commercial airline boarding.
There are fewer airlines around.
Fewer airlines are flying to fewer cities
Because of economy restraints there are fewer seats for more passengers.
It is now easier to charter, lease or rent a plane because there are more companies entering the aircraft leasing business.
Also, a new generation of small jets is being produced as we speak, the so-called air taxis seating between 4 to 6 passengers for a total airplane cost of as low as 1 million dollars.
These small jets are being produced in a so-called cookie-cutter design, 100 at a time and are also being purchased 100 at a time.
Real Air Taxis will soon be on their way into major cities," says London based AVCEN. Avcen is to bring its innovative Jetpod aircraft design off the drawing board and into proof-of-concept build and flight trials.
The Jetpod is a unique, lightweight, Very Quiet Short Take-Off and Landing (VQSTOL), 6-seat, twin-jet powered aircraft.
The Jetpod cruises at 350 mph and uses an unbelievable 410 feet of landing space. This is achieved through a combination of horizontal and vertical thrust management as developed by Avcen.
No runways are required so you can take off from a private parking lot or your neighbor's driveway.
There are similar small jets being manufactured in the US as well.
Aircraft Charter companies provide the following 4 functions in a variety of innovative ways:
Renting (sometimes selling) aircraft for private use, performing aircraft maintenance, providing fuel, and aircraft management.
The best way of finding an aircraft charter company is on line. You can also contact an aircraft charter broker who will sort of act as your airplane travel agent.
They will handle all of your flight arrangements, including price comparisons, they will determine the correct aircraft for your trip,they will locate the correct charter company, make sure insurance is in place, and obtain copies of FAA flight certificates.
There are also aircraft charter auctions available on the Web.
Using a unique online auction, your trip itinerary is instantly sent to a network of pre-approved jet operators who are invited to bid on your trip. This increases competition and ultimately drives the price down. You can view this bidding action live, online.
Fleet Membership allows you to buy occupied flight time in your preferred category of business jet in blocks of whatever flight hours you want with guaranteed availability. You enjoy the freedom and convenience of business jet travel without the costs or commitment of aircraft ownership.
One Ways and Empty Leg Flights When a one way aircraft charter flight is booked, many times the aircraft has to return to it's original airport. In a case like this, the plane will be flying empty. This is known as an empty leg. Because the aircraft charter operators like to make money if possible, they offer these empty legs for much less than a typical charter would cost.
Flying in a Private Jet has become a Status Symbol.
One of the perks most valued to CEO's and lawmakers today is to have the use of a Private Jet. This is another reason why the Charter Aircraft business is at present growing at an astonishing rate which will increase even more as the air taxis costing one million dollars or so will enter service.
