1) How does the web site work?
On the web site you will find empty flights, shared flights, and idle aircraft. The charter companies and brokers list their flights in hopes of selling empty flight time on their aircraft. This web site is the place the charter companies and brokers visit to both buy and sell empty charter flights. Of course customers can also use the web site and if done correctly they could save a great deal of money. Customers should sign up and make a trip request to help their search for the best flight possible.
2) What does it cost?
Its Free! Yes Free. We sell advertising on the web site and we are not looking to gouge anyone.
3) Why should a customer make a trip alert?
Customers should set trip alerts to help keep track of empty legs without having to visit the website. Simply, set your trip alerts and then wait for emails of trips that may interest you to be sent directly to your email.
4) Why make a trip request?
A trip request will be viewed by hundreds of charter companies and brokers. That means you will have the best chance to get the charter flight you want. Also, if its a round trip charter flight you will get the best price possible because so many charter companies get to view your request. This acts a bidding system and you decide what trip you would like to purchase.
5) What are the hourly rates of charter aircraft?
Long Range large jets
Seating
Retail Price
Gulfstream 5
10 to 18
$7000hr
Global Express
10 to 16
$7000hr
Large Jets
Gulfstream II/III
10 to 16
$4100hr
Gulfstream IV
10 to 16
$4800hr
Challeger 601 and 604
9 to 14
$4000hr
Embraer Legacy
10 to 16
$4000hr
Falcon 2000
9 to 12
$4200hr
Falcon 900
10 to 16
$5000hr
Super Midsize
Citation X
7 to 10
$3550hr
G200
8 to 12
$3550hr
Falcon 50
7 to 9
$3500hr
Challenger 300
7 to 9
$3700hr
MidSize Jets
Citation III/VI/VII
6 to 9
$2600hr
Falcon 20/200
7 to 9
$2700hr
G100/Astra
6 to 8
$2600hr
Hawker 600/700
7 to 9
$2500hr
Hawker 800/1000
7 to 9
$2900hr
Lear jet 40/45
6 to 8
$2450hr
Lear jet 55
6 to 8
$2300hr
Lear jet 60
6 to 8
$2800hr
Sabre 65/85
6 to 8
$2400hr
Westwind I/II
6 to 8
$1950hr
Light Jets
Beechjet 400
6 to 7
$1850hr
Citation II/SII/Bravo
6 to 8
$1600hr
Citation V/Ultra/Encore
6 to 8
$2000hr
Citation Excel
6 to 8
$2500hr
Falcon 10
5 to 7
$1900hr
Lear jet 24/25
5 to 7
$1700hr
Lear jet 31/35
6 to 8
$1900hr
Sabre 40/60/65
6 to 8
$1900hr
Citation I,CJ,CJ2
5 to 7
$1800hr
Premier I
5 to 6
$2000hr
Turbo props
King Air 90/100
5 to 8
$900hr
King Air 200/300
6 to 9
$1050hr
King Air 350
6 to 9
$1200hr
6) How to understand the charter quote? The Quote
Quotes come in several different formats as well as different billing practices.
Hard Quotes
These quotes include flight charges, landing fees, and taxes for the trip. This means the price of the trip will not change unless the customer changes something themselves. ie , overnights, routing, number of passengers, or additional stops on the flight. The hard quote also means less shock for the customer after the flight is billed. The customer knows what they are paying before they book the charter. Keep in mind that hard quotes tend to round the flight time up incase of weather or delays. So, you may be billed for 1 hour but your flight was only 50 min. When that happens….the charter company wins. (yes they win a lot) Also, remember that a charter company might charge you a minimum daily rate to keep the aircraft for an exstended duration. The normal rule is 2 hrs per day. So if you go for a 3 day trip you will need to fly the jet for 6 hrs or they might charge you the 6 hrs even though you only flew 4. Some charter companies will wave this fee if they are slow or if you're a good customer.
Soft Quotes
These quotes are what they sound like, flexible. This means the charter companies bills the exact flight time that was flown by the pilots. The pilots write down the take off time and landing time so it can be billed to the customer. It also means the customer can keep track of the flight time if he or she would like. It also means, that if you have bad weather and get put into a hold that you also have to pay for that. (Remember the pilots think of safety and not your wallet) Soft quotes are also subject to daily minimums as well, so ask before you take the flight and read the fine print.
Oneway Quotes
These quotes are for a new breed of traveler who knows the insides of the other two quotes and also knows how to save some money. Some charter companies have made their niche in the business by having a jet fly one way during periods of high demand or very popular routes. Example: Lax to NY or Florida to NJ . The customers is normally someone who is staying in the area of landing for some time. This way they are not paying for overnights, daily minimums, and parking fees. However, they do pay more per hour to use the aircraft. If a Lear jet normally would charge $2500 round trip, they may charge $2800 for the one way because they may have to wait for the next customer to charter the jet back home. It's a growing side of air charter that will remain popular on many routes. One way quotes are not subject to a daily minimum.
Empty leg quotes
These quotes are for the most savey of customers. Charter aircraft are almost always chartered round trip. There for many times the charter aircraft is flying empty to pick someone up or empty returning home from dropping a passenger off. These flights have seen the largest amount of growth in the industry. Now more than ever these flights are becoming easier to find. With the help of a broker, a customer can fly some percentage of flights on empty leg flights. Example: A citation jet leaves NY going to FL and drops off a retired couple in Miami for two weeks stay. Then the jet in question does not have another flight for 2 days. The charter companies will keep the jet in FL until it must return or until someone needs a flight back to the north. So, that means another customer has a good chance of flying on that same jet witch is already paid back to NY. So lets say customer B, wants to go from Palm Beach, FL to Washington, DC the next day? Then customer B would ask the charter company to come to Palm Beach from Miami and pick him up. Customer B needs to be dropped off in Washington, DC and asks the charter company for a quote. What should he pay?
The charter is already paid back to the north and Washington, DC is on the return route of the jet. So, the jet will fly about 2 hrs with passenger B on board. This flight should be less than the retail rate of the aircraft. So, if the the retail rate of the citation jet is $2000 an hour then the price should NEVER exceed the price per hour of the jet times 2. So the passenger should see a quote for $4000 plus tax and maybe a landing fee.
Sometimes the charter company will have a basic empty leg rate for all of their aircraft. Keep in mind that empty legs only work if the aircraft is going in the direction the customer needs to go. Sometimes a charter company will discount the empty leg by 50% because the aircraft must fly in that direction anyways. This is the best way to sell empty flights. These flights sell fast and people keep track of these companies who practice this discounting program. Example: A Lear jet flies from Ny going to FL and drops off their passengers. The company knows they have a flight the next day and must return later that night from FL. The dispatcher advertises this flight to all of the customers, brokers, fractionals, and charter companies around that route. They also advertise a great price discount such as 50% off ie…..this flight would cost 2.5 hours x $1200 = $3000. This is the best kind of empty leg flight we see out there. Its just a great deal and the charter company makes more money per hour on their jet than they could ever do round trip. Plus they make some new customers.
