Understanding the costs and fees of chartering a jet can be difficult to decipher and hard to understand. Here at Icarus Jet we believe in being upfront and honest when quoting our clients for a charter request. Often times charter companies will give you a quote with hidden fees that will come as a surprise to their clients at the end of the trip. To better understand what all is involved in a charter price I will give you a simple outline:

To begin with, the cost of a charter is subject to the clients needs and will be based on how many passengers are traveling, the savings in time, crew lodging, ground transportation, catering and gained business opportunity.

After taking into account the clients specific requests and requirements the aircraft is usually chartered by the hour, with rates varying according to many factors. Hourly rates are figured against the time an aircraft is actually in the air. Air traffic delays, holding patterns and en route deviations will increase it although, some operators will charge based on a quotation that is fixed, and will not change, regardless of your actual flight time. Be sure to understand which method your charter consultant will be using to quote and invoice you. At Icarus Jet we clearly state our terms and conditions on the quote and make certain our clients understand all prices and fees.

The next expense to consider when requesting a quote is surcharges. While many charter operators include all surcharges in their quoted price, some bill other aspects of the trip as extra charges and do not include in their quote. These can include handling fees (landing and takeoffs), ramp (parking) fees, repositioning fees, waiting time, overnight charges, de-icing, preheating of cabin and/or engines, hangar storage, and federal and state taxes.

When requesting a quote from a broker be sure to understand all of the fine print and don't be afraid to ask questions. At Icarus Jet, we promise to give only clear and concise quotes to our customers.

Author:

Kevin Singh is the Founder and CEO of Icarus Jet and an active Bombardier Global captain with over 30 years of experience in private aviation. He has flown the Hawker 800, Challenger 600, and Global 5000/6000 series and has managed aviation operations across Dallas, Dubai, London, and Nairobi.