So many advertisements (sometimes in the form of articles and press releases continue to surface suggesting you can fly privately for prices that are comparable to the cost to fly on airline (both first-class and coach). Reputable publications, including Forbes and The New York Times, have headlined articles suggesting this is something that is feasible.

These suggestions are certainly appealing but are they realistic? It happens occasionally but the truth of the matter is that it is extremely rare and not something you should expect to find. Certain circumstances with very particular routing might be able to accommodate comparable pricing but it doesn’t happen the way (as frequently) as charter companies try to make people believe (and they SOMEHOW sell the idea to major publications to republish).

So when and how does it happen?

CHARTER A SEAT:

If you are willing to travel with strangers then it could be a possibility. Even this is a difficult task to achieve because logistically and regulatory it is extremely complicated. The seat chartering and jet sharing concepts first began surfacing in 2008 and many charter companies have attempted to help this model take-off; however, most have failed horribly! The FAA and DOT requirements for a charter company to achieve this offering are challenging enough but to complicate things even further you are stuck marketing the idea. Those who can afford to charter likely prefer not to fly with strangers and those who aspire to travel privately are often more hopeful than they are reachable. From a regulatory standpoint this is something that would best be achieved by providing a platform for customers to communicate directly and book a flight together. If you can find a seat on a private jet that works for you then you should consider yourself lucky!

USE SOCIALMEDIA:

Ideally, using social media to interact with others looking to share the cost of traveling by private jet is similar to chartering a seat; however, the regulatory factors are minimized because the charter company is only bound to public charter regulations when selling seats. When one person charters the jet, despite receiving money from their partner, it is still a private charter. Here the challenge seems to be that many have tried to become the ‘go-to’ website for social flight sharing platforms but it doesn’t seem like any of the attempts have fully taken off.

VERY LIGHT JETS and/or TURBO PROPS

Very light jets (usually very small – seating only 4 passengers) and turbo props are a little less expensive and can prove cost-effective and perhaps comparable to airline pricing. However, these don’t come without challenges of their own. Such a small aircraft. These tiny little planes don’t carry enough fuel to travel cross country so they limit you to flights with shorter flight times and if you are tall – you might want to reconsider. For example, the Phenom 100 has a cabin height of only 4 feet 11 inches! With that being said, you can fly from Van Nuys to Oakland starting at $1500 but the company who advertises that route for as little as $1500 doesn’t usually meet that pricing structure. For example, we just requested a flight through their online portal (which offers guaranteed pricing) and were provided a price of $4,085.15; the equivalent of $1021.29 per person. Flying first-class on Alaska Airlines from Los Angeles to Oakland is only $686.90 and probably extremely more comfortable of a flight.

EMPTY LEGS

This is your best chance for great pricing without all the gimmicks and compromises! Empty legs previously were the same thing as a ‘deadhead’ but more and more charter operators are taking on the floating fleet method of operation. Deadheads were historically repositioning legs. Floating fleets are fleets that stay out and book flights from the area their previously flight ended. They schedule regular maintenance at their home base or the base of their preferred maintenance provider and work the aircraft back to that location for maintenance.

The biggest downfall of booking one-way flights (empty legs or on a floating fleet) is they are typically flights that impose a 100% cancellation clause from the time of booking. You should be absolutely certain of your travel plans prior to confirming a flight of this nature.

Another big downfall is the enormous trend in companies advertising empty legs that don’t exist. They wait for the customer to inquire on a requested empty leg and then set out to find an empty leg that will work. Not only is this lacking honesty but it is a waste of the charter customer’s time and certainly a disappointment when they come up empty handed.  Furthermore, most empty legs don’t offer enough savings to make chartering competitive with commercial airlines.

Conclusion? We have seen charter for less than first-class travel a time or two but realistically, we suggest you don’t get your hopes up too high! You know how the old saying goes… when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is!