Charter Flights: Understanding Crew Duty Restrictions

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Exquisite Air Charter

It seems there is a lot of confusion from time to time regarding the restrictions placed on crew duty times. These restrictions are placed by the FAA; not the charter company. These regulations are FAR (Federal Aviation Regulations) Part 135 (which is the part that governs most charter flights). These particular regulations are from FAR Section 135.267.

2 Man Crew: 10 Hours on Flight Deck /10 Hours Flight Time / 14 Hours Duty Time

3 Man Crew: 8 Hours Flight Deck / 12 Hours Flight Time / 18 Hours Duty Time

4 Man Crew: 8 Hours Flight Deck / 16 Hours Flight Time / 20 Hours Duty Time

Additionally – 10 hours of consecutive rest during the 24-hour period that precedes the planned completion time of the assignment.

It is important to remember is that a crew’s duty time does not begin when the passenger’s show up to the aircraft or when they deplane. Standard is for crew to duty on 1 hour prior to the scheduled departure and 30 minutes after the passengers deplane. This is for pre and post-flight duties that are required. Sometimes it is possible to duty a crew on only 30 minutes prior to the flight.
Crew duty restrictions also limit assignments as follows:
  • Not more than 500 hours in any calendar quarter
  • Not more than 800 hours in any two consecutive calendar quarters
  • Not more than 1,400 hours in any calendar year 
If you would like additional information regarding crew duty time limitation, please contact your charter representative to explain this further.  
**For more information – please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for additional resources and/or explanation!**
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What About Aircraft Charter Safety?

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Exquisite Air Charter

When you charter an aircraft do you have any knowledge about the operator’s safety record? Have you checked to see if they have any accidents or incidents on their record? Do you have any idea how to check to see? Has the operator been through an independent, third-party, safety audit? What was the outcome of the third-party safety audit?  What is their pilot recurrent training policy?  Where do they get their training?

These are all very valid questions that should be asked each and every time you charter!  Who is checking these things for you?  This is one of the many times when a GOOD broker is your greatest asset!  Who doesn’t want to make sure of these types of things?  Everyone should!  The challenge is that most charter customers aren’t charter professionals.  Your best option is to hire a professional to represent YOU!  The aircraft owners are represented by the charter operators.  Sure you can go direct with the charter operators but is that really in your best interest?  Think twice if you think it is!

Don’t get me wrong… many charter brokers don’t care about your safety or disclosing the safety record of the aircraft they are placing you, your loved ones, your employees or associates on because they are just worried about when you are going to pay for your trip and how much commission they are making off of you/your trip!  Exquisite Air Charter is truly different.  We genuinely care and would (and have) pass up on a great commission to know you are on the best aircraft – one that has an impeccable crew and safety record – because we know we will earn your repetitive business in the long run and that is worth more to us than a one time hefty commission.

Let us know if you have questions or would like additional information!

Posted in Aircraft Charter, aircraft charter safety | 1 Comment

Operator or Aircraft Charter Broker?

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Exquisite Air Charter

When it comes time to choose an operator or a broker, which is best FOR YOU as an individual or corporation?  There are many opinions regarding this topic and everywhere you turn someone will have something to say in opposition of each and the benefits they offer.  The bottom line is that there is good and bad regarding both!

Brokers:

 

  • Many brokers don’t have any true aviation experience because the FAA and DOT don’t regulate them in the same manner they regulate operators.  This is true.  If you choose to work with a broker you have to make sure they have true aviation experience, they genuinely love what they do and they understand that they work on your behalf; not on behalf of themselves or the charter operators/owners!  They have to also want to do business on a long-term basis and understand that properly representing you and your best interests will be their insurance that they will be in business long-term.
  • A broker can be a great asset… not only because they are your personal representative with your best interest at heart but also because they have a true understanding of aviation and the ability to secure your flight(s) with the most appropriate aircraft and operator on a trip by trip basis.  Their goal is not to please their aircraft owners, as they have no obligation to the aircraft owners; only to you!  A good broker will understand aviation, love aviation and truly represent you!  They will be as concerned for your safety and comfort and the convenience afforded when traveling by private jet as you are.

Operators:

  • Their first priority is to their aircraft owners.  That is who THEY represent.  Let’s face it… without aircraft owners there would be no aircraft.  Without aircraft there would be no charter company.  Without said charter company, there would be no doing business with you.
  • Their owners want hours on their plane.  That is why they are available for charter!  So…  it doesn’t matter if the airplane they put you on is the best aircraft for your trip.  It doesn’t matter if it is not conveniently located.  They are going to put your itinerary on an in-house aircraft any way they can.  They want to please their owner.  It doesn’t matter if it isn’t the best option for you because there is another you and there is a broker who will bring them business!  Lots of brokers who will bring you business!  Don’t get me wrong… we love operators but the truth is the truth.  They represent the aircraft owners and are obligated to them FIRST!

Something more to consider:

  • One-Way Flight Itineraries are definitely something a broker can better assist you with!  They pull from a network of operators.  In the case of Exquisite Air Charter, a pre-screen/pre-approved network, and therefore are more likely to get you a reasonable price.  They are more likely to save you a lot of money and better accommodate your one-way flight itineraries.
Posted in Guide To Chartering A Private Jet | Leave a comment

Choosing The Right Charter Company

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Exquisite Air Charter

So much advertising and internet advertising exists to sell you a charter flight.  The advertising encompasses print, internet, specialized publications, magazines… YOU NAME IT!  Some of these resources may be reputable; however, most options only care about your ability to produce an aircraft and if you have the money to pay for advertising!  A company’s reputation should not be based on how big of a budget they have!  Unfortunately those big budgets usually pay off regardless of how reputable a company is (OR IS NOT)!  I would certainly hope you care more about your safety than you do about the flashy advertisements afforded to these large companies.

One of the most disheartening things is when you hear about companies who have absolutely no care and concern for their customers.  We have literally had customers question our reasonable pricing because a very well known aircraft charter broker (competitor) was $20,000 more than us for the exact same type of aircraft.  Come to find out, we were both quoting the exact same aircraft; however, our competitor knew the client was a high-profile individual and therefore assumed this person had the money to blow.  As a result, they were trying to make a commission that was $20,000 higher than the industry standard.  The customer almost gave them an extra $20,000 because their sales people almost convinced them that they were trustworthy.  Thank God our customer asked us.  We produced safety information, aircraft information and recommendations from other customers.  Big advertising budgets and slimeball sales people are screwing people all the time; how sad!

We want you to be informed of who you choose to give your business to based on things like:

  • Crew Training/Experience
  • Top-Notch aircraft maintenance
  • In possession of the appropriate insurance
  • Valid FAA operating certificate
  • Background & Experience
  • Safety and Security
  • International Operations Experience/Compliance
  • If the operator has been audited by an independent, third-party safety auditing organization
The information listed above is just a portion of the information obtained on your behalf by Exquisite Air Charter, each and every time you fly!  We do our due-diligence plus some!  Your safety and peace of mind is what matters most to us.

Exquisite Air Charter is committed to ensuring the safety of our customers.  Our overall goal is to provide our customers the best customer service from a team who genuinely cares about our customers.  We care about your experience, your safety and your complete satisfaction.  If there is every anything we can do – please contact us!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Guide To Chartering A Private Jet

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Exquisite Air Charter

There are a few key things to consider when chartering a private jet…

  • What is the mission of your flight?
  • How do I find the right charter company?
  • Do I choose a charter operator or charter broker?
  • What about safety?  Do you know their safety record?  Have they been involved in any accidents/incidents?  What is the pilots’ experience who will be flying me and my associates/family?
  • Does the company operating your flight have the appropriate insurance requirements?
  • Are they experienced in international operations?
  • How is their customer service?
Exquisite Air Charter would like to help you understand some of the due-diligence that we exercise to make sure that all of the best practices are in place when you entrust us with you charter flight plans.  We will be placing daily blog posts over the next 7-10 days to assist you in clarifying your concerns.  Let’s start with determining the mission of your flight.
When chartering an aircraft, none any one type or size of aircraft is appropriate for all itineraries.  There have been more than 300 charter aircraft makes and models certificated by the FAA, many of which are used for charter flights.  Understanding where you are going, why you are going, who will be traveling with you, what type/amount of luggage will be traveling with you is just the basics.  We also need to consider the weather where you will be departing from, the weather where you will be arriving to, how the run way length and operations will come into play when coupled with weather related information.  Here are a brief checklist of things to consider:
  • Departing City
  • Arrival City
  • Necessary Interim Stops (if applicable/required)
  • Are your dates and times firm or will you be requiring a flexible schedule?
  • How many passengers will be traveling?
  • Do you have preferences in regard to the aircraft cabin??  (i.e. in-flight phone, conference tables, seating configurations, non-stop capabilities, a cabin that will accommodate pets, sleeping capabilities, enclosed lavatory, special entertainment options, a smoking aircraft, etc…)
All of these options (and more) are something you should take into consideration and discuss with your charter coordinator at the time of booking an aircraft.  One of the luxuries of charter flights is that, if you are dealing with the right company, no detail is too much to handle.  Exquisite Air Charter promises that if your request CAN be fulfilled, it WILL be fulfilled!
***Tomorrow I will talk more about choosing the right charter company***
Posted in Guide To Chartering A Private Jet | 1 Comment

Aircraft Charter Cancellation Policies

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Exquisite Air Charter

The cancellation policy when cancelling a charter flight does sometimes vary depending on the aircraft owner and/or operator.  Most aircraft available for charter are independently owned and the owners enter into management agreement with FAA approved charter operators.  The “industry standard” cancellation policy is as follows:

  • If cancelled more than 48 hours prior to scheduled departure: no cancellation applies
  • If cancelled between 24-48 hours of scheduled departure: 2 hours of flight time applies plus any expenses incurred
  • If cancelled between 2-24 hours of scheduled departure: 50% cancellation applies plus any expenses incurred
  • If cancelled less than 2 hours of scheduled departure and/or a no-show: 100% cancellation applies
  • One way flight itineraries generally carry a 100% cancellation term from the time of booking.  The reason for this is because one way flights are generally the result of putting your itinerary together with another party’s itinerary to reduce the costs of the charter for both you and the other party.  With that being said, if one party cancels then the management company and/or aircraft owner lose money on the flight.

**“Any expenses incurred” would typically be things like booking hotel rooms for the crew members and the hotel rooms cannot be refunded.  International fees/permits associated with a flight, etc…

Some aircraft will offer better cancellation terms and some will offer worse.  At the time of quoting, you can always inform Exquisite Air Charter that your itinerary is not guaranteed or pending in some manner and there are ways to avoid the cancellation policy issues.  For instance, we can place an aircraft on a courtesy hold (as opposed to booking it) and with that we don’t enter into an agreement for charter but we place a first right of refusal on the aircraft.  That reserves the aircraft until someone else shows interest in the aircraft.  At that time, you would have the option to book the aircraft or allow the other interested party to book it; you would release it.

At the end of the day, we represent you – whatever we can do to make each of your individual situations/flight itineraries work best, FOR YOU, we will!   Just let us know!

Posted in aircraft charter cancellations | 31 Comments