Below are some frequently asked questions that we receive about private air travel. This means of travel adds value by increasing your productivity, minimizing your travel time, and eliminating most of the frustrations of traditional airline travel. With private air charters you will have access to thousands of more airports in the world, greater comfort and privacy, and a schedule in which you dictate.
Currently, the Bahamas is open for business. To travel to/from the Bahamas you need to accomplish the following:
Contact us with any questions. We frequently fly to/from the Bahamas and are very familiar with the procedures.
Generally, no. That is part of the convenience of flying private as you can arrive shortly before your proposed time without allocating contingency time for long TSA security lines. For the safety of you and others, however, the ramp in which the aircraft is located is secured and access restricted.
We are always keeping up with the changes to the COVID restrictions in each country. During the winter months, many people are focused on private air charters to the Caribbean and other warm weather destinations. There are several places where you can travel to. For example, taking a private aircraft charter flight from Tampa to Mexico or Domincan Republic is easy and doesn't even require a COVID test. It's also possible to catch a private jet charter from Florida to the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Puerto Rico and Aruba with a COVID negative test but no quarantine upon arrival. Some other island nations are requiring a mandatory COVID test and quarantine upon arrival in places such as: British Virgin Islands, Jamaica, and Cayman Islands. These restrictions are always changing. Before booking your private air charter, be sure to check with us to see what the requirements may be before you hop on your private jet. You can also check our blog page where we talk in detail about these restrictions as they are updated.
With some exceptions, yes, they are. In respect to the owners of the aircraft in which we manage that are available to charter, it is their discretion of whether pets shall be allowed. In addition, we do ensure that the aircraft are cleaned and a pet policy is in the terms and conditions to ensure that all aircraft are cleaned and maintained.
That's the benefit to private air charters. We leave when it's convenient for you and your group. As of the time of this writing, we've never lost a piece of luggage or left without any of our passengers.
Absolutely! There is a misperception that "small" planes are not safe. All of our aircraft are professionally managed and maintained. Our pilots and flight crew receive most of their training, annually, from FlightSafety, a Berkshire Hathaway Company, where they are rigorously tested on all normal and abnormal scenarios. Also, the FAA will test these flight crew members every 6 months to ensure that they are operating safely.
The cost to charter a private jet depends on several variables. Mainly, the first thing to know is what size and type of aircraft is the best match for your budget and your needs. The type of aircraft is usually categorized in one of the following categories:
There are slight variations to the categories above and, generally, the price of the aircraft increases with size.
Aircraft charters are based on the hourly rate for the particular aircraft types that you are chartering. Regardless if there are passengers on board or it is an empty leg, this hourly rate usually applies. The cost to operate the aircraft are the same regardless if there are passengers on board. The hourly rate on private jet charters varies from $500 per hour in our Piper Cherokee Six and as much as $10,000 per hour in a Gulfstream 650. Of course, there are many different rates in between. For example, our Beechcraft King Air 200 has an hourly rate of $1,600 per hour and is a great turboprop aircraft for a family to travel within a 1,000 mile radius.
If you are flying private, the aircraft operator will need to cover expenses related to cost of landing at certain airports, overnight expenses for the aircraft and flight crew, and any other fees associated with operating at an airport of your choice. Often, major airports that the airlines fly into such as Boston-Logan International Airport or Miami International Airport have very high landing fees. In those situations, it is more cost effective to get a private jet flight into neighboring and, many times, more conveninet airports away from the major airports. Because of these fees, using an hourly rate disucssed above is misleading to get an accurate idea of the total jet charter costs. The larger the aircraft, the greater the ancilary fees may be outside of this hourly rate.
If you wanted to book an airaft charter flight from Tampa to Miami, you can expect the following:
Cherokee Six (Piston)
King Air B200 (Turboprop)
We are happy to arrange for all of your travel needs. Most airports that we can fly into have car rentals, drivers, and/or ride sharing available. If you have a rental car or a hired driver, we can arrange for them to have access to the aircraft so that you can literally walk steps to your ground transportation from the aircraft as soon as the engines shut down.
If passengers are being dropped off in a city and the aircraft is to reposition back to it's home base (or another city) without passengers, this is considered an "empty leg". Empty legs can be purchased for these routes at a highly discounted price than a standard charter. These can be especially valuable to you and your group on common routes. Click here and sign up to be placed on our empty leg email list so that we can share with you empty legs that may benefit you.