What To Expect in the Jet Chartering Process

There’s a lot to consider when you’re looking to charter a private jet. There are things that matter–a lot–or else you wouldn’t be flying by private jet charter.

To charter a private jet, you need to contact Stratos Jet Charters and give us some key information about your flight –this is a quick call which will be over in six or seven minutes, because we value your time. Of course you’ll need to provide destination and times (including which airports you want to fly to), but also the number of passengers, the amount of baggage, as well as any concierge services (catering, ground transportation, etc.) Will you want a flat floor or a recessed floor? Will you want WiFi on board? From there, our team begins finding you the best air carrier to meet your needs.

Here’s What You Can Expect

First and foremost is convenience. Flying by private jet is all about getting where you need to go in the easiest and fastest way possible. You don’t want to have to deal with the hassle of airport terminals and security checkpoints and interminable waits and connecting flights–flying private we have access to 16,000 airports. That’s a lot more than what you get from flying commercial. You want to go where you’re going, and you need it on your terms.

There’s also the issue of anonymity–no one knows your plans. Whether you’re a CEO, a celebrity, an athlete, we value your privacy. Flying by private jet charter offers you a sort of anonymity and solitude that you don’t get if you’re flying commercial. No one knows your flight plans other than Stratos and the flight crew. Aside from not having to wait in lines, you also don’t have to sit next to people you don’t know who ask questions you’re not interested in answering. You want a peaceful flight, and that means no worries about interruptions, bothersome conversations, or the other issues associated with being out in the public eye.

Of course, you expect wonderful conditions–that’s a no brainer. You’re not flying commercial and you shouldn’t have to expect dirty seats and packages of peanuts. There are better ways to fly.

And you want the plane to be on your schedule, not you having to be on the plane’s schedule. You decide where you want to go when you want to go there, and you set the timetable. Private jets are about the perfect accommodations.

How Do I Choose the RIGHT Private Jet Charter Company?

This is the important question, because there are a lot of private jet charters out there vying for your business, and a lot of them will make a lot of promises. So how do you know which one is the best, and, in particular, which one is the best for you.

What is the Safest Private Jet Company?

Flying by private plane is very safe–much safer than driving in a car–but are there differences from one jet charter service to the next? You bet there are.

Chartered flights through Stratos Jet Charters will always have two pilots. In a lot of private aviation, you’ll find that private jet charters see this as a place to cut costs. Certainly, pilots are expensive, and having two pilots in the cockpit is going to be considerably more expensive than having just one.

We require 2 pilots.  So does the FAA in most cases.  There are some aircraft that are single pilot certified. Maybe clarify that regardless of the type of aircraft, Stratos requires 2 pilots.

It’s not only 2 pilots that we require.  We also require them to greatly exceed the FAA Legal minimums.  We do this by auditing their experience level across multiple dimensions.

  • FAA Rating
  • Total Time
  • Time as a captain
  • Time in type
  • Recency of Simulated based flight training.
  • 1st class medical

That said, at Stratos Jet Charters, the air carriers we charter do not leave the ground in any jet–turboprop, business jet, midsize, or large jet–without two qualified pilots. Why? Because we care about safety. We care about it a lot.

The air carriers who work with us must follow rigorous safety guidelines or we will not do business with them. We hold our air carriers to high standards because we value you and your life more than we value the cost of the extra pilot.

And this extends beyond pilots. We look for safety in all aspects of an air carrier’s processes.  From a proactive approach to maintenance to pilot training and even the knowledge of their flight coordinators.     They must maintain detailed logs, impeccable training, and have a strong knowledge of the operating performance and capabilities of their fleet.

We wouldn’t be a good private charter company if we didn’t prioritize your safety.

Safety is about choosing the aircraft with the appropriate performance characteristics for the intended mission.  Matching that with a crew who’s experienced in flying that particular airplane and their familiarity with the airports you’ll be flying to.

Stratos strong industry knowledge and deep relationships enable us to recommend the most appropriate  aircraft and operator for every flight.

How Much Does It Cost to Charter a Private Jet?

The question of how much to rent a private jet can vary widely depending on passengers, cargo, destination, and type of aircraft. There is no simple hourly rate for chartering a private flight. And the difference between chartered flights on heavy jets versus light jets is substantial.

For the best way to estimate the cost of your trip, use our Cost Calculator. The prices that you find there are not guaranteed prices, but they are the product of a complex algorithm which records all the data from air carriers who have flown or quoted those (and similar) routes to  Stratos Jet Charters on past charter flights. Using the Cost Calculator tool will give you a very good ballpark figure on what you can expect to pay for a proposed charter flight.

So give us a try. Plug in a flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco, or New York to Washington DC, and see if our jet charter costs aren’t clear, straightforward, and honest.

Is It Better to Own or Charter a Private Jet?

Investopedia estimates the cost of buying a private plane as being somewhere between $2 million to $100 million per year.  But the purchase price of the plane is often the cheapest cost of ownership.  Some of the costs that go into owning a plane are not things that you may immediately think of. When you buy a plane, you need to have a crew (who’ve been trained to fly your plane, a hangar to store it in when you’re not using it, liability insurance and of course maintenance. The rule of thumb they suggest is that, no matter the plane you buy, you can expect to be paying anywhere from $500,000 to $1,000,000 in operating costs per year. These costs include everything from routine calendar and usage based maintenance to the unexpected electric or mechanical work. Even blown tires, cracked windshields and cleaning.

Some of the costs will include the hangar (known as hangarage) or the cost of storing your airplane somewhere when you’re not using it. There are also the salaries and benefits of the crew. And there is aircraft insurance, which is not inexpensive.

Regular inspections will be done of your aircraft, and aircraft inspectors do not want to see a single missing screw or item out of place, as such things could lead to disaster. The cost of preparing for these inspections is hefty, and the cost of cleaning up any problems that they have found is pricey.

The main takeaway is that, unless you are spending an awful lot on private air travel per year, then buying a private jet is much less economically reasonable than chartering a jet through a membership charter service.

Stratos Jet Charter’s Membership Program

On the flip side of owning your own private jet, you can become a member of the Stratos Jet Charters membership program, which gives you almost as much flexibility to travel by private jet as if you owned your own.

And when you’re a member you also have the ability to cancel much more easily than if you were simply using a private jet on demand. On demand passengers are not typically able to cancel their private flights, but members have up to 72 hours before the flight to cancel with no penalty.

Of course, you don’t need to be a member to make use of Stratos Jet Charters. We take care of many clients on a flight-by-flight basis through our on demand jet charter program.  Who experience just as high a touch of a customer experience as our members. There are just perks to membership.

Which Private Jet Service is Best?

We believe that by now we’ve made the case that flying with Stratos Jet Charters is going to be your optimum solution when you choose to fly by private plane. We care about your safety. We care about your schedule, convenience and anonymity.

We truly believe that no other company can coordinate a safer, more hassle free and enjoyable flight experience than Stratos Jets. . And we prioritize transparency in the reservation, planning and quoting of every charter flight we book.  Regardless of your status as an on demand customer or a member of Stratos Jets.

Book a Private Jet Charter!