Taking to the skies is still the best way to get to destinations that are thousands of miles away.
Even though people can have unpleasant experiences at airports, they do enjoy the experience of flying itself.
If you are a little jaded from your last few commercial flights, you may want to try an alternative.
Perhaps you should try to fly with small private jets, which provide a much more luxurious, personal, and safe experience.
Below are five steps to take before you charter a private jet for the first time.
1. Choose Carefully
When people hear the words private plane, they assume that any company that is offering such a chartering service is top-notch. Even though most such businesses do charge significant prices, not all of them are equal in terms of experience.
Some of the factors to consider when you are chartering a plane include the aircraft type and age, maintenance on the plane, pilot qualifications, company reviews, safety ratings, and the experiences of people you know who flew with those companies.
Talk to people in your circle of friends, family, or workplace who have rented a private jet in the past 12 to 18 months. They can give you the low down on some of the top companies in the sector, while you can also assess online reviews to understand the experiences of real people with these companies.
2. Learn the Process
Many people are not aware of the intricacies of renting a private jet. Simply telling a chartering company that you want to book one of their planes is not enough, as you must provide detailed information about how many people are in your party and what amenities you desire.
There are many different sizes of private jets, which means that a party of five people may not fit on a plane that has a capacity for two or three passengers. Similarly, if you are traveling alone or with one other person, renting the smallest plane that is rated as safe for your flight distance will save you money.
Private planes are all about luxury, which is why chartering companies want to give customers the best possible experience. Run through the list of amenities these companies offer, and then point out the services you require on the day of your flight.
3. Pick the Ideal Airport
The airports that you choose for your starting and ending point will be very important in the context of your journey. Some people get lazy and look up the biggest airports near the area where they live or their destination and request flights from those locations.
Do not make such a mistake, as a significant advantage of chartering a private plane is that you can leave from smaller airports or private jet runways. Learn information about the airports in your area that allow private planes to take off and land, while assessing similar information about your destination.
Booking your trip from the right airports can save you a lot of time and hassle. Rather than having to drive 30 minutes to an hour to reach a larger airport, you could arrive at a modest airport to board your private plane within 10 or 15 minutes, depending on where you live.
4. Book One-Way Trips
A common rule when booking a commercial flight is that if you want to save money, you should book both legs of your journey upfront. Booking a round trip usually comes with a discount for each flight, as the airlines are happy to get a customer that is choosing them for both directions of their journey.
Booking a private jet is very different, as chartering a plane for a round trip means that you are asking it to remain grounded at your destination for several days, until your return journey home.
Unless you are willing to pay over the odds to keep the private jet grounded on the runway at your destination until your departure date and time, you should be booking private jets for one-way trips.
You can still use the same company to charter a plane for the return journey, but specify that you are booking two separate trips. That ensures you are only paying to charter the plane for your individual flights, not any of the hours or days in between.
5. Understand “Empty-Leg” Flights
Private jet companies often have to fly empty planes back to the origin city, depending on where they are flying clients.
Say a group books a trip to an area where few people go during the off-season, the private jet company may not have any bookings around those days for the return journey. Rather than fly an entirely empty plane back to the origin city, they offer “empty-leg” flight discounts to customers who want to charter a plane at the last minute.
You can always keep a look-out for such discounts from reputable chartering companies in your area. If you get lucky, you may be able to save a lot of money and still enjoy a luxurious, private trip on a small jet.
Elevate Your Upcoming Vacation or Business Trip
Anyone who is planning to fly in the coming months for business or pleasure should be considering private jets. The prices for chartering a flight are very competitive, especially when compared to the cost of several first class tickets.
Those who enjoy flying in style, but are tired of spending hours going through airport security for domestic flights, may want an alternative. Now they have one in the form of renting a private jet.
The above guide should help you save money on your first few private jet bookings, while ensuring you are scheduling your flight with reputable companies that deliver an outstanding experience.
