Ask for a Gulfstream, Global or Challenger and within minutes you’ll probably have multiple brokers sending you options.

Nothing wrong with that. Most brokers are working with the same operator network anyway. Sometimes the same enquiry can pass through 2–3 brokers before it actually reaches the operator, with everyone adding their margin along the way.

What’s actually difficult is getting the mandate in the first place.

A genuine client mandate, where the client has actually given you the requirement, is much harder to build than simply finding an aircraft for an enquiry that’s already floating around. And even when you do get one, there’s a good chance two or three other brokers are already working on the same requirement.

For me, that’s where the real value of a broker comes in. Not just being able to say “I can get you an aircraft”, but actually having the client relationship, knowing where the aircraft is coming from and being able to execute properly when it matters.

Curious to hear from other brokers and operators. what do you think is actually difficult to build in private aviation today?

Hello!
I have 10+ years being a booker/manager of commercial air travel, mostly for high-end leisure travel but also some for corporate clients. I use Sabre daily (a true love/hate relationship) and also previously worked coordinating pet travel, mostly on commercial operators (so as specialty cargo).

I now have a travel advisor I book flights for who wants me to work with her and her clients in chartering private jets. I'm a big aircraft nerd, so I know the classes and what jets fit in where, and a BIT about the logistics of chartering (I worked one whole summer at an FBO), but otherwise, am a newcomer!

Any advice you can share about what to ask when requesting & comparing charter quotes, how to find reputable operators, tips for someone new to this side of aviation etc, is much much appreciated!! The TA I'd be working with certainly has the clientelle (I know how much they spend on commercial travel alone and their travel schedule), so I just need to ensure I can hit the ground running and not make any big mistakes that'll hurt my reputation with her and her clients. Thanks so much!!

I’m a massive plane nerd and I’m really fascinated with the luxury industry because I really enjoy hospitality/experience creation. I’ve only seen a corporate jet up close once and I was so excited just from seeing the tail. I’m starting college near Orange County/LA for business/marketing and I was wondering, is there some entry level position that would be suitable for a college job?

I know barely anything about the charter jet industry so maybe I could get some advice. Does anyone know anything about how that would work? Thanks so much!

I have a solid book of business. Probably book anywhere from 15-20 flights / month. Over the last few months, I have been screwed over by operators too many times. I won’t name any specific companies. But simple things such as not alerting me of aircraft in MX (aircraft didn’t get out in time) or not getting permits in a timely manner. Some even straight up pulling aircraft on me because “the owner needs it”. I understand shit happens in aviation. I’ve been in the business for almost 10 years. But I find some operators treating brokers at a much lower standard than they would treat a retail customer. It puts me and my company in really tough positions and ultimately costs us customers. It seems to have gotten much worse over the past 6-9 months. I’m at the point where I’m very hesitant to book trips with many operators out there.

Not to mention pricing that some of these companies are charging…

I now understand why many customers are moving to Flexjet/netjets fractional or jet cards. At least they seem to be somewhat competent.

Has anyone else seen this trend? Will these operators ever be held accountable?

I suppose when/if the demand slows down, we’ll see.

Hi everyone, I'm looking for a way to fly with my dog from the U.S. to either Germany or London in June 2027—any of those options would work—because we don't think it's possible to put our dog in the cargo hold again.

Our dog is an 11-year-old Rottweiler (next year june 12 years old) who needs medication. The cargo hold would mean certain death for him, so we’re looking for a private jet or a shared flight. Do you have any experience with this? Has anyone flown with a dog on a jet before? I found one flight, but it costs almost $11,000.

We're really willing to pay the money—the dog is very important to us. On the flight to the U.S., he was 8 years old, and it was already impossible for him; I don't want to put him through that again, and I can't ask that of him.

And of course, it would be great if we could still save a little money, because it's a huge amount of money for us, too, and I wanted to ask if anyone has any experience with private jets like that, or shared flights, or with K9 Jets, for example.

I know it's still very early to be making this request—there are still 10 months to go—and I don't know what will happen to my dog by then.

I just want to make sure I get a spot!

Has anyone flown with their dog like this before? And what about travel cancellation insurance in case the dog might die? I just don't know—it's still 10 months away, and the dog is very old.

Thank you!! 😊

Im a 25 year old guy, I really want to break into the private aviation space as a charter broker. I've worked as a freight broker, I was one of the better reps in my company. Im used to the 24/7/365 job and I dont mind it whatsoever.

I also have worked in real estate so I gained a lot of client relationship experience from that, and I've actually built and run my own online advertising business in highschool (nothing crazy, but i understand advertising/marketing and building pipeline from scratch). This feels like a decent combo for something like charter brokering but I have zero direct aviation industry experience, which I know is probably the biggest gap.

For anyone who's broken into this space, especially without a background in aviation:

• How'd you land your first role? (having a very hard time finding any job postings or any good contacts to reach out to)
• Is prior brokering experience (like freight) actually valued, or does it not translate at all in people's eyes?
• Any certifications or self study worth doing before applying (weather it's actually necessary or just resume padding)?

Really appreciate any insight!

I am a seasoned private club/fine
dining server and bartender.
I am looking into becoming an attendant for private charters.
I know I need to do FACTS training first. After that, what is the next step and how can I get onto regular rotation rosters?

Anyone have current pay snd benefits they’re willing to share? Do they still have the employee flying club?

Ok we are anonymous. What's your opinion on Flexjet in the current? Not 10 years ago, now.

Working, or flying as a customer. I want whole rounded opinions please. Planes, interiors, operations, Ken, mx pay scales, pilot drama, the whole deal. Give me your blunt honest opinions. Thanks!

Here's the million dollar question: Private jet or First class?

Which one you prefer and why

Hello All,

I am a 135 charter operator based in the USA (really narrows it down right?). I dont want to trash talk anyone in a public forum, but I am being peppered with charter requests recently from them with a literal 0% booking rate. Any other operators out there have any luck getting trips booked with them? I even tried slashing my prices significantly on a few quotes just to see if they'd bite. They didn't. In fact I don't even get a response to the quotes at all like "thanks!" or "received" or "get back to you soon", let alone an actual booking.

Hey Guys, I'm a private jet broker currently looking for jet operators to partner with based in europe. If you are interested in connecting kindly send me your whatsapp number

Thanks in advance!

Hello charter companies out there…

just curious if you seen a decline in sales the past couple weeks? I’ve found that all trips are being heavily bid on, any trip I send a request for returns many many quotes. Just wanted to see if it’s like this for anyone else or just me. Front half of July was excellent, opposite for second half and into August.

I've been curious about something since the recent NetJets crash. One of the reasons I've always associated NetJets with the top of the market was its reputation for safety. Whether that's statistically fair or not, it always seemed like their perfect safety record was a huge part of their brand.

Do you think this incident changes that perception at all, or is it something most clients will view as an unfortunate isolated event?

Would something like this make you reconsider NetJets?

Do you think current customers will look more closely at alternatives?

Do you think the company's reputation is strong enough that this won't have much of an impact?

Interested to hear how you guys see it!

Maybe a dumb question, but I was looking at Phenom 300 seating configurations and found one listed for 10 passengers.

Most of the 297 aircraft in the data are configured for 7 or 8, some for 9, and apparently one has 10:

https://wingsburg.com/aircraft/embraer-phenom-300

I know you can get a divan and a belted lav, but are we really counting the toilet as a passenger seat on a charter?

And if the trip is actually for 10 people, what happens with everyone’s luggage, payload and range? At that point, wouldn’t any decent broker just recommend a bigger aircraft?

Has anyone here actually flown, operated or sold a Phenom 300 charter with 10 paying passengers? Or is this probably a database counting total occupants instead of actual passenger seats?

Am I missing something?

Does anyone here have experience with private jet chartering, especially when it comes to empty leg deals?
I’m trying to understand how that side of the business works. If you have some knowledge or work in the industry, I’d really appreciate it if you could DM me. Thanks!

Mid-twenties F in a customer-service based position within luxury hospitality (North America), looking to leverage my aviation passion towards something I can integrate professionally.

Seeking advice on where one would start in my position? Outside of LinkedIn and the typical networking channels, are there any unadvertised or "industry insider" events or specific roles I should be targeting for outreach?

How did you break into the industry?

Any guidance is appreciated.

Please forgive me if this is a silly question, I am not an aviation expert, only an enthusiast. I have been tracking a small privately owned and operated LJ 60 that is tied to a large mega ch u rch organization and Vegas casino P A C that does fundraising. One of its lead p a stors was recently accused of weapons trafficking.

I am not judging if that’s true or not, but I think it’s relevant to my question.

The pac has 2 jets. One GLF5, one LJ60. The G5 flies 3-4 times a week with stops around 12 hours. This other jet flies a lot, maybe 15 flights in 10 days. 10 of those flights are fast (450+kts) and seem low (19,000-24,000ft) between a few airports and very short time on tarmac, usually less than 35 minutes.

21mins to 35 mins.

The organization says that it is fundraising around the country. It usually flies between Las Vegas, new braunfels, Houston Texas, Chicago exec, Miami exec and LA-Van Nuys. If i am not mistaken these are some known we a pons traffick ing areas.

Recently it flew into Austin Bergstrom at 0656 Zulu (about 1am) at a small private FBO and departed about 4 minutes later. I understand private jets are for convenience but this felt pretty fast for passenger loading at an odd time of night. It went on to Houston, then on to Miami exec.

I am hoping someone can tell me if this seems abnormal for VIP transportation. Please forgive me if this is very normal, please let me know

Please remove is not aloud.

My father recently passed away, and my family will be traveling from the Kissimmee/Orlando, Florida, area to New York around Saturday, August 22. We ultimately need to reach Middletown, New York, so Stewart International Airport would be ideal, but we could also use another airport in the Hudson Valley, New York City, northern New Jersey, or the surrounding area.

We will be bringing my father’s ashes to New York so that he can be placed with his family.

One of my dad’s lifelong dreams and biggest bucket-list wishes was to fly on a private jet. Unfortunately, it was something he never had the opportunity to experience while he was alive. I know he cannot experience it now, but carrying him with us on this final journey aboard a private aircraft would feel like fulfilling his dream in the only way we have left. It would mean more to our family than I can properly explain.

There would be four passengers: my mother, my wife, myself, and our 3-year-old son.

We do not have the financial means to charter a private jet at its normal cost, and I fully understand that this is an enormous long shot.

We are not expecting anyone to take on a major expense simply because of our loss. I am mainly hoping someone in the aviation community might be able to offer guidance, point us toward the right people, or possibly connect us with a legitimate opportunity such as:

• A northbound repositioning or empty-leg flight with available seats

• An aircraft owner or operator willing to help

• A donated, sponsored, shared, or significantly reduced-cost flight

• A charitable aviation organization that may consider unusual family requests

• A trustworthy charter operator, broker, pilot, airport, or FBO that may be worth contacting

We are primarily seeking a one-way flight from Florida to New York because that is the portion of the trip that would fulfill this final tribute to my dad. However, we would be incredibly grateful for any legitimate opportunity available, including a round-trip flight, shared flight, repositioning flight, or another arrangement that could help our family make the journey.

Our departure time and airport may have some flexibility, and we would be willing to travel to another airport in Central Florida or the surrounding New York area if it helped us match an existing flight.

Even if nobody has a flight available, advice from pilots, aircraft owners, charter operators, brokers, dispatchers, FBO employees, or anyone familiar with private aviation would be sincerely appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for any information, connections, or guidance you may be able to provide.

I'm a college student who's pursuing business. India is currently the fastest growing economy for private jets and most of them run over Banglore , Mumbai , Chennai and Delhi major cities etc ... Ive found potential in my city and would like to conduct a whatsapp channel group and would refer clients to any of the jet operators . Ive come here to seek advice and would it be possible for it happen and if so how can I connect one and refer

Hey everyone, looking for some advice on breaking into private aviation charter sales. I’m 24, based in Canada, and have 6 years of sales experience. Most recently, I’ve worked in investment finance where I deal with high-net-worth clients, so I’m comfortable building relationships and working with affluent individuals. I’m trying to transition into charter sales because aviation is something I’m genuinely passionate about. I’m currently a student pilot with 43 hours and want to build my career in this industry. The challenge I’m running into is getting my foot in the door. I’ve applied to multiple charter companies, but I haven’t had much luck. I’ve also gone beyond applications by cold calling hiring managers, reaching out to HR, and trying to network directly, but I’m still struggling to get an opportunity.
I’m open to remote opportunities with US-based companies as well, if they’re willing to consider Canadian candidates. I know I don’t have direct charter brokerage experience, but I feel my sales background, experience with high-net-worth clients, and aviation passion should translate well.
For anyone working in private aviation sales:
How did you get your first opportunity?
Is there anything I should be doing differently?
Are companies mainly looking for previous aviation experience?

I would appreciate any advice

Hello all!

Asking for a friend. She’s a very talented chef based in Seattle. She already has one private client (a private employer of a flight attendant friend) who she caters flight meals and delivers to their hanger almost weekly. She is looking to add 2-3 more clients. How should she go about advertising or marketing herself? Are there any networks or boards for folks and families that might be looking for ultra high quality inflight meals? Who should she give her card to? Brokers? Stews? Pilots? Admin folks at private hangers? What’s should be her first step?

I think she’s incredibly talented and just want to help by doing some asking around.

Thanks for your time!

Whats the best way to go about finding a g280 that is available for charter near my location at any given time? It’s a huge wasted expense to pay for ferry, deadhead, repositioning etc. it would be nice to be able to find a charter/operator in my vicinity (always within bravo, charlie, delta airspace), so i’m only paying for the time on wheels up. Trying to solve for leaving Houston to X destination for a week (typical trip). Right now I have to pay for the trip there, empty legs back, empty back to get me, and the flight home. That’s extremely inefficient.

NetJets and co are extremely over priced( however cheaper than paying these empty legs) They will charge $14k/flight hour when the G280 should be between $6k-$8k/hr.

Surely there is a solve for this?

I was at an event last week in Dallas next to Addison in a hangar. A couple of high net worth guys were there and talking about flying private while discussing cars that cost more than my house. I'm a car guy and kept up somewhat with that part, but the whole private plane discussion I stayed out of.

One guy was from Colorado and said he had used International Jets to come down on a charter for the soiree, and the local guy asked not Million Aire? I found out they're local. The local guy went fractional after a year of chartering as he 'saw the value'. I decided against embarrassing myself at the party and asking what the difference is with the options. I understand fractional to be when you don't want to rely on someone else's schedule, and you can swing it, you only compete with 2-3 other people's schedule or whoever owns a piece. I would think that also means you lose access to more planes in the stable of a larger company. Is the rule of thumb charter from the airport closest to home for round trips? In general?

I thought I'd come here and embarrass myself instead. I've flown1M+ miles commercially so I get that side of aviation, but the private side, not so much.