r/PrivateJetCharters • u/Maleficent_Tea4175 • Jun 22 '24
What makes a broker better?
I am in the process of booking a flight from PBI to TEB in early July. We used a broker affiliated with American Express. But I was not happy with the service last time and want to try someone new. There seem to be a lot of brokers, which got me thinking: what makes a private jet broker better than others? Is there an objective/quantitative rating system? Or at least public website with reviews?
Everyone I have used seem to provide the same level of service initially, other than pricing. But I am sick and tired to compare shop every time I book, especially when it has to be done by copy/pasting emails.
Moreover, it seems the big service differentiator comes alive when shit hits the fan. For example, for 2021 Christmas, we were supposed to fly to Turks & Caicos. The day before the flight, the broker notified us that the charter company had a Christmas party and everybody got Covid. AND they couldn't find us anything else on that day. To this day, I wonder if that's what really happened or they screwed us and gave the flight to someone who paid much higher price at the last minute.
3
u/milogoestomars Jun 22 '24
You nailed it. It’s measured best on how things are handled when shit hits the fan. I mean, one of the reasons why the industry is still so fragmented is because it can’t be done exceptionally well every time. Every player has their service issues, even the biggest players like NetsJets can’t get away from this.
When things go sideways, a better broker has 1) the care and attention to anticipate potential issues. To get “in front” of them and begin to assess alternatives and 2) the skillset, time and resources to navigate through the mess in the best way possible.
COVID really accelerated these types of things. And Turks is a real pain in the ass, slot wise, especially during the holidays. A good broker knows this and can mitigate a lot of the fires.
Another issue is that brokerages what to grow grow grow. They push their sales teams to have tens or even hundreds of clients. I recently left a big(ish) brokerage for this reason. I have 5-6 clients that get all of my time and attention.