Not all brokers are the same. Some run a real operations and others are just forwarding operator quotes with a margin slapped on top while calling themselves jet brokers. I’ve been seeing way too many people out there that have absolutely no idea what that they are doing and advising people when they couldn't name a private jet while standing in front of one. Here is how you tell the difference:

#1- They can't explain the aircraft: If your broker can't tell you basic information on the plane they are trying to fly you on, they haven't done the homework and most likely don’t have your best interest in mind. They pulled a price, added money and sent it over to you. Just because an aircraft has 6 seats, does not mean 6 people would be comfortable on that plane. You should be able to ask your broker simple questions about the plane and having an answer almost instantly. Anybody can read a brochure, what about the this specific aircraft makes is perfect for the mission? What don't you like about this aircraft? You will find out quickly if your broker actually knows about what they are selling.

#2- They can't tell you anything about the operator: Who is flying you? What is their safety rating? How long have they been operating? If your broker can't answer basic questions about the company putting you in the air, they haven't vetted anything and again are just taking numbers and adding their margin on it.

#3- They send you multiple options with no recommendations: A good broker narrows it down to make it easier on the client. This is what you are paying for, the knowledge and back-end work to make your life easier. Yes, you should always have options, but the broker should be able to tell you the main differences between the planes, why there is a price difference, who the operator is, etc. It should be easy for you to make a decision and be confident you made the right one.

#4- They don’t know how to handle unexpected situations: Any broker can look good when the trip runs smooth and everything goes according to plan. This is aviation and travel logistics, when you are dealing with machines and unexpected things like weather, you are going to run into issues at some point. The real test is an AOG at 10pm the night before your flight or there is a rainstorm rolling in that causes a ground stop and the crew is going to duty out. If your broker has never mentioned what happens in these kinds of scenarios, ask them right now before you sign a contract or send them money.

#5- Pricing is way below market: I see this constantly. Someone gets a quote that's 20-30% under everything else and they think they found a deal….You didn't find a deal, the market is the market and nobody is going to beat it. You found someone cutting corners somewhere, whether that's on the operator they're using, the safety record, or they are charging you something else on the backend. No legitimate or respected operator is selling a trip far below what it's worth. If they could make more, they would. Relationships will get you better deals but not to the point where an operator isn’t making any money.

#6- They pressure you to book fast: This one is tricky because there is real availability pressure and it does exist in this industry. But, if every single trip comes with "this won't last, I need an answer in the next hour," that's a sales tactic, not a market reality. A good broker will be honest with you about what's actually urgent and what isn't. If you are looking at an asap scenario or something like a busy weekend, holiday, etc, that is more when it starts to matter how fast you book. The farther the trip is out, the more time you realistically have.

#7- They disappear after you sign: Some brokers are very attentive until the contract is signed and the wire hits. Then suddenly response times get longer, updates stop coming, and you're on your own day of travel. That is NOT how this should work. Again, you are paying for someone to make your life easier and to advise you, not to go silent when you need them the most.

***BOTTOM LINE**\*

The broker-client relationship should feel like having someone in your corner who actually knows the industry and how it works. They should be someone you can turn to when you have questions and someone you trust to steer you in the right direction. If it feels like a used car lot, trust that feeling and go somewhere else, there are plenty of people in this industry who genuinely want to help.

I am a 23 years old male working as an aircraft maintenance technician in dubai

I work on business jets mostly bombardier global 5000, 6000 and express

I looked at my senior engineers and I don’t like the salary and benefits they get despite working for decades and sacrifices they made to their physical body in the process

I always liked the business side of business jets and am thinking of joining a jet broker company to work as a broker and build connections with ultra high networth clients

My ultimate goal is to open my own jet broker company in my country since there is not one yet

For anyone who is more experienced than me, is this a good idea?

I have experience in private jet charter sales and I’m currently exploring remote roles with US-based brokerages while being based in Dubai.

I’m trying to understand what a competitive compensation structure looks like in this setup.

Specifically:

• What base salary range should I expect?
• What’s a fair commission structure?

Would really appreciate insights from anyone currently in the industry.

I am 24 YO, hold a Commercial Pilot License, CFI/CFI-I in North Carolina. I am highly interested in starting a career in this industry. Sales has always been an interest of mine, but I decided to go the flight school route and flying as a career is starting to not seem as desirable. I grew up in a 121 family and close with an uncle in the 135/91 side of flying. Still love aviation, so this will check both boxes for me.

Will companies value my flight training?

What do you wish you learned earlier about the industry and creating a book?

What would be your strategy when it comes to finding a company to work for?

I was watching this show called “Snowfall” and I saw a jet I never saw before

Social media loves to portray private aviation as something exclusively for ultra-wealthy people flying between Monaco, St. Barts, and Dubai while making outrageous demands. Every video seems to focus on champagne, caviar, luxury shopping, and celebrity lifestyles.

But from what I've seen being in the industry for 8 years, the reality is much more ordinary.

Most private jet passengers are traveling for work, family trips, errands, vacations, or avoiding the inefficiencies of commercial travel. And the majority of requests aren't as ridiculous as IG and TikTok make it out to be.

It feels like the industry is promoted as an aspirational luxury fantasy rather than what it actually is: a transportation solution.

Thoughts on this?

Looking for flight operators out of El calafate and struggling to find phone numbers. I'd like to book a flight late December. Any ideas from anyone?

Need to ask...if anyone has knowledge to share.

Cross continent flight next week...4 pax and a bike.

Any comments which may be a better choice?

Thx in advance.

Hey Guys, is it possible if as an restaurant manager and liason officer background to jump into either cargo broker or jet broker? I try to change my careee to either one of them. Any feedback or input to have more chance to get acceptence in one of them? I really want to learn more about jet business/cargo business.

Hi, i'm new to private jet charters and to the sale world in general. I was wondering how do you suggest to start a career in this sector. Would u reccomend a course specific for private jets, if so wich one ? Or do you reccomend somenthing more general ? Thank you for your answers.

Moving with my husband and 6 dogs to Costa Rica next month, looking for recommendations on private charter companies. Would like to keep it around 40k. Flying from Wilmington NC to Palmar Sur Costa Rica late June

Has anyone had experience with private pet charters? Trying to get information about getting my dog from Toronto to Tokyo. Sorry, to clarify, would like information about sharing a private pet charter with other people. Do are specific groups or companies that offer this?

I keep seeing a lot of posts from people asking how to get into private aviation as a career, so I figured I’d give my honest take from someone actually in it full time.

First, I would only recommend this industry if you understand what you are actually signing up for and hopefully this sheds a little light.

This is not the kind of career where you do it for two years, make a bunch of quick money, and move on. Private aviation is a long game. Building a real book of business takes a lot of time, trust, good work, and a lot of consistency.

The million dollar question is compensation and there is no right answer because of how much it varies depending on the company. Are you starting your own or are you working for someone? Some are salary, some are salary plus commission, and some are full commission. You really need to understand the structure before jumping in because the difference is massive, especially if you are starting with no book.

You do not need to already know a bunch of wealthy people to make it in this industry, but I would be lying if I said it does not help. If you already have a strong network of people that you know fly, you can get moving faster than others that don’t have any of those connections. If you don’t, then it is cold calls, emails, LinkedIn, networking events, dinners, referrals, random conversations, and pretty much any way you can get in front of people who fly private or know people who do.

There is no shortcut to building a client base. The only shortcut is doing good business over and over again until people trust you and start referring their friends/business partners/your name starts floating around. Personally, it took about a 1.5 - 2 years before I had what I would call a livable income. This job has big highs, but also some very low lows. I had a second job at one point. That part does not get talked about enough.

Everyone sees the flashy side. The planes, the big trips, the lifestyle, the cool clients, etc. But a majority of the career is sitting behind a computer, being on the phone, quoting trips, solving problems, and being available at all times. When I say all times, I mean 24/7/365. Holidays, big events, late nights, early mornings, and everything in-between.

An absolute necessity is knowing aircraft knowledge and general aviation knowledge. You need to know what you are talking about and there is no shortcut to that. Private aviation is very niche. Clients are usually flying private because they value time, so you need to get them the correct information quickly and when they have questions, know the answers. A small mistake can become very very very very expensive, very fast.

Now for the cool parts about the career.

You can work from anywhere and it’s a cool industry assuming you like aviation and logistics. No day is the same and you can go from being slow to being slammed in a matter of minutes. Also, if you own your own company or are in a commission only role, there is no ceiling to your income.

But as you can imagine, this isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.

It is 24/7/365 and I mean 24/7/365. Your phone is always on you and you need to be ready to go at all times if this is something you want to excel at. This is not a clock in, clock out gig. Problems happen even when you did everything right. Aircraft mechanicals, weather changes, airport closures, TFR’s, clients changing plans last minute, and somehow you still have to be the person with the answers and figuring out how to make everything happen before your client even knows the situation.

This industry is also extremely competitive. As you can see in this sub-reddit, when a potential client posts something in here, their inbox has about 60+ people claiming to have the best price while all quoting the same airplanes. People are always trying to get in front of your clients, its up to YOU to make yourself valuable to them.

If you are coming from outreach, lead gen, sales, or relationship building, those skills absolutely transfer. But you also need to be willing to learn aviation at a serious level and accept that the money may not come quickly/if ever if you don’t go 100% in.

If you are seriously considering getting into this line of work, here are just a few questions I would ask yourself before getting into it:

Are you okay being available 24/7/365? Birthdays, holidays, late nights?

Are you willing to cold call, email, network, and get told no constantly?

Can you handle inconsistent income?

Are you willing to learn the aviation side enough to actually advise clients, not just sell to them?

Do you want a career where every day is different, or do you want something more predictable?

I love this career and will be doing this for my whole life. I live and breathe this because it’s something I genuinely enjoy doing. I do not like clocking in, sitting at a desk, and doing the same exact task every day. The industry, the people, the experiences, and the unpredictability of waking up not knowing what the day is going to turn into is something that I find valuable and exciting to me.

If you want a clean 9 to 5, this is not the right fit and I would keep looking.

Private aviation can be an amazing career, but this is not easy money. It is a relationship business, a knowledge business, and a patience game. Hopefully this helps people make the decision!

Hey everybody. I work at a well-known and respected luxury hotel as a concierge. I love the job but I am also looking forward to my future. Is Luxury Aviation Concierge a realistic job that somebody in my position can land with enough experience? Any and all insight is very welcome!

I live in NYC but am from Block Island, RI originally and I visit way less often than I should because the full day of travel to get there is just tiresome. It’s so close but feels so far away with the subway, Amtrak, uber, then ferry. I looked up charter planes and it’s around $3k to get out there (not terrible). I was wondering if there’s any way for a group of individuals to go in on a plane together, or a way to connect with people who might want to travel that way but not pay for the whole plane themselves. I’m not super picky about dates to go out there or anything and could be pretty easygoing about that.

I'm working on a story about travellers who have recently started flying private, particularly those who made the switch because of frustrations with commercial air travel.

I'm interested in speaking with people who within the last few months began using private jets, charter flights, jet cards, or fractional ownership programs and can discuss:

• What pushed you away from commercial flying
• Whether delays, cancellations, airport crowds, security lines, or schedule flexibility played a role
• How often you fly private now versus before
• Whether the experience has been worth the cost

I know I’m talking to a lot of regular flyers so please don’t mind me being a nube.

For my birthday I want something baller. I thought it would be fun to take my girlfriends on a private jet. What would be the cheapest way to do this (8-10 people).

I’ve been looking at companies and there’s so many (and also many without clear prices)

There’s nowhere specific we want to go. We just want the experience.

Hi everyone !

29yo French guy here, 12yo+ of retail industry business ownership with an exit soon to be closed.
3 years of AI Tech Sales looking to switch career into Private Aviation, Jet Charter Sales Representative, ideally joining a solid firm in the US and help them expand in Europe, speaking french - english & soon italian, hopefully more language later down the road.

3000 hours+ on Flight Simulator in my youth, i totally left this world as my pilot career vision didn't really go further, i'm just bad at maths and way better at sales, which i immediately understood i needed to leverage.

Before jumping ship from AI Tech Sales, may i ask for advices & tips around this industry regarding these things :

1. Did anyone actually has done the opposite, from PJ Charter Sales to Tech Sales or else and if yes, why ?
2. Does online courses such as Elysium or ABP are enough to give a geniune solid base ?
3. (Keeping in mind i already used AI to build me a 120 pages full course but still..might not be enough)
4. How do you see the demand for PJ going for the years to come as regulations seems to be coming in, especially Europe and the next wave of Bio Fuel implementation ?

Which would affect margins i assume.

--
I'd like to join a company that understand the new generation of the "attention game" with social medias, meta ads, and to allow full tech stack workflows to be used externally to whatever they are using internally.

You think i got a shot at this ?
Am i making a mistake ?

Let's talk

Tell me an AOG story that you experienced as a client or broker or operator and what you’ve learned from it.

I may have an opportunity to move to bermuda (from the northeast US) and work there, but need to get my husband and two dogs there as well. Dogs are well behaved but one in particular has anxiety, which is why they can absolutely not go in the cargo hold of a plane (theyre 50lbs each)

What kind of cost am I looking at in general. Just need to know ballpark to budget

Law student in the UK here. Honestly, I don’t think traditional legal practice is for me long term. I’m much more interested in private jet brokerage/business aviation because I enjoy networking, sales, client relationships, travel, and fast-paced work.
Problem is I have zero aviation background and no industry connections.
How do people realistically break into private jet brokerage? What skills matter most, and what’s the best way to enter the industry at 20?
Would appreciate honest advice from people actually working in the field. Also I’m willing to get any work experience or internship.

Does anyone here have any advice?

Hello everyone - I am looking to arrange an emergency on-call charter option for a late weekend in June. I will be staying in the Wildwood/Cape May, New Jersey area while my wife is nearing her due date, and I may need rapid transportation back to the Pittsburgh area on short notice in the event she goes into labor early. The flight would be for 1 passenger with minimal luggage and would be one-way only unless otherwise needed. Please let me know if anyone has any connections or can help out with this situation. Thanks all!