How we price a charter, and how the service works

Cost to Fly Private is an air charter broker and is not a direct air carrier. We do not own or operate aircraft; every flight is operated by an FAA Part 135 (or foreign equivalent) direct air carrier in operational control of the aircraft.

That matters for pricing. Because we are not selling seats on our own aircraft, we can compare operators for your dates and show you why one option costs more than another: a longer positioning flight, a newer aircraft, a different daily minimum or a one-way price that includes the flight home.

We arrange one-way, round-trip and multi-city trips, in the US and worldwide, on aircraft from turboprops to ultra-long-range jets. There is no membership, deposit or sign-up to ask for a quote.

Every quote starts with flight time: the hours your trip will spend in the air, from the operator’s own planning for your route and season, multiplied by the aircraft’s hourly rate. Then we add the lines that depend on where the aircraft is and how long you keep it:

• Positioning, if the aircraft must fly in to collect you or fly home afterwards.
• Daily minimums, where an operator bills a minimum number of hours per day.
• Crew overnights on trips that keep the crew away.
• Federal excise tax of 7.5% on domestic US flights, and segment fees of about $5 per passenger per leg.
• Airport, landing and handling fees, and international taxes where they apply.

Items that depend on the day, such as de-icing or a change of plan that adds a night, are listed on the quote with how they would be charged. The result is an all-in price you can compare honestly with any other quote.

Flights in the US are operated under FAA Part 135, the rules for on-demand commercial operators, which set requirements for maintenance, pilot training and crew duty and rest limits. Abroad, flights are operated by carriers holding the local equivalent certificate.

Many operators also hold ratings from third-party auditors: ARGUS (Gold, Gold+ and Platinum), Wyvern (Wingman) and IS-BAO (stages 1 to 3). Each quote names the operator, its certificate and the ratings it holds, so you can check them before you book. The FAA explains how to verify a charter operator on faa.gov.

Before you book, you get options by email with the operator named and the price broken down. Ask anything; one advisor handles your trip from the first request.

When you book, you sign a charter agreement that sets out the price, payment timing and cancellation terms. Payment follows the agreement.

On the day, you arrive at the private terminal shortly before departure. The crew handles luggage and catering, and the pilot in command makes the final call on weather and safety.

After you land, any variable items listed on the quote, such as de-icing, are settled as the agreement describes. Nothing appears that was not shown in advance.