Private jets. They can be a luxurious item for those that want to take private getaways. However, they can also be a tool for business owners to use at their disposal.
In the United States, there are over 14,000 private jets.
If you have one of these jets or are considering getting one, you may want to look into aircraft management services.
What is aircraft management? What perks can aircraft services give you? How do you know which one is the best one to choose?
This is your guide.
Available Fleet
During the beginning of this search, you may not have even bought yourself a private jet yet. If you are still in the process of buying a jet, you could do it with an aircraft management company.
Some of the top services are going to have several different options when it comes to private jets you could purchase. A lot of it depends on how many people you want the private jet to hold.
Do you need six people or less? Do you need just enough room for a small business meeting or family? Or, do you want the jet to be big enough to have a party on it?
Going into a jet purchase, you should have an idea of how many people you want it to hold. You can then go to an aircraft management service and see if they have a jet on their fleet that fits your needs.
If they have one that matches your size requirements, you can start considering other factors such as comfort and luxury.
Does the jet have a place where you can lay down? Does it have a liquor cabinet for you and your guests to enjoy? These may be the little things that end up deciding what type of jet you are going to buy.
Cost of the Jet
Another thing you are going to want to take into consideration is how much money you are willing to spend on a jet. Some people may think that if they have enough money to buy a jet, the exact price is not going to be a problem.
Well, it can become a problem to some people because the price of a jet has a very wide range. Part of it depends on the size of the jet and another part depends on how new the model is.
For example, you can spend up to $65 million for the biggest jet that money can buy. However, that is a new model in the largest size.
If you wanted to save money, you can buy a jet that size for half of the money. If you wanted to spend even less money, you can buy a very light jet for under $5 million.
The point is that you do have options when it comes to saving money on jets. Something else you have to remember with this is that one aircraft management company is not the only game in town. Feel free to shop around for a jet until you find somewhere that offers you a fair price.
Maintenance Services
Considering that a jet is going to cost you millions of dollars, you want to make sure that you are investing the right resources to take care of it. That is why when you are looking at aircraft management companies, you better make sure that they come with the right maintenance team.
For one thing, this maintenance can decide whether or not your aircraft is safe to fly. On top of this, if you get the right maintenance, then it will likely extend the life of your jet.
If you are purchasing your jet through the same company, you should see if the maintenance team will give you a free inspection before you finalize the deal. Then, you could see if any issues arise with your jet and what it will take to fix those issues.
See what you think of the maintenance team and determine if you can trust them. Also, make sure that they are FAA compliant, which we will talk more about below.
FAA Compliance
Like every other major industry in the world, there is an organization that oversees the use of all aircraft. This organization is called the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
What do they do? They ensure that all aircraft is safe to fly and that crew and maintenance are following all of the compliance programs that are put in place.
The FAA also provides licenses and certifications for professionals that are working in this industry. If you are considering buying a jet, you may want to look into what licenses and certifications your crew should have.
Is your aircraft registered? Are your pilots and mechanics certified? Does your cabin crew know emergency procedures?
These are things that you should be requiring from an aircraft management service before you agree to sign on with them. Having these licenses and certifications can show that they are a legitimate organization that does things by the book. It can also show you that they take safety very seriously.
Do some research on FAA compliance so that way you know what to look for when it comes time to choose an aircraft management service.
Chartering Your Jet
Are you someone that is sure that you are not going to use your private jet full-time? Is the main purpose of your purchase for special occasions?
If you answered yes to either of these questions, then you are likely not going to make maximum usage of your jet without some guidance.
Do you want to take some of the expenses off of your back while the jet is just sitting there? One way you can do that is by chartering your jet to other people.
Think of it like subletting an apartment or a vacation home while you are not using it. It is just sitting there while you are gone. So, to help with the expenses of maintaining it, you rent it to other people temporarily.
The same thing applies when you let someone charter your jet. They pay you a certain amount of money to lease the jet for a certain route.
As long as you know that the route is possible to fly with that type of jet, you let them take the jet and you make some of your money back. This option is ideal for those that want to minimize their expenses for a jet and for those that do not see themselves using a jet often enough to keep for themselves.
It can end up being a situation where everybody wins and you can charge up to $11,000 per hour.
Crew Experience
Something else that you should ask an aircraft management service is what type of experience their crew has. For those of you that do not know, this service is typically responsible for providing a crew whenever you need them.
How many years of experience does this crew have? How long have they worked together for? Do they all have the proper licenses and certifications? Will you always get the same crew?
These are the questions you need to ask if you are concerned about the crew. Just be mindful that you may not get a straight answer. That is because sometimes, crews rotate because of certain availability issues.
However, you should at least be able to get a general answer. This can be minimum requirements that it takes to be a part of the crew, a guarantee that they have the appropriate licenses and certifications, and more.
See how these companies respond to these questions and then judge accordingly.
Flight Flexibility
As a private jet owner, you have to remember that for the most part, you make the schedule. There is no set time that you have to be at the airport by. If you are late, the jet will wait for you.
However, there are certain limits with this depending on what aircraft service you use. Since the service is the one that provides the flight crew, they will likely need some time to assemble the crew. Because of this, you may have to give a certain amount of notice before you can depart an airport.
An example might be that if you want a full crew for a domestic flight, you have to provide more than eight hours of notice. That gives the aircraft service at least a full work day or an evening to get pilots and cabin crew together.
This could be even longer for international flights due to border restrictions. On top of this, everyone that is flying overseas has to have additional documents that support their citizenship.
What this means is that it is unlikely you can just show up to an airport unannounced and demand that your jet leaves immediately. While aircraft services will be as flexible as they can with your needs, you will have to expect to give some type of notice.
So, ask around and see what type of notice is required for certain flights. Do not be afraid to ask about specific situations. Then, you can decide accordingly if an aircraft service is flexible enough for your typical needs.
Privacy
Something else that you should consider is how important privacy is for you and your guests. In an airport that caters to chartered jets and private jets, this is not likely to be nearly as big as a problem as commercial airports.
There are going to be certain limitations to this privacy because certain paperwork needs to be filed for these flights. However, that does not mean that discretion is impossible in these situations.
Let’s say that you want to take a friend that is a celebrity on your flight. Or, you could be a business owner that wants to do business with a very famous client.
These types of people are probably looking for as much discretion and privacy as possible when it comes to travel. You need to ask an aircraft service what type of privacy they can offer these people.
Can they provide a space where they can go through security by themselves? On arrival, can they take these types of passengers directly to private transportation?
These are the things that you need to ask about if you plan to do this. It can help you figure out if the right services are there for your needs.
Flying Distance
Finally, some aircraft management companies may have limitations on how far they are willing to go for flight routes. An example could be some not being willing to fly to international airports. Another example could be some services only be willing to fly a certain amount of hours at a time before stopping.
You should have an idea of what you want to use a private jet for. You may be very specific about what type of flight routes you need this service for. See if it is possible to do with the service company you are talking to.
Find an Aircraft Management Company
These are the basic things that you need to look into when you are trying to find an aircraft management company. Remember that although a private jet is a luxury, that does not mean that costs are limitless.
Look into how much a private jet costs with that company. Also, look into what additional services cost such as certain maintenance on the plane, staffing a full flight crew, etc.
Do you have more questions? Message us here today to get them answered.
