Commercial airlines that take hundreds of passengers onboard allow citizens to fly together on scheduled routes to regular destinations. However, there can be many advantages to booking a private jet if you want luxury, privacy, and the ability to fly to destinations not served by commercial routes. You need to know the process of booking such a jet, though.
Early Questions
Booking your own private jet might be something you do several months in advance or on just a few hours of notice. In either case, there are several questions that you will need to answer.
For example, where do you want to fly? Are your travel dates and target airports flexible? How many people are coming with you? What sort of luggage is coming along? Do you have a preference for a plane? These are all the details that a private jet service or your travel agent will need to know to arrange the flight you need.
Narrowing Down Your Budget
Once you know the details and stipulations of the flight you want, you’ll start finding potential flights. However, you’ll need to make sure that they fit your budget. You can make a flight more affordable by bringing more people with you if they’re open to sharing the cost.
However, it would help if you remembered that extra passengers and more luggage mean more weight so fuel charges might increase. There may be a need for additional cabin crew and onboard refreshments. Too much luggage might even mean that bags have to be shipped and not carried on the plane.
Payment and Paperwork
When it comes time to actually go about booking a private jet, you need to secure your flight. This likely means the carrier is putting a hold on your credit card so they know a full payment is something they can secure. Just reserving a plane, pilot, and fuel can cost the carrier money before you even set foot on your plane.
You’ll also likely have to fill out various registration paperwork involving both their internal system and specific documents that might be legal necessities based on the airspace that you fly through. If you’re crossing any international borders or going through the airspace of multiple countries, then the need for documentation can get even more complex.
Organizing In-Flight Details
If you fly a commercial passenger airliner, your ticket tells you what gate to show up at and when to be ready to board. Once onboard, you’re confined to your seat and left to entertain yourself, although there might be some snacks and beverages at certain points on the flight. Flying private is a much different affair.
You can get a luxury experience unlike anything else, but the service will want to know certain details in advance so they can take care of them. They’ll likely have a diverse selection of catering options you can pick from, but you’ll need to make the choices before the flight so they can have the food arranged before the flight to ensure it’s onboard and waiting for you.
Arranging Land Connections
Private jet services usually don’t fly out of commercial airports. Even if you know exactly where the closest big airport is, you might need to look up the address of where your private jet will be taking off from.
For example, arrange a rideshare, taxi, or limo service to take you there.
Even if parking is available, you might not want to leave your car there while you’re gone. So depending on your ride to the airport, you might get a start on the luxury leg of your trip.
Once you fly a private jet once, you’re likely to be so enamored with the experience that you choose to do it again someday.
Fortunately, the rebooking process is much simpler than the first time you go about booking a private jet. A lot of your information will already be in the system if you use the same service provider again, so registering your next flight should be a breeze.