Lifting the lid on private jet charter pricing

With the global financial downturn squeezing every industry, even private jet travellers are looking harder to secure the best price. Here private jet booking platform, PrivateFly.com, presents its top five tips for obtaining the most cost-effective private jet hire – and reveals how the cost of chartering a private jet is actually calculated.

Carol Cork, marketing director at PrivateFly.com, comments: "While safety and service levels are their primary considerations, the private jet customer is certainly not immune to looking for a good deal – particularly in the current economic climate. The time-saving and luxury benefits of private jet travel are compelling, but everyone wants to know they have paid a fair rate.

"Here are our top tips for getting the best price on private jet hire".

• Shop around

With over 7,000 aircraft available globally for charter, prices can vary considerably for the same trip. Don't use the same operator each time you fly - comparing quotes will pay dividends.

• Use the closest available aircraft

Like a taxi, private jet hire costs include getting the aircraft to and from its home base. So hiring an aircraft from its home base or knowing where aircraft are located from a previous trip, can avoid these repositioning costs. For example, being flexible to use airports like Luton, Oxford and Biggin Hill around London can give significant savings.

• Book in advance

Private jets are often booked at the last minute – one of the benefits of private jet travel is how quickly you can be airborne. However, when schedules allow, a week's lead time can give greater aircraft availability – and therefore secure more competitive pricing.

• Consider different aircraft types

Many private jet users will have a favourite aircraft, but the costs savings are considerable if the most efficient aircraft is used for each trip and group size. While executive jets are perfect for continental and long-range flights, turbo prop aircraft can be a great alternative for short, internal flights - with executive interiors that are often more spacious than their jet equivalent.

• Look out for empty legs

If an itinerary is flexible, taking an empty leg – a repositioning flight which is sold at a huge discount - can result in savings of up to 75 per cent. Many aircraft and brokers now publish their empty legs online.

Carol Cork continues: "Even in a recession, the demand for private jet travel remains strong and not just amongst the super rich - there are significant efficiency benefits for the business traveller. However cost-consciousness is at an all-time high: transparency has never been more important for the private jet customer to know they have paid the right price and what they are paying for". How private jet charter costs are calculated

The cost of private jet hire – always quoted for the whole aircraft not per passenger - depends on a number of factors, in addition to the aircraft type, its hourly rate and the distance of journey. These include:

• Airport landing fees: Each airport charges a unique landing fee for an aircraft. This will depend on its weight.
• Airport handling fees: Most airports require an aircraft to be managed on the ground by a fixed based operator (FBO) or aircraft handling company. The charges incurred will cover the cost of arranging fuel, sanitation, passenger transport to and from the terminal, crew rest facilities and other handling requirements.
• Passenger taxes and levies: Depending on the airport and country, passenger taxes and levies may be payable.
• Crew salaries and expenses: Most private jets have 2 pilots but smaller propeller aircraft can operate with only one captain. Larger cabin aircraft will also have a flight attendant on-board. When working, the crew's meals and hotel costs are always paid for by the aircraft operator and billed to the charterer.
• Ground transport: Costs of taxis for the crew and any requested cars for the passengers will be added into the charter price.

An example of private jet pricing

Here is an example of the charter costs for an overnight return flight between London City Airport and Frankfurt Airport, for five passengers on a Citation XLS based at London Biggin Hill.

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