The things people actually ask.
Answered in the detail we would want if we were the ones enquiring.
This page covers what applies whatever you are chartering.
Questions that belong to one kind of movement sit on that movement’s own page: what a squad needs, what a series contract has to say, what a medical configuration means. They are linked further down.
If yours is not answered anywhere, ask it. We would rather say we do not know and find out than give you an answer that merely sounds right.
From enquiry to offer.
How quickly will I hear back?
An assessment the same day, and in most cases a firm offer within 24 hours, naming the operator and the aircraft.
If your dates or your routing make that unrealistic, we say so in the first reply rather than going quiet and hoping. Silence from a broker usually means the answer is difficult, and you are better off knowing that early.
What do you need from me to start?
Who or what travels, from where to where, and roughly when. That is enough for a first assessment.
What sharpens it: the total luggage or cargo, anything unusual in it, and what has to happen at both ends. Ninety per cent of charter problems are ground problems, and they are far cheaper to solve at the enquiry stage than at the aircraft door.
Why will you not give me a price range?
Because a range wide enough to be honest is too wide to be useful. The same route on the same day can differ by a multiple depending on where a suitable aircraft happens to be, what the airports charge, and whether the crew can do it without an extension.
Tell us the mission and you get a figure for that mission, itemised, usually within a day. That is a more useful number than any range.
What is actually in the quote?
The operator by name, the aircraft registration, the full route with timings, and what is included: positioning, handling, catering, taxes and fees.
Separately, what could still move, such as de-icing or extended waiting time, named as a variable with an indication of its size. Not a footnote, and not a surprise on the invoice.
Is an enquiry binding?
No. An enquiry is a question. Nothing is committed until you accept a named offer in writing, and we do not pass your details to any operator before you have asked us to obtain a quote.
Three things a quote from us always names.
How an operator ends up on your shortlist.
What exactly do you check?
The air operator certificate and its scope, that it covers the operation and the region. Insurance, including hull and third party liability and passenger cover, with sums appropriate to your party rather than whatever is carried as standard.
Crew hours on the specific type, recency, and whether duty time works for your schedule without an extension. And the maintenance status of the actual tail offered, not of the fleet it belongs to.
What happens if an operator fails a check?
They do not appear in your options, and we tell you that it happened and why. A shortlist that quietly drops a name is indistinguishable from a shortlist that never had it.
Can I ask which operators you considered?
Yes, and you should. We will tell you what we verified on the operator being offered and what we found, and name which others were looked at and set aside.
A broker who cannot answer that in specifics has not done the work you are paying for.
Are you an operator yourselves?
No. We do not own aircraft and we do not hold an air operator certificate. That is what leaves us free to choose the right operator for each mission instead of selling the one we happen to have free.
How are you paid, and does it bias the recommendation?
A commission from the operator, or a transparent fee agreed with you, and we tell you which before you book.
We do not accept a commission structure that would make a weaker operator more attractive to us than a stronger one. If you would rather remove the question entirely, ask for a fee based arrangement.
Worldwide, subject to permits and crew duty limits.
Both of which we check before we quote, not after you book.
Questions that belong to one kind of movement.
When something changes.
Who do I speak to once it is booked?
The same person who quoted you, reachable around the clock from the moment you accept until you are back. Not a duty desk and not a ticket number.
Cover for holidays is arranged and you are told who it is before it applies, rather than discovering it when you call.
What if the aircraft changes before departure?
You hear it from us, with the reason and with the replacement verified to the same standard. A substitution that arrives as a surprise at the airport is a failure of the broker, not of the operator.
What if we are delayed on the ground?
Extended waiting time is one of the variables named in your quote, so you already know roughly what it costs before it happens. We deal with the operator and the handling agent; you are told what the options are rather than asked to choose blind.
Do you follow up after the flight?
One invoice, itemised. And we ask how it went, because that feedback goes into our operator assessment, which is the record that decides who gets offered to the next client.
Still not answered?
Ask us directly. Send the mission and we will come back the same day, sooner if you mark it urgent.