Air Charter Services Basics

Learn the ins and outs of air charter services
By Cathy Salustri If your business ever requires air charter services, then you may wish to better understand air charter services basics. Air chartering doesn't require special powers or unusual intelligence, just some research and experience to understand how air charter services work. Whether your business plans to charter once per year or once per month, knowing how air charter services work will help save your business time and money.
 

Mastering air charter services basics means understanding what you're getting when your business charters an airplane, whether the charter is for people or whether you're chartering an air cargo carrier. Once you master the basics you'll be able to understand more about air charter services. Knowing the basics means you should understand the answers to the following three questions, nothing more.

1. What is my business paying for with air chartering?

2. What should I expect from air charter services?

3. How can I find qualified air charter services?

Know what air charter services include with their fees

Whether your business hires air charter cargo services or air charter services for passengers, it's important that you understand what your fee does and does not buy you. Knowing what you're paying for early in the process helps you effectively comparison shop and averts potential frustration later. Both domestic and global air charter services have standard fees as well as extras, so take the time to research what you're paying for and how to get it at the best price.
Try: Air Charter Service provides a detailed list of what you should expect with each type or charter service. Air Planning also details its charter services and offers the option of instant messaging the company with any questions.

Understand what level of service you can expect from the air charter operators

This is not the same as what your business pays for. Air charter operators vary in how they provide the same services: some provide uniformed captains and crew while others may offer more in-flight services. If you hire cargo charter flights, then you'll probably base your decision more on pre- and post-flight services, so pay attention to those as well as prices.
Try: Members of the Air Charter Association of North America must meet certain criteria, so start by looking at its membership criteria and consider chartering one of its member companies. If you're looking for an air cargo carrier, then you'll want to stay on top of your cargo's progress, so consider an air cargo carrier like Alaska Airlines. It has a tracking system as well as a rate calculator, both handy online conveniences.

Find out where to look to comparison shop for air charter services

When you're shopping around for air charter services online, look for air chartering operations that have plenty of photographs of their fleet as well as information about their entire operation. Make sure, too, that the air charter operators have a base of operations close to where you need to fly out of, or else you'll waste time and money.
Try: When considering air charter services, look for a company that has a website with pictures and prices like Bay Air Charter has. Amerijet International offers online rate estimates for air freight and air cargo charter services.

• If you frequently need a combination of international charter flights, air cargo charters and domestic air charter services, then consider joining a jet membership program that allows your business to take advantage of several different types of airplanes. An international charter flight requires a bigger plane than a domestic hop across the state, so you could save money on fuel and plane rentals if you belong to a program that gives you access to many aircraft.