Charter Share – Tips and Tricks for Sharing a Private Plane Charter With Friends

Everything You Need to Know About Sharing a Charter Flight

Booking a private charter flight can seem like an extravagant way to travel, but sharing one with a group can actually make it quite affordable. From my experience organizing charter flights, splitting the costs among several passengers is a smart way to experience the luxuries of private air travel without breaking the bank. In this article, I’ll cover everything you need to know about sharing a charter and answer common questions people have about the process.

How Does Charter Flight Sharing Work?

Charter flights are rented privately instead of following fixed commercial routes. The aircraft, crew, and itinerary are custom for your group. When you share a charter, your party splits this private rental with other passengers going to a similar destination. Companies like FlyCharter.com specialize in bringing groups together to fill available seats on aircraft. Here are the basic steps:

1. Decide on your travel dates and destination city.
2. The charter company searches for aircraft flying that route during your dates.
3. If they find a compatible charter, they’ll start signing up other passengers to share costs.
4. Once the minimum passenger threshold is met, the charter is booked and you’re all confirmed.

It’s a collaborative way to enjoy a charter flight experience at a lower per-person rate than booking solo. You gain the flexibility of private travel while keeping costs comparable to a commercial airline ticket.

How Much Can I Expect to Save?

Sharing reduces the charter’s fixed costs over multiple shoulders. While rates vary based on aircraft size, route, and demand, as a general guideline, splitting a charter four or more ways often cuts the per-person price by 30-50% compared to a full private charter. Here’s a real-life example:

A group of 8 friends wanted to fly from San Francisco to Las Vegas for a long weekend getaway. Renting the 6-seat Citation Bravo jet privately would have been $12,000 total each way. By sharing with two other parties through a charter matching service, their share dropped to only $2,000 per person roundtrip – a savings of over $3,000 each! At those rates, charter travel became well within their budget while still enjoying the conveniences of flying private.

How is Liability Handled?

When sharing transportation, liability is an understandable concern. Reputable charter brokers address this clearly in the booking agreements. Essentially, the company assumes liability as long as passengers follow all safety procedures. An attorney friend of mine once explained it this way:

“Charter companies must maintain liability insurance on their aircraft as part of their operating certificates. This coverage protects all passengers in the case of incidents. As charter sharers, you also have protections under travel statutes regarding shared transportation arrangements. So you can feel protected traveling this way.”

In other words, don’t fret about liability – the professionals have the legal aspects covered. Just sit back and enjoy your charter flight!

What About Scheduling and Itinerary Changes?

Because a shared charter follows a flexible schedule set by the grouping of passengers, timing issues may come up. Most legit brokers state policies up front for addressing potential hiccups:

• Small itinerary changes (within 24 hours) are often allowed to accommodate delays.
• Missed departures may incur rescheduling fees from the operator.
• Late joiners or cancellations are refunded based on terms defined in agreements.

In my experience, it kinda helps to go with the flow on shared charters. Schedules aren’t set in stone like commercial flights. As long as your group communicates schedule needs clearly upfront, reputable companies will work to find solutions if glitches occur down the line. Flexibility breeds less stress when charter sharing, yo?

What Kind of Aircraft Are Typically Available?

Aircraft for shared charters range from small 4-6 seater jets and turboprops up to midsize 10-14 seat planes. The specific airframe booking often depends on the passenger numbers and route. Based on aggregating many charters over the years, brokers tend to find the following options most frequently:

• Cessna Citation CJ series (8-10 seats)
• Hawker Beechcraft King Air 250 (8-10 seats)
• Pilatus PC-12 (8-10 seats)
• Beechcraft Premier 1A (up to 13 seats)
• Embraer Phenom 300 (up to 10 seats)

With capacity for 6-14 passengers, these aircraft types offer plenty of space to spread out without the crowded feel of commercial flights. And their size allows various private terminals as points of departure around the country. Not too shabby for a shared cost point A to point B air shuttle, amirite?

How Far in Advance Should I Book?

Most brokers advise reserving shared charters at minimum 2-3 weeks prior for domestic routes. This lead time helps them find compatible groups flying similar itineraries. As flights approach, available seats tend to fill rapidly. You definitely don’t want to procrastinate with shared charters.

At the same time, booking excessively far in advance comes with uncertainties—like changes in your dates or party size. In general, 4-6 weeks ahead works great for planning domestic shared charters in my experience. You secure a slot while maintaining flexibility. And that flexibility makes all the difference, amigos!

Hope this overview helps you understand the basics of sharing a private charter flight. In summary – it’s a superbly affordable way to experience jetting off in style. Just be sure to communicate clearly with a reputable brokerage and roll with unexpected twists. Then kick back and savour the sweet joy of luxe air travel!

Do you have any other questions before giving charter sharing a whirl? I’m always around to assist former customers or newbies getting started. Plane sailing, friends! Ciao for now.

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Factor	Details
Budget	Determine how much you can afford to spend on a new or used car upfront and for ongoing costs like insurance and maintenance.
Fuel Economy	Consider the running costs of gasoline vs diesel vs hybrid or electric. Calculate anticipated annual fuel costs.
Seating Capacity	Choose how many passengers and amount of cargo space needed for your lifestyle.
Safety Features	Research crash test ratings and available features like blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, lane keep assist.
Technology Level	Evaluate infotainment system options, compatibility with smartphones, driver assist tech, and any advanced features desired.

FAQ

1. How do you start a charter school?

   Well basically you have to get together a group of people interested in starting the school. Then you would need to write up an application called a charter, outlining your educational goals and curriculum. This charter gets submitted to your local or state board of education for approval. After that, you have to find a building location, hire teachers, and enroll students. So it takes some work but can be worthwhile if your idea is a good one.

2. What are the benefits of charter schools?

   There are a few potential benefits to charter schools. Perhaps one of the main ones is increased choice for parents and students. Charter schools also aim to have more freedom when it comes to curriculum, staffing, schedules, and other decisions. Supposedly this allows them to try new educational approaches. At the same time, competition from charter schools could encourage traditional public schools to improve as well. Overall charter schools are meant to offer alternatives and innovation within the public school system.

3. Are charter schools publicly or privately funded?

   Charter schools get funding from both public and private sources. On the one hand, they are taxpayer funded schools that don’t charge tuition like private schools. Kind of like public schools, they receive government money based on the number of students enrolled. However, charter schools are also allowed to seek additional support from private donations, grants, and fundraising. So you could say they have more of a mix of public and private money supporting them compared to regular public schools.

4. What are some arguments against charter schools?

   Not everyone is a fan of charter schools. Some of the arguments made involve things like them taking money away from traditional public schools. There are also concerns about a lack of oversight and their effects on integration. Wondering if maybe their flexibility has a negative impact on standards. It’s also been suggested that the “public” part is sometimes ignored as charter schools aren’t required to accept every student. So in summary, critics worry about issues like funding, regulation, and accessibility with the charter model.

   

In the end, charter schools seem to have benefits and drawbacks. Their impacts are complex with good and bad points on both sides. It’s an ongoing debate with reasonable perspectives on both sides. Experts will probably be discussing the pros and cons of charters for many years to come as the concept develops further.