Leasing an aircraft may seem daunting if you’ve never done it before, but the truth is, it isn’t as complicated as you might think. Once you understand the basics, you’ll be able to choose a private jet that suits your needs while still falling within your budget. This being the case, let’s go over all of the things you need to know to lease a private jet.
Reasons to Rent a Private Jet
The first step to private jet rental is determining whether or not you need to rent one in the first place. There are many benefits that come with private air travel such as speed, convenience, safety, and comfort.
Also, with new digital technologies being incorporated into private jets, you can hold business meetings or get work done while traveling. This is an excellent option if you need to maximize your productivity while on the go.
Flying in a private jet is also much safer than flying on a regular airplane when you take the pandemic into consideration. Private jets are a lot easier to clean and keep sanitary than a full-zied jet, and you’ll come into contact with much fewer people. Also, if one of the crew members comes down with a fever or fails a Covid test, they can be replaced much faster and easier.
Size and Cost
Once you’ve determined that leasing an aircraft is the right move, you’ll want to start thinking about the size and cost. As you might imagine, larger private jets cost more while smaller varieties are cheaper. Generally speaking, private jets come in the following sizes:
- Propeller Aircraft
- Very Light
- Light
- Super Light
- Medium
- Super Mid
- Large
- Ultra Long
- VIP
Though the larger varieties tend to travel faster, the price per hour is still greater depending on the size of the aircraft. This makes it important to have a budget in mind before calling a private jet chartering company or searching online for terms like “private jet charter Boston.” By understanding your needs and spending limits you’ll have an easier time making a selection.
Getting the Best Deal
If you’re really on a tight budget, or just like saving a lot of money whenever possible, you’ll want to look for empty-leg flights. An empty-leg flight is when a private jet has to travel somewhere without a passenger, such as returning from delivering a passenger on a one-way trip.
Since aircraft leasing companies want to monetize these empty-leg trips, you can oftentimes find rates up to 75% lower than normal. Even if you’re not particularly out to save money, it can’t hurt to ask if there are any empty leg trips going in your direction that you could take advantage of.
Safety Ratings
While chartering a private jet is statistically one of the safest ways to travel, it is still important to understand how safety ratings work. This will help you to choose a company that is fully complying with all standardized safety regulations.
Generally speaking the two safety ratings you need to concern yourself with are the WYVERN and Argus. These are two independent organizations that review private jet rental companies and give them safety ratings. While this typically applies to private jet operators, it can also apply to brokers as well. A good practice is to always make sure that your private jet operation is in the database of these two organizations.
Getting Comfortable Renting Private Jets
With this information in mind, you now understand the basics of private jet rental. However, there are many nuances that can only be learned from experience. Even so, you should always feel comfortable asking questions when speaking to customer service representatives of aircraft leasing companies. Don’t feel ashamed to let them know it’s your first time if you’ve never rented a private jet before since most will be extra helpful in explaining everything to you.
Remember, the more you rent private aircraft, the more comfortable it will become. Also, if you can afford to rent a private jet, then you can probably afford to just pay someone else to handle the details for you once you’ve made the major decisions such as picking the size of the aircraft and determining your budget. This can help make the process easier and more convenient.
