By Stefaan Ghijs
Interest in the private aviation industry is growing. Analysing this trend, Fly Aeolus noticed that the private flight passengers have become younger, they fly more frequently and are mostly flying shorter distances in Europe. Studies also claim that most frequent private flyers fly for business and prefer on-demand chartering services for their flexibility. On-demand chartering means to book a private jet or air taxi for a journey to a destination of your choice. Finding the best price for a private jet booking does require some knowledge of the market. That is why we reveal 5 tips and tricks, so that you can book your private jet for less.
1. Private jet selection
There are many factors that you need to take in to account to choose the appropriate aircraft for your trip. These factors are:
- the number of passengers traveling
- the amount of baggage
- your destination
- and most of all your budget.
Flying with two friends from London, United Kingdom to Nice, France requires another aircraft than for a flight from London to New York, United States. In Europe the four countries with the largest amount of business aviation fights are: France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK. All four countries contribute 76% of the total European private jet market.
Hence when travelling in Europe you can use an entry level private jet or air taxi. For these short haul travels you do- not need large private jets like a Dassault Falcon, Gulfstream or Bombardier. In the private jet industry a Cessna Citation Mustang or Embrear Phenom 100 would represent as an entry level jet aircraft. Prices for such a business jet roughly range between € 1.800,00 and €2.000,00 per hour.
2. Private jet booking platforms
There is an unfamiliarity of private individuals using private jet booking platforms. The platforms create the perception that you are booking the cheapest private aircraft or business jet that is available. Unfortunately, this is not all what it looks like. The aircraft booking platforms do not display all available aircraft in the market, they only offer a limited selection. Business jet platforms have access to a global fleet of around 7000 private and business aircraft, which is only a small fraction of the worldwide fleet.
If it is your first time to book a private jet, check the website of the airport you want to depart from and check any home-based aircraft operators. You can contact the aircraft operator directly and ask for a quote without any broker or booking platform intervention. The big advantage is that you will not pay for aircraft re-positioning as the aircraft are home based, meaning they are hangered or parked at the origin on a permanent basis.
Also note that private jet booking platforms do not have the private jet schedule of the operator on hand, hence they are not aware if the private jet is available or where the aircraft is located.
Almost all booking platforms flight request project aircraft prices which are not directly bookable. Prices given are not the final price which customers will pay when ordering an aircraft for a specific route. Take this into account when contacting the private jet booking platform. Also do check our blog with the truth about aircraft booking platforms.
3. Regional airports
Most of the business travellers only know large airports. This appears from various surveys that Fly Aeolus has carried out and from searches of the Fly Aeolus website flight calculator. If you are travelling by airline some of the well-known big airports are often the best choice, but this does not necessarily account for private jet travel.
With a private jet you can land closer to your final destination because private aircraft can land at smaller airports, saving you additional travel time. Also landing and handling fees, parking fees etc. are less costly on a regional airport, than when flying to/from a large airport. In the end you can land closer to your final destination and save some money on airport fees. Look on our destinations page for all the 1600 destinations we are offering!
4. Book an Air Taxi
Meet the air taxi, the affordable version of a private jet. An air taxi provides the same service as a private jet but for half the price. It can even land at more airports in comparison with a private jet! An air taxi can take 3 passengers as quickly as possible from your origin to your destination, though without the “Champagne and Caviar”.
An air taxi can be compared to a standard ground taxi service but then by the air.
Flexibility, availability, safety and comfort are the factors weighed by passengers to select an air taxi operator. The “Cirrus SR22” scores high on all points. With attractive flight hour packages for frequent flyers and smooth on-demand services, the air taxi operator Fly Aeolus is one of the largest operators in Europe with a fleet of 13 Cirrus SR22 aircraft. Check out the price for an air taxi flight by using the Fly Aeolus flight calculator.
5. Empty Legs
If you are flexible and want to have a discount of 75% on your private jet or air taxi flight you can always try to ask operators for empty legs. Every time a private jet or air taxi is booked for a one-way flight, an empty leg becomes available for the return journey. As aircraft must return to their home base or to its next destination to pick up its next set of passengers they will fly empty. Which means that by booking wisely you could save up to 75% on the cost of a conventional charter. We also wrote a more detailed blog about empty leg flights!
Private flyers are always on the lookout for less costly and the most time-saving transportation modalities to travel from A to B. Concluding the air taxi might be the perfect fit!
Do you want more tips for when you hire your next private charter? Visit our page where you will find more blogs with useful tips!