Advisory
Independent counsel before you commit.
Charter, jet card, membership, fractional, lease, or full ownership — the right structure is rarely obvious, and the industry is built to sell you one of them. We evaluate all of them against how you actually fly, with the discipline you'd bring to any capital decision.
The case for independence
Most aviation advice comes from someone with something to sell.
Access, liquidity, peak-day limits, minimums, availability, service, contract exposure, and true total cost — every program trades these differently, and no brochure makes that clear.
We start with your travel profile, then model the options that actually fit. The goal isn’t to place a program. It’s to protect your time, your capital, and your flexibility.
Cost efficiency by access model
At low usage, ownership is rarely the cheapest seat.
- On-demand charter58
- Jet card70
- Membership74
- Fractional86
- Full ownership100
Illustrative all-in cost index · ~50 occupied hours/year (100 = highest). Directional only — actual ranking depends on routes, aircraft, and terms.
The programs, explained
Six ways to fly. Here’s how each one works — and bills.
Occasional / variable use
On-demand charter
Book a specific aircraft for a specific trip, with no commitment. You buy access to lift only when you need it.
How you pay
Priced per trip by aircraft category and flight time, plus repositioning, fuel, taxes, and fees. Nothing prepaid, nothing owed between trips.
≈ 25–50 hours / year
Jet card
Prepay a block of flight hours at a fixed or capped hourly rate, with guaranteed availability and defined service terms.
How you pay
A deposit drawn down as you fly. Watch peak-day surcharges, daily minimums, ferry rules, and expiration of unused hours.
Predictable access, no ownership
Membership
Join a program that unlocks defined rates, availability, and benefits — sometimes backed by a refundable deposit.
How you pay
An initiation or membership fee up front, then per-trip or per-hour pricing under the program's terms.
≈ 50–200 hours / year
Fractional ownership
Buy a share of a specific aircraft (e.g. 1/16 ≈ 50 hours/year) with guaranteed access on short notice.
How you pay
Share purchase, plus a fixed monthly management fee, plus an occupied hourly rate. Typically a 5-year term with remarketing at exit.
A defined horizon or bridge
Lease
Operate an aircraft for a set term without buying it outright — a middle path between a card and full ownership.
How you pay
Fixed lease payments over the term while you carry operating costs. Watch residual assumptions and utilization requirements.
200+ hours / year, full control
Full ownership
Own the aircraft outright for complete control over crew, configuration, and availability.
How you pay
Acquisition capital, then all carrying costs — crew, hangar, insurance, maintenance, management — sometimes offset by charter revenue.
What actually drives the cost
The line items behind every number.
A headline hourly rate is only the start. These are the components that move the true, all-in cost — in plain English, and reviewed line by line in every engagement.
Occupied hourly rate
The core charge for time actually flown, set by aircraft category.
Repositioning (ferry)
The cost to fly the aircraft empty to you, or home after — a major swing on one-way trips.
Fuel surcharge
A variable adjustment layered on the base rate as fuel prices move.
Federal Excise Tax (FET)
A 7.5% federal tax applied to domestic charter and jet-card flights.
Daily & segment minimums
A minimum of billable hours per day, so short hops can cost more than the flight time implies.
Peak-day surcharges
Higher rates and longer call-out windows on high-demand dates — holidays and major events.
Initiation & membership fees
Upfront cost to join a card or membership, sometimes as a refundable deposit.
Monthly management fee
A fixed monthly charge in fractional and managed ownership — owed whether or not you fly.
Landing, segment & handling
Airport, FBO, and per-leg charges that ride on top of the base quote.
International & de-icing
Customs, overflight, handling, catering, and cold-weather charges on applicable trips.
Ownership carrying costs
For full ownership: crew, hangar, insurance, scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, and reserves.
Contract exposure
Term length, hour caps, recovery rules, and exit or remarketing terms — the fine print that sets your flexibility.
Which is right for me?
Start from how much you fly.
Annual hours are the fastest filter. These are directional starting points — the right structure also turns on your routes, peak-day needs, passengers, and how much flexibility you want at exit. We model all of it with you.
Start a flight-profile reviewOn-demand charter
< 25 hrsOccasional, variable trips. Pay per trip and commit to nothing.
Jet card or membership
25–50 hrsPredictable access and simplicity, without tying up capital.
Fractional ownership
50–200 hrsGuaranteed lift on short notice, on a monthly-plus-hourly model.
Full ownership
200+ hrsMaximum control — when utilization and structure justify the carrying cost.
The engagement
From first analysis to annual review.
Not sure your current setup still makes sense? Most relationships begin with a single, honest program review.
Start with a program review- Usage analysis and mission profile
- Card, membership, and fractional comparison
- Charter-versus-ownership modeling
- Contract review and negotiation
- Current-program audit
- Annual optimization review
Bring discipline to the decision.
Tell us how you fly. We'll model the structures that fit — and show you the economics behind each one.