Thinking About Why It Makes So Much Sense To Book A Private Air Charter?

Here's A List Of The Most Commonly Asked Questions

Why Charter?
1. Aircraft charter is all about saving time. Do away with ALL the hassles commercial air travel. With Charter you drive to your local airport and fly away. Many times, our clients are at or near their destination before the commercial airliner has ever taken off!
2. If your time is precious, Charter is good for work groups, getaways, sports teams and especially for travel that isn’t close to the 29 major airline hubs.
3. Private air charter is also the perfect way to travel for anyone who wants to avoid the busy areas and crowds of a major airport hub. Private air travel uses small regional airports where you walk right out onto the runway and board your aircraft. No TSA lines, no check-in and absolutely zero crowds.

Is Air charter good for business?
Yes. Air charter affords business travelers a private, secure office in the sky. Travelers can work while in the air and arrive closer to their destination, fresh and ready to go to work.

Why Charter with NECA?
We know all about airplanes, pilots, airports, safety regulations, runways, load capacities, weather and much more. Why? Because NECA is staffed by professional commercial pilots who also have years of experience as corporate business travelers. Unlike a run of the mill inexperienced non-pilot broker, we take your travel seriously to deliver you a seamless, satisfying, safe experience.

Is Charter expensive?
When chartering you are hiring the whole airplane. In a commercial airliner you pay for one seat. Chartering a 5-8 passenger aircraft for trips less than 250 miles can run from $2,000 - $10,000. Longer trips can range from $15,000 to $45,000 or more. The key is that Charter is an exchange of money for time. Trips that might take 5-8 hours by car can be made in an hour or two. We bypass the whole time-consuming daylong airline saga that involves stops/layovers at intermediate airports. Instead, we fly from a nearby airport directly to where you need to be.

How should I compare Charter to Airlines?
Commercial airlines sell an inexpensive flight between the airports where they operate. They avoid talking about the time it takes to drive to the airport, park, go through security, wait at the gate, wait for 170 other people to get on the plane and the reverse for you to drive to your destination. If your family, destination or business is within 10 -15 miles of a major airline hub and you have time to spare, we recommend you take an airline. If you need to get to an airport that is close to where you’re headed, or if your family, excursion or business dealings aren’t nearby an airport served by airlines, if your time is precious, give us a call. [For more on this comparison, see our case studies section.]

What size airplanes do you have?
NECA has access to aircraft from 4 seats to 168 seat airliners. When you give us your needs, we go to work to find the best aircraft to fit the size of your group and we give you choices so that you can see the trade-offs.
Choices, what do you mean?
We know that most people are new to Air Charter. With that in mind we typically give you quotes with 2-4 different aircraft to look at. We list the flight time, the number of seats and the types of amenities. This way you can look at the differences between a smaller aircraft or a larger jet with a flight attendant, or a lavatory, or galley etc.

Where do you fly to/from?
We fly in and out of most every local neighborhood airport in the US. We charter throughout the North and Central America and the Caribbean Islands. We also fly to/from Western Europe to the US, but we don’t charter flights that start and end in Europe, Africa, the Middle East or Asia.

Who do you work with?
We are quite finicky about who we will work with. We only work with aircraft operators who we know and have good business relationships. We check and keep tabs on their safety records, we check on their insurances, we look at their pilots and their airplanes. We use operators whom we would feel comfortable flying our own families.

Do you sell jet cards?
No, we don’t. In our view Jet cards are a sales gimmick designed to relieve you of your money. Jet cards are sold as “discounted blocks of flight time”. In fact, what often occurs is that the hourly flight price is marked up then marked down to show, what looks like a discount. Moreover, the Jet card locks you into the offerings from a single operator. As professional pilots, airplane owners and ethical brokers we know what airplanes and pilots cost per hour. We shop amongst the best and most competitive operators then relay their proper and reasonable costs along to you.

Who can charter an airplane?
Chartering is available to any one of legal age that can sign a binding contract. We fly solo passengers, couples, families, work groups and whole sports teams.

Can we bring our gear?
Air charter is perfect for carrying outsized gear. Unlike airlines there are no upcharges for skis, clubs, bikes, fishing, camping, hunting, snowboarding, windsurfing, kitesurfing, equipment. And, although we do have to pay attention to weight, there are no upcharges for machinery, tools, survey equipment or trade show displays.

Can we bring our pets or other animals?
Absolutely! Most of the aircraft we use are pet friendly. Cats and Dogs are no sweat. Champion horses, endangered or zoo animals – we do that. Racing homing pigeons? Yes.

How soon should I book my reservations?
We have booked aircraft for travelers in less than 24 hours but in general we need 1-2 weeks’ notice to source the best options for your trip.

How does payment work?
Payment is due upon booking. Flights are not confirmed until payment is received. We prefer electronic funds transfer – we send you our banking info for an account that only receives deposits. We also accept all major credit cards for a nominal handling fee for charges imposed by the credit card companies.

Can I cancel and receive a refund?
Yes, but subject to the cancellation polices detailed in our cancellation guidelines section. Cancellations between 72 and 24 hours are subject to 50% refund. Cancellations of 24 hours or less are nonrefundable.

My company uses Travel Management software that bypasses Charter – why?
Egencia, SAPconcur, TripActions, Certify, TravelPerk, Abacus, Rydoo, TravelBank, Lola, Deem, TripIt and other travel management software programs generally aren’t designed to consider charter aviation as on option. As such these companies overlook a portion of perfectly viable travel alternatives for their clients. The experts at NECA can help your company utilize air charter as a tool to help your team enhance productivity.