Empty legs are not a discount program
They're an operator's repositioning problem that occasionally lines up with your calendar. Planning around them rarely works.
Reference library
What people get wrong about flying private
No hype, no affiliate-bait listicles. Just the things we wish someone had told us before the first quote landed — for personal trips and for corporate programs.
The hourly rate is not the price
Positioning, overnights, handling, fuel surcharges and taxes are where the real number lives.
Membership cards suit frequency, not curiosity
If you fly twice a year, a card is usually the most expensive way to do it.
Sometimes you shouldn't fly private
Two passengers, a midweek transcon, and no schedule pressure? Commercial often wins. We'll say so.
For corporate programs
Twelve people is not one aircraft
Group math breaks on cabin size, not headcount. Two midsize jets often beat one large one on cost, and give you two departure times instead of one.
The savings are in the calendar, not the fare
Private rarely wins on ticket price. It wins on the hotel night you didn't buy and the working day you got back.
Your approval process is the real lead time
Charter contracts move in days. Procurement moves in weeks. The trip that falls apart is usually the one that got approved too late.
Event weekends price differently
Art Basel, the Derby, a major industry conference. Regional aircraft book up months out, and the number you get eight weeks before is not the number from eight months before.
Planning travel for a corporate program? Here's how we work with planners
Reader Tips
No tips here yet. This section fills up with what readers find on the ramp — the airport that saved them an hour, the question they wish they'd asked the broker. If you've flown private out of the Tri-State area and learned something, send it to Franco and it goes up with your first name and the month.
Tip submissions open soon. Until then, send yours to Franco directly.