Here are the benefits you will get with a Jet Card membership.
Private charter flights are mostly expensive. Aviation companies offering private jet charters serve niche clients and provide various membership schemes to hold on to customers. Membership cards allow aviation companies to give more value to customers. Here are the benefits you will get with a Jet Card membership.
Fixed management fee
A jet charter expense includes billable flight time, fuel surcharge, crew fees, landing, handling, incidental fees, and federal excise tax. Besides these charges, you also have to pay a management fee to the aviation company, a percentage of the total expense. This fee could be 30% or above for some private charter flights. Undoubtedly, the management fee component plays an important role in making the private charter flight costly.
You benefit from a fixed management fee when you opt for this membership. The membership card has various options like 50,000 USD, 100,000 USD, and 250 000 USD.
Opting for a higher membership card gives you a lower management fee. For example, if you opt for a 50K membership card, you pay an 18% fixed management fee. Similarly, 15% fee for a 100K membership card and 12% for a 250K membership card.
If you often take private charter flights for business travel, you could greatly benefit from Jet Card membership as you will save thousands of dollars in management fees.
True wholesale pricing
Air travel is mostly expensive, and hence aviation companies offer discounts to frequent flyers. Similarly, aviation companies offering private charter flights offer wholesale pricing to their membership cardholders. Therefore, when you enroll for any membership card, the company will offer wholesale prices for all your charter flights during a calendar year.
Wholesale pricing is cheaper than normal pricing. For example, a routine charter flight from Atlanta to New York could cost you around $20,000. If you have a membership card, the same charter flight would cost $15,000. It means $5000 savings on a one-way charter flight. Imagine the savings you will get if you take 20 charter flights in 6 months.
Effortless booking
Documentation is an important part of when you book a charter flight. You have to provide your passport details, valid visa information, health check certificates, and vaccination certificates for your pets. If you are not a membership cardholder, you must go through the documentation process every time you book a charter flight.
If you have a card membership, the booking process becomes easy. Card membership frees the members from paperwork, and they can book flights via email.
Choice of pilots and aircrafts
Aviation companies have a wide range of airplanes for charter flights. Some unique options are Beechcraft King Air 250, Jetstream 31, Piaggio P180 Avanti I/II, Embraer Brasilia EMB120/120ER, etc. When you have a card membership, you get a choice of pilots and aircraft, even during peak periods. In addition, card members get preferences over non-card members in selecting pilots and aircraft.
Easy upgrade
Aviation companies have a large fleet of aircraft to suit every requirement. The companies have light jets to planes with larger cabins. Your travel requirements often change, and you might need to upgrade your private charter flight. For example, you need an aircraft with a larger cabin as your company staff is traveling with you.
Card members have the option of a free upgrade, and the aviation company ensures your travel needs are met at all times.
Catering allowance
When you take a private charter flight, you get an inflight meal service for the passengers. The catering cost is added to the total expense of a charter flight. Card members get a catering allowance of $150/trip to $350/trip. It means savings for you.
Lower fuel surcharge
The fuel costs are always fluctuating. Hence, the aviation company has a fuel surcharge component in the flight charter costs. The fuel tax is determined in the percentage and added to the expense. Therefore, non-card members may have to pay a fuel surcharge of 10% or more for charter flights.
Card membership assures lower fuel tax. For example, a 50K cardmember may pay a 7% fuel surcharge, while a 500K cardmember may pay 2%. Undoubtedly, lower fuel surcharges can reduce your private charter costs significantly.
Low peak day premium
The holiday season is the busiest time for aviation companies. Two days after Christmas, the day before Christmas Eve, Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving are some of the peak days for aviation companies. If you want to book a charter flight during these days, you have to pay a peak day premium as high as 40%.
Cardmembers enjoy a low peak day premium. For example, a 50K cardholder may have to pay a 12% peak day premium, while a 500K cardholder may have to pay a 5% peak day premium. No doubt lower peak day premium means huge savings.
These are benefits that make jet card membership attractive. Taking a card membership will help you save more if you regularly take chartered flights.
