If you are chartering a flight from Chicago for the first time, it is worth understanding what a charter broker is, because the distinction decides who is working for you.
Broker or operator
An operator holds an air carrier certificate, owns or manages the aircraft, employs the crew, and has operational control of the flight. A broker arranges the flight for you with an operator, acting as your agent.
Chicago Private Jets is a broker. We do not own aircraft and we do not operate them. Disclosure under DOT Part 295: we always act strictly as the agent for the client, never as the operator. In practice that means we are not trying to fill a particular airplane; we are looking for the aircraft that suits your trip.
Why that matters to the quote
An operator can offer you what it has. A broker can look across the market, which on a given date and route usually produces more options and a better comparison. You are told the operator and the tail number on your itinerary before you fly.
The part nobody makes us do
The charter industry has more than 4,000 brokers worldwide and almost no barrier to entry. Most are not required to hold a license, carry insurance, or pass any test. We work as advisors, and we do the extra work that is not required.
Before we quote you, we confirm the operator holds a current FAR Part 135 certificate, review its safety and incident history, confirm the crew are qualified and current on the aircraft type you will be flying on, and confirm insurance. Part 135 is the FAA’s set of rules for on-demand, for-hire charter, and it carries stricter operating, crew and insurance requirements than FAR Part 91, the rules for private, non-commercial flying that cannot legally be sold as charter.
Questions worth asking any broker
Ask who is operating the flight and under which certificate. Ask what vetting was done, and ask to see it. Ask whether they are the operator or an agent. You can read our answers on the safety page, or call an advisor at +1-888-987-5387.