How Chicago Private Jets Vets a Flight
Safety is the first thing we consider for a trip out of Chicago, and while brokers are not required by law to have any safety due diligence procedures in place, we go above and beyond.
The word “Safety” gets used loosely in this industry. What it means here is a specific set of checks, carried out before we put an aircraft in front of you, and repeated for every trip rather than once when an operator joins a list.
What We Check Before We Quote You
We confirm the operator holds a current FAR Part 135 certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration. Part 135 is the FAA’s set of rules for on-demand, for-hire charter. It carries stricter operating, crew and insurance requirements than FAR Part 91, which covers private, non-commercial flying that cannot legally be sold as charter. Every flight we arrange is operated under Part 135, or under Part 121 for airliner-size aircraft, or the foreign equivalent on international legs.
We review the operator’s safety and incident history. We confirm the pilots assigned to your trip are experienced, qualified and current on the aircraft type you will be flying on. FAR Part 135 sets minimum crew requirements by aircraft type, and some types are certified for single-pilot operations, so we will tell you what your flight is crewed with rather than making a blanket promise about it. We confirm the operator carries insurance appropriate to the aircraft and the trip.
Where an operator participates in a third-party audit program, we reference it. The real ones are ARGUS Gold, Platinum and Platinum Elite, Wyvern Wingman and Wyvern PASS, and IS-BAO Stage 1, 2 and 3. Maintenance is the responsibility of the air carrier and aircraft owners. It is their job to ensure they are up to date and in compliance with all laws and regulations.
Chicago Winters Are Part of the Safety Conversation
De-icing season here runs from roughly November through March, and it affects departure timing, ramp availability and cost. A crew will not launch with contaminated surfaces, and a de-icing queue on a bad morning is measured in aircraft ahead of you rather than minutes.
We plan around it rather than hoping. If your trip falls in that window, your advisor will talk through realistic departure timing with you before you commit to a schedule on the ground at the other end.
Our Own Credentials
Fewer than 60 brokers worldwide hold Premium Wyvern Broker Member status, and Air Charter Advisors is one of them. We have also been a member of the National Business Aviation Association since 2012.
Who You Are Actually Dealing With
Chartering a flight means sending someone a large bank wire, copies of passports and driver’s licenses, and a full itinerary for your family or your colleagues. It is reasonable to ask who is on the other end of that.
Every employee and every 1099 contractor on our team goes through pre-employment screening before they handle client work. Those screenings can include a national criminal search, the national sex offender register, the OFAC terrorist watch list, address history, known aliases, and searches for lawsuits, judgments, liens and bankruptcies.
Passenger details and itineraries are shared only on a strict need-to-know basis, with the operator and the crew assigned to your trip.
Ask Us About Any of It
If you want to know what we checked on a specific operator before you fly, ask, and your advisor will tell you. Call +1-888-987-5387 at any hour, or read the answers to the questions clients ask most.