12 Oct 2021

Charter a jet VS. Own a jet

Should I buy my own jet or charter one?

If you are on this page, you must be wondering if it would be worth it to have your own jet instead of flying “on-demand” with charter solutions. The answer is NO, unless you are part of the Ultra High Net Worth Individuals and money is just a little detail for you. Let us explain you why.

Full ownership – your own jet

Owning an aircraft means you will have one same aircraft at your disposal anytime, which is great. You can fly pretty much as often as you want, whenever you want, and personalize the interior as you like. Now, what if you bought a small jet and you want to go across the Atlantic? Or what if you bought a heavy aircraft and you are not authorized to land on the island you planned on taking your family on vacation to? What happens when your aircraft is on scheduled or unscheduled maintenance, and you need it for an emergency right now? There are many cases where you would need to charter another aircraft when your own doesn’t feet your punctual travel needs.

Owning an aircraft also means you are the only one paying for all costs involved; parking, maintenance, crew training, etc. These monthly & punctual costs can be much higher (from hundred thousands to several millions of dollars) than the cost of flying twice a week from Paris to Geneva (for a few thousand euros).

Eventually, you might need to leave your aircraft in the hands of an Aircraft Management company – which will also cost you something – so that they can optimize the costs and/or charter your aircraft to lower the charges of owning it. In this case, your aircraft will from time to time be used by other passengers, and its availability will decrease, even though you can require the Management Company to get your approval ahead.

If you realize someday that it wasn’t a good fit for you, and you decide to sell your aircraft, the latter will have lost value every year and a huge part of the money invested in it will not be recouped.

Sorry to disappoint you, but as always at BIRDY, we find a way to patch things up whenever we see enthusiasm disappear. In this case, let us introduce you to an interesting alternative which is called “fractional ownership”.

Fractional ownership – own a part of a jet

An alternative to buying & owning a jet is buying & owning a part of a jet only. In some cases, you can also buy a share of an entire fleet of jets for a predetermined period of time (usually several years).

This solution became very popular thanks to NetJets in the 80’s as it proved significant advantages for the travelers:

  • With many owners for one single aircraft, the weight of parking & maintenance charges is divided, as well as responsibilities and aircraft depreciation;
  • With several aircrafts in the fleet, the fractional owner has more options for different needs and less availability issues with maintenance.

However you need to be aware that as for anything you share with other people, you might have to adapt to each other’s needs, especially during the high seasons like Christmas.

On-demand flights – charter a jet

BIRDY has access to thousands of private jets all over the world. Need a small jet for a quick distance? No problem, we have hundreds of Little Birds for you. Need an airliner to take your entire family on a 12-hour flight? No problem, we have hundreds of Heavy Birds available for you. Booking a Birdy – chartering a jet – is like ordering an Uber. It is easy & fast, fits any kind of needs, anytime.

BIRDY’s main mission in life is providing Liberty. And guess what; on-demand flights mean no investment, no commitment, no responsibilities. Fly what you want, when you want, where you want, and only pay for the flight hours, at a negotiated price.

No need to own a jet, just charter the one you need!

Sugar

sherkane