1
Aircraft category
The aircraft’s hourly rate is the biggest part of any charter price. The type of aircraft you choose sets the rough size of the bill before anything else is added.
What changes it
- Cabin class: light, midsize, large-cabin, ultra-long-range
- Helicopter type: single or twin, light or medium
- Turboprop versus jet for the same flight
- Age and specification of the individual aircraft
Moving up or down one cabin class changes the price more than almost anything else. Picking the right class matters more than bargaining within one.
2
Block time (billed hours)
Block time is the flying time you are billed for. It runs from engine start to engine stop, not from take-off to landing, and not from the straight-line distance between two cities.
What changes it
- Actual routing, which is rarely a straight line
- Taxi time at busy airports
- Holding and air traffic delays
- Winds on the day
A flight listed as 55 minutes is almost never billed as 55 minutes. Block time counts everything from engine start.
3
Positioning
Positioning is flying the aircraft to your departure city. If you are not flying back, it also covers flying the aircraft home to its base afterwards.
What changes it
- Where the aircraft is based compared with your departure airport
- Whether the trip is one-way or return
- Whether the operator has other work in your direction
This is the usual reason two quotes for the same aircraft on the same route are far apart. Always ask where the aircraft is based.
4
Landing and parking
Each airport charges a fee for landing and for the time the aircraft stays on the ground.
What changes it
- Airport type: metro airports cost more than regional airports
- Aircraft weight
- Overnight or multi-day parking
- Number of stops on the trip
5
Ground handling
Ground handling is the airport service at each stop. It covers marshalling, steps, security, passenger handling, loading and paperwork.
What changes it
- Which handling agent works at the airport
- Number of stops
- Out-of-hours operations
- Whether the airfield has handling facilities at all
Some smaller airfields have little or no handling. That can mean arranging it specially or flying only at certain times.
6
Crew duty and overnights
Crew duty limits are legal limits on how long a crew may work in a day. When a trip runs past them, it costs more.
What changes it
- Total length of the working day, not just flying time
- Early departures and late returns
- Number of flights in the day
- Whether the crew must stay overnight away from base
A day that looks easy can go past the crew’s duty limit once ground time is counted. Then you need a second crew or an overnight stop.
7
Waiting time
Waiting time is charged while the aircraft stays on the ground for you. It is booked for your trip, so no one else can use it.
What changes it
- Length of a meeting, site visit or ceremony
- Whether the aircraft flies back to base and returns instead of waiting
- Helicopter trips in particular, where ground time is often longer than flying time
On event and site-visit trips, waiting is often the largest single line in the quote. It can cost more than the flying itself.
8
Taxes and statutory charges
Taxes and government levies are added on top of the operating cost.
What changes it
- Type of flight
- Domestic versus international flights
- Rates in force at the time of the flight
9
International permits
A flight abroad needs overflight and landing permits, clearances and handling that a domestic flight does not.
What changes it
- Countries flown over and landed in
- Notice given: permits take time to issue
- Crew and passenger documents
Paying more cannot speed up a permit. For an international charter, plan early first and think about cost second.
