Houston Private Jet Charter FAQs

Anytime. Whatever time zone you’re in or heading to, someone will be available to help with your trip. We work day and night, 24/7/365.

Yes! We’ve worked with a number of corporate flight departments to fill the gap when a replacement aircraft is needed, whether that’s a second jet for simultaneous trips or something with more range than the aircraft on hand. If your plane goes unavailable for mechanical or scheduling reasons, we can usually move quickly to find a replacement. Fractional owners use us the same way, chartering outside their plan so they can save their contracted hours for trips where they’re worth more.

Your privacy matters to us. Passenger details and flight itineraries are confidential, and they’re shared strictly on a need-to-know basis with the people who have to have them to run the flight.

An airport slot is prior permission from the airport and air traffic control to land at a specific field during a busy period, when ramp space and parking are expected to be tight. Houston sees this around big events. Learn more about airport slots.

One person who knows your trip. From the first quote through landing, you’re dealing with the same advisor rather than a rotating desk, and they’ll be the one who calls you if something changes.

Our headquarters is in the Philadelphia region, and we have advisors and affiliates working across the country and around the world. We coordinate flights from your home airport through our operator network, wherever you’re departing from, which is how we stay competitive with a local charter company on a Houston trip. Ask us for a no-commitment quote and compare.

A broad mix. Energy and corporate travelers running between Houston and the Permian Basin, families heading to the Gulf or the Caribbean, professional sports and entertainment groups, relocation and evacuation trips, cargo shippers, and pet owners. If your trip doesn’t sound like any of those, ask anyway.

No. We arrange private charter for a single entity, which is what FAR Part 135 allows us to sell. You’re welcome to put a group together and split the cost privately among yourselves, but we contract with one person, and that person is our point of contact and carries the financial and legal responsibility for the flight. Per-seat public charter sits under a different rule, FAR Part 380, and it isn’t something we sell.

Sooner is better for planning, but we don’t give firm quotes a long way out. Aircraft availability shifts, and a rate quoted months ahead often isn’t the rate or the aircraft on the day. Reach out early so we understand the trip, then come back closer to the date for a firm number. At the other end, short-notice Houston departures are very often possible, so call even if the trip is tomorrow.

That depends on where you’re actually going. Most of our Houston trips use William P. Hobby (HOU), the closest full-service airport to downtown, the Texas Medical Center, and Uptown. George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) has the longest runways and the deepest international handling. If you’re in Fort Bend County, Sugar Land Regional (SGR) will usually save you time; The Woodlands is better served by Conroe-North Houston Regional (CXO); the Energy Corridor and Katy by Houston Executive (TME); Clear Lake and NASA by Ellington (EFD). We’ll recommend one when we send your first quote and tell you why. See the full list on our Houston airports page.

We will help you decide which aircraft to use for your flight. The variables that help determine the best fit will be based on the trip distance, the number of passengers, volume of your baggage, and aircraft and runway performance. Our goal is to narrow the options down and send you a list to choose from. You can also browse the aircraft we charter to get a feel for the categories.

Every aircraft has a different baggage compartment and its own weight limits, and bags go in the aft hold or the nose. Tell us the expected weight and rough dimensions when you book so we can size the aircraft properly. Soft-sided bags are the practical choice if you’re trying to fit the most in. Golf clubs, ski bags, oversized or fragile items are all workable, but say so up front rather than at the ramp.

Yes. With enough notice before your flight, we can do the legwork to help you locate and arrange ground transportation through a third-party vendor, whether that is a luxury chauffeured sedan, a stretch limousine, a Sprinter-style van, or even an armored vehicle, to and from any of the Houston-area airports.

Not directly. We keep our attention on arranging the flight and doing that well. That said, we’ve built up relationships over the years that we’re happy to point you toward for the pieces around the trip.

Most clients choose to pay via wire transfer in order to accommodate a 5 percent cash payment discount. If you choose to pay via credit card, the 5 percent cash payment discount will be forfeited. We accept Amex, Visa, and Mastercard. Payment is due in full at the time of booking, and we hold a valid credit card on file as a guarantee against incidentals. Full terms are in the Charter Broker Agreement, and the details above can change without notice.

The type of ID required will depend on if your trip is 100 percent domestic, or if it is international. International trips require a valid passport and in some cases a Visa. While domestic travel may only require a compliant identification such as a driver license. Documents required for international travel are presented to the flight crew before boarding.

You’ll get your charter itinerary by email. It confirms the reservation and sets out the dates and estimated departure times, each flight segment, the aircraft type, the operator and tail number, and anything specific you asked for when booking.

Houston gives us more weather to work around than most markets, so here’s how it goes. Ahead of your trip, your advisor watches the forecast and any advisories that could affect your schedule. Depending on what’s coming, we may recommend expediting departure, delaying, or using an alternate airport, subject to scheduling and aircraft availability. If anything has to change for weather and passenger safety, you can expect your advisor to reach out as soon as we’re aware. The aircraft operator and the Pilot in Command hold the final say on takeoff and landing, and they’ll work to avoid the weather, but delays do happen.

Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, and the busiest stretch is mid-August into early October. It changes how we plan rather than whether you fly. When a system is tracking toward the Gulf Coast we’ll talk to you early about moving your dates. Two more Houston notes worth knowing: through July and August, afternoon thunderstorms build over the metro and can push departure times by an hour or two, and from late fall into early spring, morning fog is common, especially near the bay and at Galveston. Heavy rain also closes roads here more readily than runways, so if the route to your airport is flooding we’ll tell you to leave earlier.

It’s the busiest one. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo runs for three weeks in early March at the same time as CERAWeek brings the global energy industry downtown, and the Offshore Technology Conference follows in early May. Aircraft, ramp space, and hotels all tighten. If you’re flying into Houston in March, talk to us further ahead than you normally would.

Some people charter for exactly this reason. If you want to smoke in flight, tell us before we quote, and we’ll look for an aircraft whose owner permits it. It needs arranging in advance rather than asking the crew on the day.

It depends on the size of the aircraft, and charter aircraft range from two-seat pistons to airliners. As a rule, the smaller the aircraft the fewer the amenities. Larger jets have a fully enclosed lavatory with a toilet, a sink, and room to change. Midsize aircraft may have a semi-enclosed lavatory screened by a curtain. The smallest have a lift-up seat for emergency use, or nothing at all. Ask before you book if it matters for the trip, particularly on a longer leg.

We are very pet friendly, but not all aircraft owners are. Make sure to let us know about your pet prior to contracting. We will need to know the type of pet, your pet weight, and breed. Depending on the animal and the length of the trip, there may be requirements around caging or sedation, and we’ll walk you through those before you commit.

Some aircraft require a cabin attendant and some don’t. If your flight doesn’t require one but you’d like one, upon booking your flight, please let us know prior to the quoting process if this is something you require on your trip.

Often, and it varies by aircraft. Depending on the aircraft we can arrange Wi-Fi, satellite phones, televisions, music and entertainment systems, device connectivity, coffee or espresso machines, and medical kits. Additional charges may apply, and the Charter Broker Agreement sets out the terms. Tell us what you need before we quote so we can filter for it.

The operators we work with assign pilots who meet or exceed the FAA requirements to fly charter. We go a step further and confirm those pilots have meaningful time and experience on the specific aircraft type you’ll be flying, not just the certificate that permits it.

Not the main passenger terminal. At most airports you’ll use an FBO, which is a private terminal on the field run by an independent company, used only by private passengers. Hobby has several. Most FBOs at the airports we use offer a lounge area, restrooms, and complimentary refreshments. Smaller airports may use a general aviation building or have minimal facilities, and your advisor will confirm what to expect at the field you’re using.

A certified air carrier, not us. We’re a charter broker: we locate aircraft that suit your routing with as little repositioning as possible, present you with options, and once you choose, we secure the aircraft. You’ll be told the operator and the tail number on your itinerary before you fly. The operator holds full operational control of the flight at all times. We work with FAR Part 135 charter operators for traditional private aircraft and FAR Part 121 operators for airliner-size and regional jet group trips, or the foreign equivalent on international legs. Every operator is reviewed by us first, and our safety page sets out exactly what that review covers.