Private Jet Travel from Miami: How a Travel Advisor Plans the Whole Journey

The short answer

A private jet trip from Miami is two pieces of work, and it works when the two specialists doing them talk to each other. A Forest Travel advisor designs the journey: the route, the dates, the hotels or camps, the ground transfers and the timing of every connection. The charter itself is arranged through Privé Jets, one of Forest Travel's affiliate companies, which sources the aircraft from vetted operators and quotes each flight. You speak to one advisor, and the flights, the car waiting at the aircraft steps and the rooms at the other end are planned as one itinerary. The charter is quoted per trip; our planning fee is US$250 per itinerary, charged in every case.

Who does what: the advisor, Privé Jets and the operator

Three parties are involved in almost every private flight, and knowing which one does what prevents most misunderstandings.

• The advisor plans the trip around the aircraft rather than the other way round: which days you fly, where the aircraft waits, how long you stay at each stop, who meets you on landing, and which legs are better flown in a scheduled first-class cabin.
• Privé Jets arranges the charter. On its own website it states that it has coordinated jet charters since 2007, offers on-demand access to over 11,000 vetted aircraft worldwide, is registered as a broker with both ARGUS and Wyvern, the aviation safety auditors, keeps a charter advisor available 24 hours a day, and is a member of Virtuoso.
• The operator owns or manages the aircraft and flies it. In the United States, on-demand charter flights are flown by operators certificated by the Federal Aviation Administration under Part 135; a broker arranges the flight but does not fly it. Privé Jets states that every aircraft and operator in its network is checked against Wyvern and ARGUS standards before it can be booked.

The practical consequence: the operator's name and the aircraft registration belong in the confirmation, and your advisor asks for both.

When a private aircraft makes sense, and when it does not

Private aviation earns its cost on particular shapes of trip, not as a default. It tends to make sense when:

• The itinerary has several stops. Three islands, or three cities in five days, with no scheduled flight linking them on the days you need. Each airline connection can cost half a day; a charter leaves when the party is ready.
• The party fills the cabin. A family of eight or a multigenerational group divides one aircraft price across many seats. For two people the arithmetic rarely favours a jet over first class.
• The destination is poorly served. Some islands, mountain towns and lodges have few or no direct flights from Miami.
• Time is the constraint. A business trip and a family holiday sharing one week, or a weekend that only works with a Sunday evening return.
• Privacy and comfort carry weight. Older parents, very young children, or a pet that travels with the family, subject to the operator's policy.

It makes less sense on a single long-haul route that an airline flies nonstop in first class, for a couple with flexible dates. There we will usually say so, as our guide on how to fly to Japan from the US sets out for the transpacific case.

Matching the aircraft to the route

The first question is not the price but the aircraft: which category, and whether it can fly the route with your party and luggage aboard. Privé Jets describes the categories in the usual market terms: light jets for short regional sectors, midsize and super midsize for transcontinental travel, and heavy aircraft above them. At the top end, ultra-long-range jets such as the Gulfstream G650ER, with a published range of 7,437 nautical miles, fly New York to Tokyo in a single sector; less capable aircraft add a technical stop. Published ranges are maximums in favourable conditions, and headwinds, payload and runway length all reduce them.

Two cases show why the route decides the aircraft:

• The Caribbean. Much of the region is within reach of light and midsize jets from South Florida, but the runway at the other end can rule a jet out. St Barth's runway is about 650 metres and accepts only small turboprops, so a jet from Miami lands at St Martin and the last ten minutes are a light aircraft or a boat; see our St Barth guide and the Caribbean islands for a luxury trip, and how to choose.
• Safari. Camp airstrips in places such as Botswana's Okavango Delta are dirt strips built for light aircraft. A long-range jet can take the party to an international gateway; light aircraft, scheduled or chartered, do the rest, with luggage commonly limited to 15 to 20 kg per person in soft bags. A light-aircraft charter on safari starts from around US$2,000 per flight, and our fly-in safari guide explains how the two kinds of flight fit together.

What to ask before the charter is confirmed

These are the questions your advisor puts to the charter before anything is paid.

Departing from Miami: airports, FBOs and customs

Private flights do not use the airline terminals. They depart from a fixed-base operator, or FBO: a private terminal on the airfield where you arrive by car and your bags go from the car to the aircraft. Around Miami, private jets use the General Aviation Center at Miami International and executive airports such as Miami-Opa locka Executive and Miami Executive, with Fort Lauderdale Executive to the north. The right one depends on where you are staying, the aircraft and, for international flights, customs.

Returning from abroad, a private aircraft must land where US Customs and Border Protection clears private flights. The MIA General Aviation Center houses CBP, and CBP publishes general-aviation arrival procedures for Miami-Opa locka Executive, where the pilot requests permission to land in advance. The operator submits the passenger details before departure, so names and travel documents need to reach your advisor early; the document requirements themselves are confirmed by your advisor for each trip.

What it costs, and what we charge

There is no list price for a private flight. A charter is quoted per trip, and the figure moves with the aircraft category, the distance, any positioning flight to collect you or take the aircraft home, crew overnights on multi-day trips, airport fees and the date. Privé Jets notes that a one-way trip can be priced lower when it is paired with an empty leg in the opposite direction. Your advisor sets the charter quote against the scheduled alternative, first class plus private transfers, so the decision is made on the numbers for your party.

Our planning fee is US$250 per itinerary, charged in every case and separate from the charter. Tell us the dates, the party and the stops through our inquiry form, or see how our luxury travel agency in Miami works; the cars at each end are planned on the same itinerary, as our guide to luxury private transfers explains.