The short answer
You go to the private terminal named on your flight schedule, arriving about 30 minutes before departure. The crew or handling team meets you, your identity is checked against the passenger list, your bags are loaded and you board. After take-off the flight is much like any other; on landing, handling staff meet the aircraft, any border formalities are completed and your bags are brought to you.
Key facts
- Your flight schedule arrives at least 48 hours before departure and names exactly where to go.
- Arrive about 30 minutes before departure; allow longer for large groups or a lot of luggage.
- There is no airline-style check-in, but identity checks and security rules still apply.
- Passengers’ details are sent to the border authorities before an international flight.
- If a car has been arranged with your flight, it is timed to the aircraft.
- Charter-A’s operations team answers the telephone 24 hours a day.
What happens before the day?
The day starts earlier than you may expect, because most of the work is done in advance. Once you have signed the booking confirmation and paid the deposit, you send the passengers’ names as they appear on the passports, and any catering or special requests. The balance is due 15 days before the flight. At least 48 hours before departure you receive the flight schedule, which tells you exactly where to arrive, so that you and any driver know the terminal, the address and the directions.
If the flight is international, the passengers’ details are sent to the border authorities and to the handling agents at both ends, which often allows passengers to be cleared in advance. The steps are set out in how to charter a private jet for the first time.
A timeline of the day
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Before you leave | Check the flight schedule, passports and any pet or special paperwork. Charter-A can be reached 24 hours a day if anything has changed. |
| The journey to the airport | Go to the private terminal named in your schedule, not the airline terminal. A car arranged with your flight is timed to the aircraft. |
| About 30 minutes before departure | Arrive at the terminal. Allow longer for more than ten passengers or a lot of luggage. |
| Meet and greet | A member of the crew or the handling team meets you and checks your identity against the passenger list. |
| Bags and security | Your luggage is identified and, where the airport’s rules require, screened, then taken to the aircraft. |
| Border formalities | For an international flight, passport and customs checks are completed, usually privately, depending on the airport. |
| Boarding | You walk or are driven the short distance to the aircraft and board. The crew shows you where to sit and briefs you on safety. |
| Take-off | The aircraft leaves at its slot time if there is one, and the flight begins. |
| The flight | Light refreshments are served as arranged; the crew looks after the cabin. |
| Landing and arrival | Handling staff meet the aircraft, border checks are completed where needed, bags are brought to you and any car is waiting. |
The detail differs from airport to airport. Your flight schedule and the airport pages on this site say what applies at each end.
Where do I go, and how early?
Go to the private terminal or handling agent named on your flight schedule. It is often called an FBO, and it usually has parking at the door. Arrive about 30 minutes before departure. There is no airline-style check-in desk and no baggage drop, so that is enough for most parties. Larger groups and parties with a lot of luggage should allow a little longer, and for more detail see how early to arrive and what security to expect.
It is unwise to arrive much later than that. Flights through busy airspace may be given a take-off slot, and a missed slot can mean a long wait for the next one. Being on board and ready on time is the surest protection against a delay.
What happens in the terminal?
You are met, not processed through a queue. A member of the crew or of the handling team greets you, checks your identity against the passenger list, and arranges for your luggage to go to the aircraft. Private aviation is regulated like the rest of aviation, so passengers and their bags are identified and, where the rules for that airport and aircraft require it, screened. The difference is in how it is done: in a private terminal, for your party alone, and in a matter of minutes.
How do customs and passports work?
The border rules are the same as on an airline: the same passport, the same visas. You need a passport for an international flight, whatever a passenger’s age, and any visa you would need on an airline. Where the checks are carried out depends on the airport. At most business airports they take place in the private terminal, by officers who are based on site or who attend for your flight; at some, the border check is carried out in the main terminal, and at others customs attends only by prior arrangement. Your flight schedule confirms what applies.
What is it like to board?
From the door of the terminal to your seat is a matter of minutes. The walk to the aircraft is usually short, and the crew meets you at the steps. Once you are on board, you are shown to your seats and briefed on safety, in the same spirit as on any flight. Passengers and any pet should be seated and restrained for take-off and landing, as on any aircraft. Catering ordered in advance is on board; the standard is light snacks and a bar, suited to the aircraft, the route and the time of day.
What is the flight like?
The flight itself is a flight. What differs is the cabin: a space shared only with your own party, with the crew available to you. How much room there is depends on the aircraft, from a compact cabin in a very light jet to a stand-up cabin with several areas in the largest types, and the fleet pages show the figures for each. Many passengers use the time to work, so ask the crew about connectivity if it matters to you, because what is available varies by aircraft.
What is a take-off slot, and can it cause a delay?
A CTOT, or calculated take-off time, is a slot issued by air traffic flow management when the airspace or an airport is busy. It applies to private jets as it does to airlines, and allows take-off from five minutes before to ten minutes after the time given. That means a flight can leave later than the time on your schedule through no fault of anyone on the ground. Charter-A and the crew will tell you if it applies to your flight.
What happens if something changes on the day?
The operations team answers the telephone 24 hours a day, so you can reach someone whatever the hour. A change of timing can usually be accommodated, if it does not conflict with the other bookings of the aircraft and its crew. A change of destination is priced again, because the flying time and the airport fees change. If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing.
What happens when you land?
The same in reverse. Handling staff meet the aircraft, any border formalities are completed and your bags are brought to you. If a chauffeur has been arranged with your flight, the car is timed to the aircraft, so that it is there when you are. If the flight arrives early or late, the car and the handling team are told, which is one reason to arrange the ground transport through the same team.
What about the day before?
The flight schedule is your anchor, and it is worth reading carefully the evening before. Check the terminal and the address, the time to arrive, the names on the passenger list against the passports, and any car you have arranged. If something has changed, such as a passenger, a time or a piece of luggage, tell the operations team then, not at the terminal. A change is far easier to accommodate a day ahead than on the apron, and anything involving the passenger list for an international flight needs the most notice.
How do catering and special requests work on the day?
They are settled in advance, which is why the schedule is the moment to confirm them. The standard is light snacks and a bar on board, suited to the aircraft, the route and the time of day. Anything more, such as a hot meal, a particular drink, a birthday cake, children’s meals or a special diet, is ordered beforehand and charged at cost. What can be served depends on the aircraft: larger jets have galleys for full meals, while smaller jets suit cold dishes. See what is included in the price.
What is different for a large group or a day with several flights?
Allow more time. A party of more than ten passengers, or one with a lot of luggage, should arrive a little earlier than the usual 30 minutes, because the identity checks and the loading take longer. On a day with several legs, the aircraft and crew move with you, and the schedule shows each departure and arrival. Ground times between legs are kept short by design, so being ready at each stop matters more than at the start. If you are travelling as a group, see groups, families and teams.
How long is the whole process from door to door?
Less than an airline day, though the flight time itself is similar. The time you save is on the ground: there is no airline check-in queue, the walk from the terminal to the aircraft is short, and the arrival at a business airport is simpler than at a major hub. Count the journey from your front door to your destination, including the car at each end, before you compare it with an airline. Some of the saving can be lost if the flight is held for a take-off slot or a late passenger, so being ready on time is what protects it.
On an international trip, add the time for border formalities. At airports where customs and immigration are on site and handled privately, this adds only a short time. Where officers attend by arrangement, the timing is agreed in advance, which is why the flight schedule matters.
What do the crew and handling team do?
They divide the work. The handling team at the airport meets you, deals with the terminal, and arranges the aircraft’s services, including the ground side of customs and security where it applies. The crew, who fly and look after the cabin, meet you at the aircraft, load the bags with the handling team, brief you on safety and look after you in flight. Every jet Charter-A arranges is flown by two type-rated pilots, as the safety article explains. You deal with the people in front of you, and behind them is a team that can be reached on the telephone at any hour.
What if I am travelling with a dog?
Your dog travels in the cabin with you, restrained for take-off and landing, as passengers are. The paperwork is the part that needs care: it is checked before the flight, and on arrival in some countries the documents are checked at the airport. Keep the papers in your hand luggage on the day, and do not leave them in the hold. The full rules are in taking a dog on a private jet.
What should I carry with me?
- Passports for every passenger on an international flight, and any visa an airline passenger would need.
- The flight schedule, with the terminal, the address and the directions.
- Anything you will need in the air, and anything valuable, in a small bag in the cabin, because the baggage hold may be closed during the flight on some aircraft.
- For a pet, the papers set out in taking a dog on a private jet.
More questions
How early should I arrive for a private jet?
About 30 minutes before departure. Allow a little longer if there are more than ten passengers or a lot of luggage. Your flight schedule, sent at least 48 hours ahead, names the terminal and gives directions.
Is there check-in at a private jet terminal?
There is no airline-style check-in. A member of the crew or the handling team meets you, checks your identity against the passenger list and arranges for your bags to be taken to the aircraft.
Do I go through security on a private jet?
Yes. Private aviation is regulated like the rest of aviation, and passengers and bags are identified and, where the rules for that airport and aircraft require it, screened. It is usually done privately and takes minutes.
Do I need my passport on a private jet?
For an international flight, yes, the same as on an airline. Charter-A also collects each passenger’s details before the flight for the border authorities, and for flights within the UK identification is still asked for.
What if my flight is delayed on the day?
A delay can come from a take-off slot, an airport or the weather. The operations team answers the telephone 24 hours a day and will tell you what is happening. If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing.
Will a car be waiting when I land?
If a chauffeur has been arranged with your flight, the car is timed to the aircraft, so that it is there when you are. Cars are an optional extra, charged at cost, and are arranged in advance.
Related articles
How do you charter a private jet for the first time?
To charter a private jet you need three things: the route, the date and the number of passengers.
How much luggage can you take on a private jet?
As a general guide, one suitcase and one soft bag for each passenger.
On this site
More from Charter-A.com
The arrival time, flight schedule, passenger list, take-off slot rule and ground transport are as set out in Charter-A’s booking documents and the existing arrival article; the timeline is a general account that differs by airport. Charter-A Ltd acts as agent for the passenger; details are confirmed for each flight at booking.