Direct Air Carrier

In the charter industry, a direct air carrier is the individual or company responsible for operational control of a private jet rental. They typically provide air transport service to carry either passengers or cargo.

The term ‘direct air carrier’ is quite ambiguous as it is used to describe a broad range of operators. For instance, it can be used to describe an operator with a single charter plane that provides simple freight services. On the other hand, it just as easily as it can be used to describe a multi-national with a massive fleet of charter aircraft.

Additionally, direct air carriers can operate a fleet of charter jets in several ways:

• Direct ownership
• Lease from other carriers
• Partner with other carriers to pool jet charter resources

Air Carrier vs Charter Broker

There is an important distinction between a direct air carrier and an air charter broker. The former provides the actual service, while the broker arranges the private jet rental on a client’s behalf.

As such, companies like Stratos Jet Charters do not actually own their own any aircraft. Instead, Stratos has built a trusted network of direct air carriers across the United States (and worldwide). This offers Stratos several key advantages:

• No resources or capital required to upkeep fleet
• Not obligated to work with a particular air carrier
• Able to find most competitive private jet charter cost