Booking a Private Jet with Stratos Jet Charters: Soar Higher

Flying by private jet is all about convenience and simplicity, so it wouldn’t make sense for the process of booking that flight to be anything less than extraordinary.

At Stratos Jet Charters, Inc., we aim to make every interaction we have with you an exemplary customer experience, and booking a private jet is no different. From the process of finding the perfect airplane to selecting dates and choosing the operator of the airplane as well as custom catered meals and seamless ground transfers, we want it to be a perfect flight.

So how do we make it happen? Here are the secrets to our success.

How to Book a Private Jet Flight Through Stratos Jet Charters

It all begins with the initial inquiry. This can take place up to two months in advance, or, with as little notice as a four-hour window. During this initial inquiry, Stratos will ask you questions to ascertain what your travel requirements are for the private charter flight.

This will include questions such as:

• How much luggage do you have?
• How many passengers will you be bringing?
• What is the route you want to fly?
• Do you have flexibility in your travel dates or departure/arrival airports?
• What type of plane would you like to fly in?

All of these criteria are important to us in making sure you get exactly what is right for you.

Adding passengers and luggage adds weight. So, we need to be selective of the aircraft to ensure the chartered aircraft can accommodate your passengers, luggage, and routing without needing to ship bags.

The distance of the route will determine what the fuel capacity needs to be–as well as where we can source an appropriate charter plane. We’ll also want to know if you have any preferences as to the type of plane you want to fly in.

Knowing your budget considerations will help as well, and you can get a very good idea about the price of the charter flight by using our proprietary pricing calculator (more on that below).

Some fliers prefer the most cost-effective private plane that will get them where they want to go as soon as possible, while others want a more luxurious plane that has all the amenities. So all of these questions are essential in knowing how to book your private jet charter aircraft.

There is a broad stratification of quality when it comes to air carriers. At Stratos, we only work with a select set of long standing, reputable providers. For those who are price sensitive, we caution that downward pressure on price can result in a less reliable operator and potentially a less safe flight.

Before we ever book a private airplane, we begin searching for a plane that has the necessary performance characteristics that will meet your needs and the type of budget you have for your travels. We also pay close attention to operational history and the long-term relationships that we have with the air carriers.

Our business is based on the relationships that we have: we know who we can rely on and who to avoid. Likewise, we value the relationships that we have with you as passengers. Our goal is to leverage our industry knowledge and relationships for the benefit of our passengers.

From there we perform critical due diligence checks, which is an essential part of safe flying. There are many laws that have to be followed for any flight, and we monitor the carrier to ensure compliance with the FAA and TSA guidelines.

Next Step: Paperwork

Once we’ve analyzed the market, your Private Flight Advisor will contact you to discuss the available options and make a recommendation based on the appropriateness of each private aircraft option for your flight. We will give you insights into the operational history of each air carrier and our experience working with them. We do this to help you make an informed buying decision.

We’ll send you reservation paperwork with all of the pricing information included, for you to sign and send back to us. You can print and sign, digitally approve through an e-signature process, or review and approve in the customer portal and on the iPhone app.

In order to secure the plane, we will also need a copy of the credit card and driver’s license or government issued ID of the credit card holder.

If the flight is international, we will need passports, visa documents, and other necessary travel papers. For all flights, we do require each passenger’s Full Name, Date of Birth, and weight. This is critical, as it is used to check every passenger against the TSA’s No-Fly List. While passenger and luggage weights are used for proper flight planning.

Payment

In order to secure the aircraft, a hold is placed on a credit card allowing us to commit to the air carrier at the time of making the reservation. This is a must-have requirement as we can’t contract with the air carriers without the security of full payment. For payment, we accept wires, checks, credit cards, and crypto. At Stratos, we do not accept cash.

If you’re wondering how much it is to book a private jet, use our price calculator (which we’ll describe in more detail below.)

Flight Coordination and Concierge Services

Once the aircraft has been confirmed with the air carrier, we will begin organizing the more enjoyable aspects of air charters–the things you would never get on a commercial airline.

This is the true luxury private jet experience. We have a broad catering menu ranging from deli sandwiches and charcuterie boards to lobster tail and caviar. Just let us know if you want catering and we’ll make sure it is waiting for you aboard the plane.

We can arrange for flowers or chocolates to be brought on board the flight. Virtually anything that you can think of for your in-flight experience, we will arrange with you at this step. We can also provide plane-side car transfers for a seamless door-to-door experience.

The Rebooking Process

Rebooking is where it all gets so much easier. If you’ve flown with us before, then all of your information will be stored in our system, and you can  take care of nearly all of these requirements through an app on your phone or a web login.

There is a client portal through which you can sign the appropriate documents. Once the booking documents have been received, Stratos will reserve the aircraft with the air carrier and send you a booking confirmation.

What Sets Stratos Jet Charters Booking Process Apart?

We work hard to simplify the reservation process with our heavy reliance on convenient technology. To specify, there is a reservation process (simply identifying the appropriate aircraft and securing the plane) and there is a coordination process.

For the reservation process, we collect the travel details and secure an appropriate aircraft.

For the Coordination process, we collect the passenger and concierge services information.

From a technical perspective (whether they use the portal or not) our system eliminates transcription errors between the customer and the carrier. Stratos platform is the central source for storing and disseminating flight information.

We also store your passenger information, allowing quick assignment to any segment of the flight. Portal users  can easily share travel itineraries with passengers or other contacts in their account. Automated alerts an be set for specified recipients  interested in monitoring the progress of  the trip. Once a client has made their first reservation with Stratos, all subsequent reservations can simply be done on their smartphone.

Next, once you sign and approve the reservation paperwork, we’ll send you a booking confirmation with registration access to your own private jet portal. At any time, you can access your flight details in your customer portal and can check on the real-time status of all aspects of the coordination of your flight.

In the portal or by email, you can request changes to departure times, FBOs, and even airports. (We’ll accommodate any request to the best of our ability.). You can add your own passengers, order catering, and even book a car service to take you to the airport.

Finally, and most importantly, we are a customer service company. Everything we do, through every step of the booking process–from the moment you start looking for a flight till the moment you get off the plane–we are going to be taking care of you. It’s not just our private jet flights that are luxury, but the service that you get is second to none. We believe that the greatest luxury is a seamless and hassle-free customer experience.

Why Choose Our Price Calculator?

The price calculator, or flight cost calculator, is a tool that very few other charter services use. We aggregate data from all of our historical dealings with air carriers, so that we quickly determine the approximate price of a certain trip, based on the data of similar flights that have taken place in the past–or trips that have been quoted to us by air carriers.

Through our quoting process, we record all of the flight data, and, at any time, you can enter in the information for a potential flight and it will give you the most accurate price estimate available and even insights into aircraft availability.

With the on-demand model, this price calculator allows you to select from more variations and possibilities. With the membership model, you can actually lock in the rate based on the price calculator.

And this is all available on the app, with our iOS App, you have the power to instantly book a seat on a private jet in the palm of your hand. If you have already flown with us once, you’re able to book the flight easily without ever needing to touch your computer or make a phone call.

Average Cost to Book a Private Jet

In general, smaller aircraft tend to have more affordable hourly rates. For instance, a turboprop charter typically starts at around $2,000 per hour, while a heavy jet charter can cost closer to $10,000 per hour.

Is it Cheaper to Fly in a Private Jet?

Flying on a private jet is generally more expensive than buying a seat on a commercial flight. However, sharing the cost among passengers or booking an empty leg flight can make private flying more budget-friendly.

Working with reputable providers is more costly and jet memberships are also more costly. However, those things improve the customer experience and expand the margin of safety.

Cancellation or Refund Policies

If you have a membership, you’re able to cancel any domestic flight with 72 hours’ notice with no penalty. Within 72 hours, we will do our best to mitigate any potential expense associated with canceling. This is an enormous benefit and one of the most enticing things about becoming a member.

If you’re using the on-demand model, then canceling a flight is a bit more challenging. One-way flights are not able to be canceled once they have been booked, but we are often able to cancel qualifying round trips with little to no cancellation expense.

The reason for one-ways being non-cancelable is that when we book a charter flight with an air carrier, each segment of the air carrier’s path creates a chain. If they know one day they’re going to fly from Miami to New York, then New York to Chicago, then Chicago to Omaha, then Omaha to Miami–and one of those flights gets canceled–then the air carrier is stuck making a flight with no passengers.

Because of the relationships that we have developed with the air carriers, and because of the promises that we make to our members, however, Stratos Jet Charters will work with our air carrier partners to mitigate as much of the cancellation expense as possible so that anyone traveling with Stratos Jets can cancel or make changes to their flights regardless of membership status or booking a one off charter with us.

Available Concierge Services

As we mentioned above, we commonly arrange catering to be provided on the plane, as well as flowers, and more. We also will arrange ground transportation for both coming to and leaving the plane.

We want you to be able to fly in luxury and style, and we do everything we can to make sure that your flight is everything you hoped it would be.

We do not arrange hotel accommodations, or other ground-based reservations (aside from transport).