Growing Problem Gray Market Part 134-1/2 Charters

One of the issues that can hurt the reputation of legitimate Part 135 operators and brokers is people who break the rules. With the recent Part 91 nose gear mishap in the Midwest, safety is always on the mind of experienced private aviation travelers. Add to that the horrible commercial airliner tragedy in Washington DC and there is an even more heightened awareness. We have heard more about the growing problem gray market part 134-1/2 charters.

While granted, people sometimes don’t realize that they are breaking the rules such a friend taking money from a friend flying in their personal aircraft.

However, private aircraft owners who fly people on trips and get paid way above the cost of operating that aircraft are the issue.

We have recently heard stories from some contract pilots who were flying private aircraft only to find out that the passengers did not personally know the owner and had paid for the flights. In one case the pilots dropped off the passengers and abandoned the aircraft to not be further associated with the transaction.

This hurts everyone as unwitting passengers think they have found a budget charter but are flying in violation of FAA rules and regulations. These same passengers are misled into believing that the rates they paid were fair market. This alone makes legitimate charters look overpriced.

While the good news is that these are isolated incidents but nevertheless problematic.

A recent article from the Aviation Marketing Experts blog, the people who handle our marketing, talked about how some of the gray market charters are obtaining these aircraft.

Competition is a good thing. We all know that private aviation charters are a very competitive business as the costs to operate are pretty much the same regardless of where the aircraft originates.

At the Boca Jet we strive to not only provide late model aircraft and world class hospitality but safety at a fair price.

And finally, if you are in the aviation business, you should really check out our friends at Aviation Marketing Experts. These guys can really help, regardless of whether you’re new at this or have been doing it for years.

Growing Problem Gray Market Part 134-1/2 Charters

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