Most people charter for one of three reasons: the destination has no convenient scheduled service, the party is large enough that a jet costs less than it looks, or the day is worth more than the fare. We arrange all three the same way — end to end, by the same specialist who holds your villa, so the aircraft, the crew, the transfers and the clearances are one plan rather than four bookings.
That matters more than it sounds. The weak point in private travel is almost never the flight; it is the handover — the car that was booked for the terminal rather than the apron, the customs form nobody filed, the villa manager who did not know the arrival had moved. When the villa and the aircraft are arranged by one person, those seams disappear.
01What we actually do
We source and contract the aircraft, not just introduce you to it. In practice that means:
- Aircraft selection against the real brief — passenger count, luggage (ski or golf equipment changes the answer), runway length at the destination, and whether the leg needs a fuel stop.
- Operator and crew vetting, with the operating certificate, insurance and crew hours confirmed before anything is held.
- All paperwork and clearances — permits, slots, customs and immigration pre-filing, and the general declaration.
- Airport concierge at both ends: fast-track or private terminal processing, luggage handled, escort to the aircraft, lounge access where it is useful.
- Ground transfer to the villa door, timed to the actual wheels-down rather than the schedule, with the villa team briefed.
- In-flight requests — catering from a named restaurant, a particular wine, car seats, a pet on board, or simply a quiet cabin.
Empty-leg and repositioning options are worth asking about if your dates are flexible; they are not always available and we will not pretend otherwise, but when they exist the saving is real.
02Which aircraft, and for which trip
The category matters less than the mission. These are the five bands in general use, with the routes our guests actually fly — passenger counts are typical rather than absolute, because cabin configuration varies between individual aircraft.
Short hops and island connections. Modest luggage capacity, which is the constraint people underestimate — six passengers with ski bags is not a light-jet trip.
Nice to Ibiza · Rome to Mykonos · Miami to Punta CanaThe workhorse of transatlantic-adjacent travel: proper standing room in some cabins, a real galley, and enough range for most US East Coast to Caribbean legs without a stop.
Teterboro to Providenciales · London to Mallorca · Miami to Los CabosWhere cabin comfort starts to feel like a room rather than a seat, on legs long enough that people want to move around. From the US East Coast it is the aircraft that reaches the Caribbean gateways — after which a light aircraft or helicopter covers the last stretch to islands no jet can land on.
New York to St Maarten · New York to San Juan · New York to BarbadosSeparate zones, a bed on some types, full galley and a flight attendant as standard. The answer for a multi-family group travelling together to one villa.
New York to Milan · Los Angeles to Bora Bora · Zurich to Cape TownNon-stop where others need a technical stop. Relevant for Asia and Indian Ocean legs, and for anyone who would rather not land twice. Note that New York to Southeast Asia is beyond even this category with a full cabin — expect a technical stop, and we will say so at the quote rather than after.
London to Phuket · New York to Dubai · London to the MaldivesNot a jet, but frequently the last and most useful leg: the airport-to-island hop, or the drive that a helicopter turns from two hours into twelve minutes. St Barts and Courchevel both need one of these after the jet.
St Maarten to St Barts · Providenciales to Ambergris Cay · Geneva to CourchevelRunway and airport access, not aircraft luxury. St Barts takes only small aircraft and specially certified crews, so no jet lands there: arrivals route through St Maarten, which is closest and carries the helicopter shuttle, or San Juan, which suits US East Coast departures and connects by light aircraft. Courchevel’s altiport takes no jets at all — a 537-metre runway on an 18.5% gradient at 2,008 metres, flown by light turboprop or helicopter with a mountain-qualified crew, so a jet lands at Geneva, Chambéry or Grenoble and the last leg changes aircraft. Zermatt has no airport and cars stop short of the village. Those facts shape the aircraft, the timing and sometimes the whole itinerary — and they are the first thing we check, before anything is quoted.
03Airport concierge, on its own
You do not need to charter to use it. Airport concierge is available on scheduled flights too, and it is the part guests are most surprised by: fast-track or private processing, luggage handled from kerb to carousel, a personal escort, and lounge access where it helps. On arrival, the same service works in reverse — someone meets the aircraft, clears the formalities, and the car is already positioned.
For families it is worth more than almost any in-flight upgrade. An airport with small children is the hardest hour of the trip, and it is the hour this removes.
04Where it pairs with a villa
Aviation and the house are one decision more often than people expect. A few of the places where the flight genuinely changes the trip:
- Turks & Caicos — Providenciales takes large aircraft directly, and the private-island estates on Ambergris Cay have their own airstrip.
- St Barts — the approach is famously demanding and no jet lands there, so it is always two legs. From Europe, a jet to St Maarten then a ten-minute helicopter or light aircraft. From the US East Coast, San Juan is often the better gateway, with a light aircraft covering the last stretch. Which one we use depends on your departure point and the time you want to land.
- Courchevel 1850 — the altiport sits above the village and takes light turboprops and helicopters only, never jets. So the plan is two legs: a jet into Geneva, Chambéry or Grenoble, then a short hop that turns a four-hour road transfer into minutes, weather permitting. Worth arranging together, because the connection is the part that goes wrong.
- Los Cabos and Punta Mita — short West Coast legs where a jet is often the difference between arriving for dinner and arriving for bed.
- Private islands — several have their own airstrip or are helicopter-only, so the aviation plan is part of the booking rather than an add-on.
05Questions we get asked
Do you only arrange the concierge, or the aircraft as well?
Both. We source and contract the aircraft, confirm the operator's certificate, insurance and crew, and complete the permits, slots and customs pre-filing. Alongside that we arrange the airport concierge at each end, the ground transfers, and any in-flight requests. One specialist holds the whole file, including your villa.
What is included in airport concierge?
Fast-track or private terminal processing, luggage assistance, a personal escort to the aircraft, and private lounge access where it is useful. Airports are the least pleasant part of a good trip; this is the service that removes the queue, the uncertainty and the carrying. It can be arranged on scheduled flights as well as charters.
Is chartering worth it for a large group?
Often, and the arithmetic surprises people. Split across twelve or fourteen passengers travelling to the same villa, a heavy jet can land close to premium-cabin fares — before you count the day you get back, the luggage that simply travels with you, and the fact that everyone arrives together rather than across three flights. We will tell you honestly when scheduled service is the better answer; for some routes it plainly is.
Can you fly into every destination you hold villas in?
Not directly, and the exceptions matter. St Barts restricts aircraft size and requires specially certified crews, so arrivals route via St Maarten — closest, and where the helicopter shuttle runs — or via San Juan from the US East Coast, connecting by light aircraft. Courchevel's altiport accepts light turboprops and helicopters but no jets, so a Courchevel trip is a jet into Geneva, Chambéry or Grenoble plus a short second leg. Zermatt has no airport and is car-free. In each case there is a workable plan — a smaller aircraft, a helicopter leg, or a train — and we build it before quoting rather than after.
How far ahead should I arrange a flight?
For ordinary dates, a week or two is comfortable and short notice is often possible. For the festive fortnight, February half-term and Easter, book the aircraft when you book the villa — those weeks are as constrained in the air as on the ground, and the aircraft available to you in late December is not the aircraft available in October.
Who uses this service?
Mostly families and groups travelling to one house, which is the case a jet suits best. Beyond that: guests with tight schedules, anyone travelling with equipment or pets, and those heading somewhere scheduled service reaches awkwardly or not at all. It is arranged on request rather than sold as a package.
Private aviation is one part of the wider bespoke concierge service — which also covers private chefs, drivers, yacht days, restaurant and club access, childcare and pre-arrival provisioning, all arranged by the specialist who holds your villa.
Send your dates, party size and destination. We will come back with the realistic aircraft options, the airport constraints that apply, and a written quote — and say plainly if a scheduled flight serves you better.