RightJet 2026 Guide Sets Out What a Private Jet Charter Broker Does and How to Choose One

RightJet has published a guide describing a private jet broker as an intermediary between clients who want to charter an aircraft and the operators that hold the aircraft and the air operator certificate. The broker sources suitable aircraft, confirms they are safe and compliant, and arranges the booking on the client's behalf, handling the request from first enquiry to final invoice.

The guide says operators hold the aircraft, while brokers hold the client relationship and market knowledge, comparing options across the market rather than a single fleet. It lists four core responsibilities: sourcing the right aircraft, balancing route, range, cabin size, luggage, passenger numbers, airport restrictions and client preferences; vetting operators against globally recognised safety standards, which it describes as the broker's most important responsibility; negotiating aircraft rates, positioning costs, catering and special requests; and coordinating the booking end to end.

On choosing a broker, the guide points to reputation, price transparency and customer service. It advises clients to ask how a quote is built, what is included and what may be billed separately, why a specific aircraft is recommended, and how the broker is compensated. It notes that some brokers earn their margin inside the aircraft quote while others charge a transparent service fee on top. With newer or less familiar providers, it suggests asking for credentials, such as where the company is based, whether it has a physical office and who the named account manager is.

The guide also covers aircraft sales. It quotes RightJet CEO Mark Hardman, from a Khaleej Times feature on UAE private jet demand: "As a rule of thumb, if you're flying maybe over 300 hours a year, it's worth considering acquisition from a commercial aspect." It says aircraft sales and acquisition advisory is a distinct service from charter brokerage, though some firms, including RightJet, offer both along with aircraft management.

The split the guide describes, operators holding aircraft and certificates while brokers hold the client and the market view, means the person quoting a charter is often not the party flying it. That arrangement puts the weight of safety assurance on the broker's vetting, and it explains why the guide calls vetting the most important duty and why brokers are told to be ready to explain their credentials.

Pricing structure is the other pressure point. When margin sits inside the aircraft quote, the client sees one number; when a service fee is added on top, the client sees two. Neither model is wrong, but they are hard to compare without asking how the broker is paid, which is exactly the question the guide tells clients to raise. Brokers who answer it plainly gain an advantage over those who do not.

The 300-hours-a-year rule of thumb quoted from Hardman frames the charter-versus-ownership line as a usage question, with acquisition advisory handled as a separate service from brokerage. The guide offers no further thresholds, so any buyer weighing ownership would still need operator-specific cost figures to test that line against their own flying.