FEC Records Show Susan Collins' Three Campaign Committees Spent $163,563 on Private Jet Charters in 2025–2026

Federal Election Commission filings show three political committees linked to Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins spent a combined $163,563 on private air charter services between 2025 and 2026. The committees named are Susan Collins for Maine, the Dirigo leadership PAC, and Collins for Senator.

The largest single disclosed payment was $58,392.67, paid by the Dirigo PAC to Advanced Aviation Team in April for "PAC air charter." Advanced Aviation Team, which advertises "presidential-level service," was founded by former White House Travel Office directors who served under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Its published rates start at $8,890 per hour for super-light jets and reach $12,610 per hour for super-midsize jets. The other major vendor named was Florida-based Exclusive Charter Service, whose listed clients include Coldplay, Machine Gun Kelly, and Carlos Santana.

A spokesperson for Collins said most of the senator's flights are commercial but that charter service is used when necessary for Senate scheduling or when commercial service is not feasible. The FEC permits senators and political committees to use charter services provided they pay the fair market rate. Collins, 73, is seeking a sixth Senate term and faces Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, 58, a former logger and state senate official, with approximately 50 days until the November 3 midterm election. A YouGov poll shows Jackson leading 48-44, while other recent surveys show the race effectively tied. The disclosure follows reporting last week that Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz's leadership PAC spent nearly $200,000 on private flights in the first half of 2026 alone.

Campaign and leadership PAC spending on charter aircraft sits in a distinct corner of the business-aviation market, governed by FEC fair-market-rate rules rather than ordinary commercial negotiation. Vendors like Advanced Aviation Team, built on former White House Travel Office expertise, and Exclusive Charter Service, which also serves touring musicians, show how charter operators cultivate parallel client bases across politics and entertainment using the same aircraft categories and published hourly rates.

The pattern of disclosure itself is what sustains this niche: FEC filings make campaign charter spending publicly traceable in a way that most private and corporate charter use is not, which is why comparisons between Collins' committees and Cruz's leadership PAC surface so readily. That visibility means charter vendors serving political clients operate under closer public scrutiny of pricing than the broader industry.

Whether this spending draws further scrutiny will likely track the closeness of the Maine race itself, with polling showing the contest tied or narrowly favoring Jackson roughly 50 days before the November 3 election. Additional FEC filings covering the remaining weeks of the campaign would show whether charter use continues at a similar pace as scheduling pressure builds toward election day.