Good to know
Frequently Asked
Straight answers to the questions we hear most — on pricing, booking, aircraft and the way a brokerage works for you. Anything unanswered, we are one call away.
01
Booking & Quotes
How do I request a charter quote?
Send us your route, dates, passenger count and any preferences — by phone, email or the enquiry form. A JETPAX broker checks availability across our vetted operator network and returns an all-inclusive quote, typically within the hour. There is no membership to join and no obligation attached; the quote is simply yours to consider.
How far in advance should I book a private jet?
One to two weeks ahead gives the widest choice of aircraft for domestic flights; allow two to four weeks for international itineraries involving permits and ground arrangements. Charter is built for shorter notice than that, though — with an aircraft positioned nearby, a departure can be arranged within a few hours.
Can I book a same-day flight?
Yes. Same-day departures are routine in private aviation when an aircraft is positioned near your departure point, and on well-served corridors this is often the case. Expect a narrower choice of aircraft, and note that bookings made inside 48 hours can carry a premium.
Do I need a membership or jet card to fly with JETPAX?
No. JETPAX has no membership tiers, joining fees or jet cards. Every flight is quoted on demand at current market rates, and you pay only for the trips you take. That keeps each booking honest: the right aircraft for the sector in front of you, rather than a drawdown against pre-purchased hours.
What details do you need to confirm a booking?
Passenger names as they appear on identification, contact details, and passport information for international sectors. We will also ask about luggage, catering, ground transport and any pets travelling. Once the charter agreement is signed and payment received, you receive a complete itinerary with terminal addresses, crew details and departure timings.
Can I change or cancel a confirmed booking?
Often, within the terms of your charter agreement. Timing changes are usually accommodated where the aircraft's schedule allows; cancellation fees scale as departure approaches, and each operator sets its own thresholds. Your broker sets these terms out plainly before you sign, so there are no discoveries after the fact.
02
Pricing
How much does it cost to charter a private jet?
Charter is not priced like an airline. Each quotation is built for the journey: the right cabin class for the sector, where that aircraft is positioned, your dates and your schedule. Light jets sit at the most accessible end of the market and ultra-long-range cabins at the top — and every JETPAX quote is a firm, all-inclusive figure prepared individually, typically within the hour.
What does Sydney to Melbourne cost by private jet?
Sydney to Melbourne is Australia's busiest private corridor, typically flown in a light jet in about an hour and twenty minutes, and priced for the whole aircraft rather than per seat. The figure moves with aircraft availability, positioning and the date you fly — there is no tariff. Request a quote and we will return an exact, all-inclusive figure within the hour.
What is included in a JETPAX quote?
Everything required to fly: aircraft and crew, fuel, landing and handling fees, standard catering and applicable taxes. Our quotes are all-inclusive, so the figure you accept is the figure you pay. Anything you add by choice — bespoke catering, ground transfers, onward connections — is itemised transparently before you confirm.
Why do quotes for the same route vary?
Because charter is a live market. The price reflects which aircraft are available near your departure point, whether a jet must be flown in empty to collect you, fuel costs and demand on the day. The same route can price quite differently a week apart — one reason a broker's view across the whole market matters.
Is GST payable on charter flights in Australia?
GST of 10 per cent generally applies to domestic charter within Australia. International flights are GST-free, and domestic sectors that form part of an international itinerary can also be GST-free under Australian Taxation Office rules. JETPAX quotes state the tax treatment plainly, so the all-inclusive figure you see is final.
Do last-minute flights cost more?
Often. Bookings made inside 48 hours can carry a premium, reflecting the cost of securing and repositioning whatever aircraft is available at short notice. The exception is the empty leg: where your timing happens to match an aircraft already repositioning, last-minute becomes the cheapest way to fly privately.
03
Empty Legs
What is an empty leg flight?
An empty leg is the repositioning sector a private jet flies after dropping passengers or before collecting them — a flight that would otherwise operate empty. Operators release these at 25 to 75 per cent below standard charter rates rather than absorb the cost. JETPAX publishes live availability on our empty-legs board at jetpax.aero/empty-legs.
How much can I save on an empty leg?
Up to 75 per cent against the standard charter price for the same aircraft and route. The deepest discounts tend to surface at short notice — within 24 to 48 hours of departure — when an operator would rather recover fuel and crew costs than fly the sector empty. Flexibility is what earns the price.
What is the catch with empty legs?
The schedule is not yours. Routing and timing are fixed by the original charter, and if that client changes plans the empty leg can move or vanish — industry-wide, roughly ten to fifteen per cent are cancelled. Empty legs reward adaptable travellers; for a commitment that cannot slip, a standard charter is the correct instrument.
How do I find JETPAX empty legs?
Our live board at jetpax.aero/empty-legs lists current repositioning flights across the operator network as they are released. Tell your broker the routes you fly often — Brisbane–Sydney, Dubai–London, Sydney–Gold Coast — and we will flag matching legs as they appear. No membership is required; any listed flight can be booked directly.
Can an empty leg be adjusted to suit my schedule?
Sometimes, within limits. Operators will occasionally shift a departure by an hour or two, or accept a nearby airport, particularly when the alternative is flying the sector empty. Larger changes reprice the flight towards a standard one-way charter. It costs nothing to ask; the worst outcome is a conventional quote for comparison.
04
Aircraft & Cabin Classes
What are the main private jet categories?
Four, broadly. Light jets seat up to seven and suit sectors of two to three hours. Midsize jets add standing headroom and around five hours' range. Super-midsize aircraft fly higher, faster and further — up to nine passengers over transcontinental distances. Heavy jets carry ten or more across oceans, with room to dine, work and sleep properly.
How do I choose the right aircraft for my trip?
Match the aircraft to the sector, not the brochure. Passenger numbers, luggage, flight time and runway length decide most of it — a Brisbane–Sydney hop rarely justifies a heavy jet, and a long overwater leg rules out most light jets. Your JETPAX broker presents two or three honest options with the trade-offs stated, not a catalogue.
How much luggage can I bring on a private jet?
It scales with the aircraft. A light jet holds roughly five to six standard cases; a midsize seven to nine, with room for skis or golf clubs; super-midsize around ten; heavy jets fifteen or more. Soft-sided bags always stow better than rigid cases. Tell your broker what you are carrying and we confirm fit before you book.
Can my pet travel in the cabin with me?
On most domestic Australian charters, yes. Only one Australian airline currently accepts small pets in the cabin — in a carrier under the seat, on select routes — so private charter remains the only way to have a pet of any size travel beside you in flight. Animals are secured for take-off and landing, and operators generally ask for a recent veterinary health certificate. Mention your pet when you enquire.
Is there a washroom on board?
On nearly every aircraft we arrange, yes. Light jets carry a compact washroom, usually at the rear of the cabin; from midsize upward it is a fully enclosed lavatory, and heavy jets often have two. If a full washroom matters for a longer sector, say so — it will shape which aircraft we propose.
Do private jets have Wi-Fi?
Commonly, though not universally. Larger cabins flying international sectors are generally connected, midsize aircraft increasingly so, and light jets vary by operator and age. Speed and coverage differ by system and route. If working in the air matters, tell your broker — Wi-Fi becomes a filter we apply when sourcing aircraft, not an afterthought.
05
Safety & The Broker Model
Is JETPAX an airline or an operator?
Neither. JETPAX is a charter broker: we do not own or operate aircraft. We source, negotiate and manage your flight across a vetted network of certificated carriers. Every flight is flown by an operator holding the appropriate authority — a CASA Air Operator's Certificate in Australia, FAA Part 135 certification in the United States, or the local equivalent.
Why use a broker rather than booking directly with an operator?
An operator can only sell you its own fleet. A broker compares the entire market — aircraft type, positioning, price and safety record — and negotiates on your side of the table. And when weather or a mechanical issue intervenes, your broker re-sources the flight across the network rather than leaving you to begin again.
How does JETPAX vet its operators?
Every operator must hold a valid Air Operator's Certificate or Part 135 authority before we will use them. Beyond that regulatory floor, we favour carriers with independent safety audits — ARGUS ratings, Wyvern certification or IS-BAO registration — and review insurance cover, fleet age and crew experience. Operators that fall short are simply not used.
What do ARGUS, Wyvern and IS-BAO mean?
They are independent safety-audit programmes that assess operators beyond minimum regulation. ARGUS rates charter operators across tiers up to Platinum; Wyvern's Wingman standard adds on-site audits of an operator's safety management system; IS-BAO is an ICAO-modelled international standard administered by the International Business Aviation Council. All three are voluntary — which is precisely why they signal a serious operator.
Who is responsible for the flight itself?
The operator. Its pilots hold command of the aircraft, its maintenance organisation keeps it airworthy, and its certificate places it under direct oversight by CASA, the FAA or the relevant national authority. JETPAX's role is to put you on the right aircraft with the right operator, and to manage everything that surrounds the flight.
Why do long-haul private flights carry extra crew?
Because regulators strictly limit the hours a crew may fly and remain on duty before mandatory rest. Long-haul and ultra-long-range sectors therefore carry an augmented crew — additional pilots who rotate through a dedicated onboard rest area so a fresh crew is always at the controls. It is planned, costed and rostered into every long-range quote from the outset.
06
Destinations & Logistics
Where can JETPAX arrange flights?
Almost anywhere with a suitable runway. From offices in Brisbane and Dubai we arrange charter across Australia and the Pacific, the Gulf, Asia, Europe and beyond — including airports scheduled airlines never serve. Access is private aviation's quiet advantage: smaller fields closer to where you are actually going, and terminals built for departure in minutes.
Do private jets use the same airports as airlines?
Often, though through separate private terminals — in Sydney and Brisbane, dedicated facilities sit away from the main concourse. Just as often they use dedicated fields: Essendon Fields, eleven kilometres from Melbourne's centre; Archerfield in Brisbane; and in Dubai, the 24-hour VIP terminal at Al Maktoum International with its own customs and immigration.
Do I still clear customs and immigration when flying privately?
Yes. Passports are required and border formalities apply in full — they are simply conducted at the private terminal and, at some airports, on board the aircraft itself. Officers process your party alone, so clearance typically takes minutes rather than hours. Passenger details are lodged with the authorities before departure, arranged by your broker.
How early should I arrive before departure?
We suggest fifteen minutes before wheels-up for domestic sectors, slightly more where international formalities apply. You drive to the private terminal, luggage moves from car to hold, and you board when ready. Within your booked window the aircraft works to your schedule — a meeting that runs long delays the flight, not your plans.
Can I fly internationally to or from Australia with my pet?
With planning. Australia's biosecurity rules apply to private aircraft exactly as they do to airlines: dogs and cats entering the country need an import permit and must complete post-entry quarantine at the government's Mickleham facility near Melbourne — a minimum of ten days from approved countries. Departing Australia is simpler and turns on the destination's rules. We coordinate compliant routings from the first enquiry.
Does JETPAX arrange anything beyond passenger charter?
Yes. We arrange dedicated cargo charter for time-critical freight, aircraft and logistics for film and media production, and advisory on private aircraft acquisitions. The discipline is identical to our passenger work: certificated operators, transparent all-inclusive pricing, and one broker accountable from first enquiry to completion.
Still deciding?
Tell us the journey and we’ll return a firm, all-inclusive quote within the hour — no membership required.
Request a quote