13 Jul Too good to be true?

Planning a private jet charter flight? We’re on hand to make your flight as easy as possible, however beware as you need to be extremely vigilant when booking your private jet.

Falcona was set up in 2012 to provide a better service for private jet travellers, after seeing how some charter brokers and operators deal with their customers. We only work with the best operators and have developed good working relationships with them over the years.

With the boom of the internet and the ease of booking a flight, unsuspecting customers looking to fly private have a wealth of information on the web. This in turn has created a industry, which is still unregulated for charter brokers, so you could be booking an aircraft with someone who has no idea of how the industry works and the right aircraft to suit your needs.

ILLEGAL CHARTER

The sad case of professional footballer Emilian Sala, has brought this to the forefront of the news. Illegal jet charter is happening all the time and is extremely difficult to stamp out. Sports stars are used to having friends of a friend or people saying that they can get them a cheaper deal. We still see this today, especially with footballers and yet they still fly on aircraft that isn’t suitable.

The fly- by- night companies who have never been on a jet cannot tell you much about the aircraft, or its capabilities. They will just take your money and run or worse still put you on a unsafe aircraft. It’s just not worth it.

FAKE SITES

With the increase in on-line shopping, scammers have become more sophisticated  in their methods to part with your cash. Don’t lose your money to on-line con artists or fraudulent charter brokers. For example we have seen websites, that have just copied and pasted information from legitimate charter companies, then claiming to offer private jet charter flights.

Not only are they misrepresenting air charter brokers, there is absolutely no regard to customers safety. Browse the website, they are usually attached to travel companies or concierge companies claiming to be able to book private jets.

Many of these companies are trying to offer something which they have no clue about or they have been asked in the past, do they have any private jet contacts.

Private Jet Scams

Being offered below-market priced flights in exchange for social media promotion could be a warning sign that you need to dig deeper to understand what you are really buying. Companies are not always transparent about what they are selling.

Many of these are misleading consumers, with false claims and extremely low charter prices. Customers are usually rushed into purchasing flights that are not suitable for their journey.

Don’t rely on flashy advertising/marketing brochures. Many of these type of companies have now gone bust and disappeared with customers money.

WHAT TO DO

Read on-line reviews, trust marks can be copied so we would recommend that you call the number. Fraud is at an all time high and you should be aware when booking private jet flights. When you see very low prices with ridiculous discounts you should be more than a little bit suspicious.

Look out for companies that use stock photos and claim to be the cheapest, they have unlimited availability and only bank transfers allowed. Does it list a place of business, contact number, Vat,  Company number etc?

Check the web address is legitimate.

Look out for spelling mistakes.

Use a professional charter broker.

Always use a official payment process.

Use Google to check out where the property is and phone the number.

CHECKLIST

• Phone the company – is it legitimate
• If possible visit the offices if possible, have a look around talk to the staff.
• Don’t pay any money until your’e 100% sure.
• Don’t give out any personal information until your’e 100 per cent

So we ask you to be vigilante and don’t book until you’re happy with everything. We always aim to be transparent, give choice and value to our customers. Trying to raise the standards of private jet charter travel, which in all honestly has been poor.

We have worked hard to build a reputable name in the air charter industry. Unlike many private jet brokers, we have a base at the main private jet terminal at Manchester Airport, where you can pop into see us, to discuss your charter requirements.

GET A QUOTE 

Please note: Prices shown are estimated prices for charter of whole aircraft – alternative routes, aircraft and airports are also available upon request.

Any additional operational charges that we may incur to operate this quoted schedule, ie Out of Hours (OOHs) and airfield Extensions, Fire Cover Upgrade and AIRCRAFT DE-ICING are not included in this quotation price. This estimated price is subject to availability, slots, traffic rights and schedule.