Executive Compensation: What extra fees will Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart find when he starts using his jet card

Jet cards are the Uber of private jet travel, however, programs vary in which fees they include and which are extra

Kirby Smart has a new seven-year $49 million contract to continue as head football coach at the University of Georgia which is happy after he led the Bulldogs to the NCAA title game in January. Their last championship was 1980 so fans and administrators are obviously delighted they are once again at the doorstep of glory. 

Smart’s jet card is reportedly for 25 hours on a Light Jet classified as additional compensation. It’s not unusual for companies to offer jet cards to senior executives for personal use. It makes sense because it provides a clean break between corporate use of jets, fractional shares and jet cards and personal use. In fact, Flexjet tells us corporate fractional share customers are a core customer segment for their jet card programs.

Beyond tax consequences, the gift of a jet card is certainly a great perk, but if you are negotiating one as part of your employment agreement, make sure you know what is included and what you will end up paying for as additional charges and fees.

When buyer a jet card here are some possible charges and fees, keeping in mind they vary by both provider and program:

– Interchange fee to upgrade or downgrade the size of the jet

– 7.5% Federal Excise Tax (FET)

– Consumer Price Index (CPI) escalators

– Peak day surcharges that can range from 5% to as high as 40%

– Destination surcharges for travel to high-density airports that can range to 15%

– Deicing which can cost anywhere from $1,000 to over $10,000 per incidence

– Catering which can run in the hundreds of dollars

– Fuel surcharges which can run in the hundreds of dollars per hour

– Diversion charges

– Airport passenger and international flight fees

– Ferry Fees

– Surcharges for destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada

– Cleaning fees for bringing pets

– Surcharges for using a non-preferred FBO (private jet terminal)

While getting a jet card as part of your employment deal is definitely a good thing, you may want to check to join Private Jet Card Comparisons subscribers and know the details of the jet card offerings to match them against your travel plans.