Private jet charter cancellation terms for one-way versus round-trip flights vary significantly. Not knowing the difference can be expensive.
From time to time, I receive calls from consumers and attorneys who are considering suing their private jet charter broker or operator. Quite often, I have to inform them that, based on what they have told me, they were likely not entitled to a refund.
The reason is that they didn’t understand the difference between roundtrip and one-way charter flights.
To make things more complicated, it’s not always apparent what you’re buying when you make a purchase.
A typical charter contract will include language along the lines of the following:
‘For travel on Standard Travel Days, round-trip itineraries for travel within the Continental United States must be changed or canceled at least three days before the scheduled departure date. One-way itineraries are subject to a 100% cancellation fee.’
That seems pretty straightforward, right?
So, you are going from X to Z and returning to X.
Airlines have trained us to think of the X to Z and return to X trip as a round trip.
We understand that if we cancel the outbound flight, the airline will also cancel the return flight.
Sometimes, we learn that lesson the hard way and lose a few hundred dollars.
With airlines, they often give flight credits instead of a refund.
It doesn’t work that way in private jet charter flights.
In the case of private jet charters, where you are shelling out tens of thousands of dollars, the lessons about roundtrips versus one-ways can be more expensive.
So, what is a round trip in private jet charter speak?
In simple terms, it is when the same airplane and crew take you from Airport A, fly you to Airport B, wait for you while you are doing whatever you are doing at B, and then fly you back to Airport A.
For the most part, this means a same-day out-and-back trip.
In some cases, it may be a next-day return.
The cost of the crew’s overnight stay is included in your charter quote.
From time to time, you can stay away a few extra days for longer flights.
An operator might be willing to let the airplane and crew wait for a couple of days in the case of a coast-to-coast trip, reasoning that the substantial revenue is worth it, as they are willing to have the airplane on the ground, not earning money, for a short period while it waits for you.
These trips are roundtrip, and in many cases, you can cancel without penalty up to three days before departure, assuming it’s not a designated peak period when a 100% cancellation fee often applies.
One-way pricing can be easily identified in some cases.
If it’s not the same aircraft and crew that were waiting for you and bringing you back on the A-to-B return, you are likely buying two one-way flights.
However, there is an exception, which we will get to in a moment.
In many charter contracts, one-way flights incur a 100% cancellation penalty after the booking is made.
That means you lose your money.
There are no credits for future travel.
However, discerning whether you are buying a roundtrip or two one-way charter flights can be confusing.
I’ve seen charter quotes where it’s not clear.
For example, your round trip could be made up of two round trips.
What does that mean?
You are paying for an aircraft to take you to your destination, and then fly back to base empty.
For your return flight, it’s the opposite.
However, that may still not entitle you to cancel based on the roundtrip pricing terms.
Many operators will claim ownership of the empty leg flight since you are not on the airplane.
I have seen some epic online discussions between brokers and operators on the subject.
If your broker is using a floating fleet operator, you may not get your specific aircraft assigned until 24 hours before departure.
These, however, are virtually always based on one-way terms.
READ: 16 reasons to use a private jet charter broker
There are also some brokers whose contracts state that all flights are 100% non-refundable if canceled after booking.
Other contracts state that the terms of the operator supersede the broker contracts.
International flights often cannot be changed or canceled, even if they are truly roundtrip in private jet charter terms.
The same goes for trips during peak periods.
Contracts also typically allow providers to keep the money if an aircraft has already been repositioned, for international permits, and even for trip planning that took place before canceling.
Floating fleet operators tend to have more generous cancellation terms, even allowing you to cancel one-way flights after booking.
What if you need flexibility to change or cancel after booking?
Make sure you advise your broker to source an operator that offers this flexibility.
However, pay attention to the fine print, and if you are in doubt, ask and confirm in writing.
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