Not reviewing Primary Service Area could mean joining a jet card or fractional program that doesn’t fit your needs.
One of the primary reasons to join a fractional ownership or jet card program is guaranteed availability and pricing; however, the terms Primary Service Area and Extended Service Area are often overlooked.
So, what are the Primary Service Area and Extended Service Area?
And why are they important?
While the terminology varies slightly from provider to provider, they refer to the service areas where, if you start and end your flights, your guarantees apply, including the booking advance notice required, the cancellation notice required to avoid penalties, and your contracted rates.
The Primary Service Area typically refers to the region or area where you can fly without surcharges and repositioning fees at base contractual terms.
For example, callouts are usually lower in the primary service area.
If the brochure states a 48-hour callout on non-peak days, this typically applies only to the primary service area.
In the U.S., many programs have the Continental U.S. as their primary service area.
Some programs extend it to within 225 nautical miles of the U.S. coastline.
However, other programs are regional.
That means when your flight begins or ends outside the primary service area, different rules for both pricing and lead time to book likely apply.
This can also extend to cancellations.
Once you are flying outside the primary service area, different cancellation terms often apply.
In some cases, you may encounter additional fees and special terms within a primary service area.
Many programs charge extra fees for high-density airports, such as LaGuardia and Kennedy Airport in New York.
Some programs also have different terms for mountain airports, under which a fuel stop or alternate airport is required, as well as different cancellation terms.
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The Extended Service Area is usually an area adjacent to the primary service area that still offers guaranteed pricing and availability.
However, not all destinations within a region may be applicable.
For example, many programs limit Caribbean airports to a dozen or so popular destinations.
Extended Service Areas typically have surcharges and international fees.
While some providers have blanket surcharges for specific regions, for example, Mexico, others vary their fees by country or airport.
In some cases, there are repositioning fees.
There are usually longer lead times for booking and cancellation.
In some cases, you may find that cancellations are not permitted.
You will find some jet cards divide Europe into two zones, with flights to the extended service area carrying hefty surcharges.
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Beyond the primary and extended service areas, what happens?
Some programs will fly you there, but at dynamic pricing.
They likely won’t guarantee availablity or recovery aircraft at no additional cost.
If the initial aircraft can’t make your flight, you will likely receive a requote, as with ad hoc charters.
Very few programs include Alaska, Hawaii, or Central America in their primary or extended service areas.
Therefore, if you plan to visit these regions, it’s best to ensure they are part of the program.
Many programs also limit where they will fly in Canada, and program guarantees.
Key elements outside the primary and extended service areas:
Keep in mind that providers sometimes use different names to refer to the primary and extended service areas.
Both at the base and in the primary service area, the most attractive flying terms will be marketed.
Extended service areas will offer you guaranteed pricing and availability, but with stricter terms and extra fees.
The key is to ensure, before joining a program, that your regular destinations are within the primary service area or, at the very least, within the extended service area.
We find that flyers will sometimes join two programs, as they may find that the provider best for their domestic flights doesn’t work well for the Caribbean, and vice versa.
Primary and Extended Service Areas are compared in the Private Jet Card Comparisons database.
You can find details in Columns AJ and AK on the PROGRAM DETAILS sheet of our comparison guide.
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