Post-Private Jet Flight Fees: It's about timing and communication

In private aviation, post-flight fees are nothing new.

Deicing, hangar charges, after-hours fees, airport authority costs, and FBO invoices have long been part of the charter ecosystem.

What is increasingly contentious, however, is when those charges appear—and how long after a trip clients, brokers, and operators should reasonably expect to see them.

A recent LinkedIn discussion sparked by Daniel Harris, Managing Partner at Ironbird Partners, crystallized an issue many industry professionals quietly wrestle with: at what point does delayed billing cross the line from operational reality into bad business?

We asked ChatGPT to analyze more than a dozen responses.

Harris’s post began with a familiar scenario: a $1,500 FBO bill that was expected and disclosed in advance.

The problem wasn’t the charge itself—it was the broader pattern of unexpected or delayed invoices that surfaced days, weeks, or even months after a flight.

Key fees billed back to operators and then passed on to brokers post-trip include deicing, hangar fees, after-hours charges, and special event fees.

What upsets the folks who arrange your flights is those invoices that don’t come in immediately.

It can be described as the “we forgot to bill this” invoice.

Harris says, “Everyone has seen them.”

The real question, Harris asked, is timing.

Is 48 hours reasonable? A week? Two weeks? A month?

And is there ever a point when billing becomes unacceptable, regardless of justification?

Respondents offered their perspectives.

From the broker’s perspective, surprise is the enemy.

Michael Loff of Monarch Air Group emphasized the importance of working with operators who communicate proactively about potential additional costs.

While some charges—like deicing or heated hangars—are inherently difficult to predict, others, such as special event fees, are becoming harder to defend.

Several brokers noted that event fees, particularly in the U.S., have escalated dramatically over the past two years, with some ranging from $1,000 to $20,000.

Las Vegas drew repeated criticism, with operators pointing out that even routine NFL games can now trigger event pricing.

While some FBOs, such as Atlantic Aviation, have begun publishing fee schedules, many still rely on opaque or last-minute billing, respondents posted on LinkedIn.

From the broker’s standpoint, delayed invoices don’t just complicate accounting—they make client conversations far more difficult.

As Andy Meers of Mavco Jet Charter noted, even a one-week delay can sour an otherwise flawless trip.

The longer the gap, the more trust erodes.

Operators say they can’t bill brokers for amounts they haven’t received from FBOs.

Operators argue that the issue isn’t negligence—it’s logistics.

Baker Aviation’s Timothy Livingston said that while everyone would prefer to “bake everything into the trip,” clients consistently resist higher upfront pricing.

As a result, quotes often focus on base charter costs, with contracts expanding to cover dozens of potential contingencies.

READ: FBO special event fees are getting bigger and wider. What’s next?

Getting Paid

In many cases, operators don’t receive third-party invoices—especially from FBOs or international providers—for days or weeks.

Operators say they send the bills immediately upon receipt.

They want prompt reimbursement because they’ve already paid out of pocket.

From this perspective, the acceptable timeline isn’t measured from wheels-down, but from when the operator actually receives the invoice.

Still, even operators acknowledge that advance notice matters.

Alerting brokers that a deicing bill will be coming—even without a final amount—helps manage expectations and preserve alignment.

Most respondents agreed that 24–48 hours is ideal for identifying potential additional charges, even if final numbers aren’t yet available.

A week begins to feel excessive.

Anything beyond that risks damaging credibility.

Some feel that the post-flight fees don’t accurately reflect the added handling costs.

Icarus Jet’s Kevin Singh believes consolidation, infrastructure strain, and reduced competition are reshaping the industry.

He says that once exceptional fees have become routine, transparency hasn’t always kept pace.

However, post-flight fees themselves aren’t the problem.

Most clients accept that private aviation involves variables.

What they increasingly reject is uncertainty, surprise, and delayed accountability. In a market built on trust, service, and premium pricing, timing isn’t just administrative—it’s part of the product.

And as Harris’s post made clear, the industry may not agree on where the line is—but everyone agrees that it exists.

READ: 21 extra charges that could be in your jet card contract