Flight sharing lets a non-professional pilot share a flight’s costs with passengers. While the rates are appealing for an occasional trip, the level of safety and reliability is not that of a private jet charter operated by a certified carrier. Here is an overview.
What is flight sharing?
Flight sharing, or “extended cost-sharing flight”, applies the car-pooling principle to aviation: a private pilot who has planned a flight offers the free seats and shares the costs (fuel, fees) with passengers. The practice is growing in flying clubs, essentially on light single-engine aircraft.
Benefits and limits
- Cost sharing: the pilot pools the flight cost — economical for an outing.
- Sightseeing flight: a popular way to discover a region from the sky.
- Light aircraft: offer limited to small single-engine planes, reduced capacity.
- Flexibility required: the pilot sets the date, route and all terms; no schedule guarantee.
Flight sharing or a private jet: which to choose?
Flight sharing suits a leisure discovery with no schedule constraints. For a business trip, a planned route or a punctuality and safety requirement, chartering a private jet operated by a certified carrier remains the right solution. Excell’Jets guides you to the most relevant option and negotiates the best charter rate for you.