Private charter is generally paid in advance. The exact timing depends on the trip, aircraft, operator and how close you are to departure.
Before you book, we’ll make the payment requirements and cancellation terms clear so you know exactly what applies to your flight.
After You Choose a Flight
Once you’ve reviewed the detailed quotes and decided on the aircraft and itinerary you want to book, your ABOVE Aviation Specialist will send you a charter agreement detailing the itinerary, aircraft option and operator, total price, payment terms, and cancellation and change terms.
You’ll also receive a credit-card authorization form when applicable.
If a temporary credit-card hold is required while funds are being received, we’ll let you know before it’s placed and release it as soon as payment is received.
If any aircraft details are still pending final confirmation, we’ll point that out before you sign.
Once you sign and return the charter agreement, we’ll send you an invoice with the payment instructions, including wire instructions and the mailing address if you’re paying by check.
Do I Need to Pay a Deposit?
Usually not. It’s rare for ABOVE to require a separate deposit.
Most often, full payment is due by the deadline in your charter agreement – generally five business days before the first leg of a domestic trip and 10 business days before departure for an international trip.
If you’re booking inside those windows, payment may be required sooner.
A deposit may occasionally be required depending on the specific trip and payment terms. If so, we’ll make that clear before you book.
How Can I Pay?
Wire transfer is generally the preferred payment method, although we also accept:
- Check
- Credit card
If you pay by credit card, a 5–6% processing fee will apply depending on the card used. We’ll confirm the exact fee before you pay.
If you’re paying by wire, use the instructions provided with your invoice.
If the wiring instructions ever change unexpectedly or something doesn’t look right, call your ABOVE Aviation Specialist at the number you already have and confirm them before sending the wire.
What If My Plans Change?
Cancellation and change terms depend on the specific operator, trip and how close you are to departure.
They’re detailed in your charter agreement before you sign, so you know exactly what applies if plans change.
That said, things happen and plans change.
If a trip has to be cancelled and penalties apply, we treat it like it’s our own money on the line. We don’t simply pass along the cancellation charge and move on.
Many of the operator relationships we rely on today go back to July 2010. After more than 16 years of arranging private flights and working repeatedly with many of the same operators, we have relationships we can lean on when a client needs help.
We’ll push for every reasonable option available to protect as much of your money as we can.
Depending on the situation, that may mean changing the trip, working with the operator to replace the cancelled trip, reducing or eliminating a penalty, or working out a credit toward future travel.
We can’t promise that every cancellation penalty can be changed. What we can promise is that we’ll advocate for you and do everything reasonably possible to get the best result we can.
If your plans change, call us as soon as possible. The sooner we know, the more options we may have.
If anything isn’t clear, call or email your ABOVE Aviation Specialist. We’ll go through it with you before you send payment.