To choose a charter operator for corporate travel, confirm three things before you compare prices: which company holds operational control of the flight, that it holds an FAA Part 135 certificate covering the exact aircraft you will fly, and that its safety program has been audited by an independent body such as Wyvern, ARGUS or IS-BAO. Those checks matter more each year: U.S. charter and fractional flying reached 1,448,409 departures in 2025, up 6%, according to WingX data published by Private Jet Card Comparisons, and the FAA’s public list of Part 135 operators was taken offline for months in 2026 after repeated data errors — a reminder that an online lookup should never be your only verification step.
Below: six checks for travel, procurement and risk teams, a reusable vetting table, and how to build an approved-operator program.
The company you call is not always the company that flies you. A direct operator holds the Part 135 certificate, employs the crew and is legally responsible for the flight. A broker arranges the trip on someone else’s aircraft and certificate. Both models are legal, but your due diligence belongs on the operator.
What to ask. “Which certificate holder will have operational control of this flight, and what is its air carrier certificate number?” The answer should be on the quote and on the confirmation. If it changes after booking, you should be told and given the chance to re-approve.
Why it matters for a company. Your insurance review, your safety approval and your duty-of-care record all attach to the operator. Approving a broker’s brand without knowing the operator means approving an unknown.
A Part 135 certificate covers specific aircraft listed on the operator’s operations specifications. An operator can be legitimate while the particular tail number on your quote is not authorized for charter. After the FAA temporarily removed its public spreadsheet of Part 135 operators and aircraft, NATA advised flyers to request a copy of the operator’s air carrier certificate before each flight, confirm the aircraft is authorized for charter use, and, where in doubt, check with the local FAA office that oversees that operator (reported by Private Jet Card Comparisons, March 3, 2026).
Red flags NBAA lists for illegal charter. Refusal to share the certificate number; separate invoices for the aircraft and for the pilots on one trip; an invoice with no federal excise tax line; and a price far below every other quote. NBAA also notes that insurers may deny claims on a flight later found to be illegal charter — a risk your company carries, not just the operator.
FAA certification is the legal minimum. Third-party audits show how an operator performs above it, and they are the fastest way for a non-aviation team to compare operators on the same scale.
Wyvern. Wyvern Wingman and Wingman PRO certifications are awarded after an on-site audit of an operator against Wyvern’s standard, and Wyvern also produces trip-specific reports on crew and aircraft.
ARGUS. ARGUS ratings (Gold, Gold+ and Platinum) grade operators on safety history, pilot experience and, at the higher levels, on-site audits of their safety management.
IS-BAO. The International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations, run by IBAC, registers operators in stages that reflect how mature and fully integrated their safety management system is.
What to ask. The date of the most recent audit, a copy of the current certificate, and how the operator runs its Safety Management System day to day — for example, whether every flight is screened with a flight risk assessment before it is released.
Insurance. Ask for a certificate of insurance and ask whether your company can be named as an additional insured. Your risk team should set the minimum liability limit; the operator should meet it in writing, not verbally.
Contract. A master charter agreement saves re-negotiating terms for every trip. It should state cancellation and change terms, what happens if the aircraft has a mechanical problem, who arranges and pays for the replacement aircraft, and how disputes on invoices are handled.
Passenger privacy. Executive travel often involves confidential deals. Ask how manifests are shared, who sees them and how long they are kept. Our guide on requesting passenger manifest confidentiality covers the specific requests to make.
Duty of care. Your travel policy should require that every charter flight is booked through an approved operator, that the traveler and a company contact receive the itinerary and crew details, and that someone at the operator can be reached at any hour while the trip is underway.
Corporate charter budgets are usually blown by line items, not by the hourly rate. A quote you can approve should show, at minimum: flight time for every leg, repositioning (positioning the aircraft to you and back home), federal excise tax and segment fees, landing, handling and FBO fees, crew overnight costs, catering, de-icing in winter, Wi-Fi charges, and international fees such as customs, permits and overflight charges where relevant.
For finance teams. Ask whether invoices can carry your cost center or project code, whether billing can be consolidated monthly, and how changes after booking are re-quoted. If the final invoice is materially higher than the quote, the operator should be able to explain every line.
Every operator flies on time when nothing goes wrong. The questions that separate them are about recovery:
Our guide to urgent 24/7 charter, dispatch and recovery explains how this works operationally.
| Area | Ask for | A good answer | Red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operational control | Name and certificate number of the operator on every quote | Named in writing; you are notified of any change | “We use a network of operators” with no name before booking |
| Certificate and aircraft | Air carrier certificate; confirmation the tail number is on it | Provided before the flight without hesitation | Refusal, or the aircraft is “being added” |
| Safety audits | Current Wyvern, ARGUS and/or IS-BAO certificates and audit dates | Recent, verifiable, matched to the operator flying you | Only a broker’s own rating, or expired certificates |
| Safety management | How every flight is risk-assessed before release | A documented SMS with per-flight risk assessment | No written process |
| Insurance | Certificate of insurance; additional-insured option | Meets your risk team’s limits, in writing | Verbal assurance only |
| Pricing | All-in, itemized quote | Taxes, fees, repositioning and overnights listed | Low headline rate, “fees billed after” |
| Invoicing | Sample invoice | One invoice per trip, with federal excise tax shown | Separate aircraft and pilot invoices |
| Recovery | Written mechanical and weather recovery plan | Named backup options and who pays | “It rarely happens” |
| Availability | After-hours contact for live trips | 24/7 line staffed by people who can act | Voicemail or email only |
| Confidentiality | Manifest and data handling policy | Need-to-know access, written retention rules | No policy |
Companies that fly private more than occasionally usually formalize the process:
Companies with their own flight department can apply the same checklist to supplemental lift, and the same questions apply when the trip is international or on a multi-city roadshow.
Silver Air is a direct FAA Part 135 operator founded in 2008, so we hold operational control of the aircraft we fly rather than brokering trips to other certificates. Our managed fleet runs from the Pilatus PC-12 and Citation CJ3 through the Citation Latitude, Citation X, Challenger 350 and 605, to the Gulfstream G-IV SP, GV, G550 and Global Express. Silver Air is Wyvern Wingman PRO certified and IS-BAO compliant, and every flight is run through a flight risk assessment under our Safety Management System. Our operations run around the clock.
We are a good fit for companies that want one accountable operator, aircraft from a known managed fleet, and itemized charter quotes. If your company mostly needs one-off flights in regions where we do not base aircraft, a broker’s wider net may sometimes be faster — in that case, use the checklist above on whichever operator they propose. To start a corporate account or request our certificates for your approval file, contact our team.
How do I check if a private jet charter company is FAA certified?
Ask the company for the operator’s air carrier certificate and confirmation that your specific aircraft is listed on it. NATA recommends doing this before each flight and checking with the FAA office that oversees the operator when in doubt, because the FAA’s public Part 135 list was taken offline for corrections in early 2026.
What is the difference between ARGUS, Wyvern and IS-BAO?
All three are independent assessments above the FAA minimum. ARGUS and Wyvern rate or certify charter operators after reviewing safety data and auditing them; IS-BAO, run by IBAC, registers operators in stages that reflect the maturity of their safety management system. Many strong operators hold more than one.
Which private jet charter companies are best for corporate travel?
The best fit is an operator that passes every check above and suits your flying: aircraft sizes you need, bases near your offices, round-the-clock support and billing your finance team can work with. Ask two or three shortlisted operators for the same documents and compare them side by side.
What should a corporate charter quote include?
Flight time per leg, repositioning, federal excise tax and segment fees, airport and handling fees, crew overnights, catering, winter de-icing, Wi-Fi and any international fees. Anything billed “after the trip” should be explained in advance.
Do we need a contract with a charter operator?
Not for a single trip, but companies that fly regularly benefit from a master agreement covering cancellation, recovery, insurance, billing and confidentiality, so each booking only needs an itinerary approval.
Sources: WingX data via Private Jet Card Comparisons (January 8, 2026); Private Jet Card Comparisons on NATA guidance (March 3, 2026); NBAA, “Risks of Flying With Illegal Charter Operators.”
Reviewed October 29, 2026 by the Silver Air team.
