Why do people buy Private Jet Cards?
They buy Jet Cards because they want a fixed hourly price. There are a few major Private Jet Card companies. The two biggest currently are Marquis Jet and Sentient Jet. Marquis Jet was started in 2001 to allow you to purchase 25 hour Cards off the NetJets fleet. Sentient Jet does not own or operate any aircraft. Back in the day they claimed they did and they got in trouble for doing it. Typical Jet companies allow you to purchase 12.5 hours, 25 hours, 50 hours, 75 hours and over 100 hours. As you go higher they usually discount the rates. The most expensive Jet Card company is Marquis Jet. Their hourly prices start at $6,000 an hour on a 400XP which includes fuel and tax. Now the most common thing that NetJets/Marquis Jet is good at telling people is that if they switch to another Private Jet Card company they could have serious problems. If you are looking at Card programs, do research and investigate all the different ones.
Because they claim they have the highest safety rating. But NetJets is not a Part 135 operator, they are a Part 91 operator. A Part 135 operator maintains the highest safety ratings today. There are some downsides to Marquis Jet and Sentient Jet. Marquis Jet hours expire after 18 months. Before NetJets purchased Marquis Jet back in 2011 they never expired. Sentient’s hours expire in two years. Below are pluses and minuses to owning a Private Jet Card.
Marquis – Pluses – 1) Fixed hourly pricing, 2) Guaranteed availability, 3) 10 hour call out, 4) No dead head or empty leg fees, 5) Charged only on actual flight time rounded up to the nearest 10th
Marquis – Minuses – 1) Fuel surcharges, 2) Hours expire after 18 months, 3) Charge too much per hour, 4) Basically paying for a roundtrip flight every time, 5) Same hourly cost if you buy 25 or 100 hrs
Sentient – Pluses – 1) Fixed hourly pricing, 2) Guaranteed availability, 3) No dead head or empty leg fees, 4) Preferred (newer aircraft) or Select (older aircraft), 5) Charged only on actual flight time
Sentient – Minuses – 1) Fuel surcharges, 2) Hours expire after 2 years, 3) They are a charter broker and not an operator, 4) Double the cost of a charter operator or broker
Charter Broker Cards – Pluses – 1) No fuel surcharges, 2) Hours never expire, 3) Fixed hourly price, 4) Typically 30-40% lower than Sentient and Marquis Jet Cards, 5) Tailor it to your specific trips, 6) New Aircraft
Charter Broker Cards – Minuses – 1) A 3% Administrative fee if you choose to cancel after 30 days
