The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) outlines hundreds of regulations and standards for the airline industry. These regulations are categorized as “parts” and govern various types of aircraft and airline operations.
PJS supports charter flights for nearly anyone, anywhere, any time, but our focus lies in Part 121 charters. Very few aviation consultancies specialize in Part 121 charter — PJS is one of them.
What is Part 121?
Part 121 aircraft are approved to charter with 50+ passengers. These regulations are even more stringent than Part 135 (aircraft that can carry between 1-30 passengers) with regards to maintenance scheduling, runway length requirements, fuel reserves planning, pilot rest and duty day scheduling, and other factors for the sake of ensuring safe operations.
In short, if you are chartering a VIP airliner with more than 30 seats, you will likely be flying under the Part 121 regulations. These same rules apply to all major airlines. Most frequently, professional and collegiate sports teams, live entertainment tours, group incentive trips, corporate events and UHNW groups flying extended families typically utilize this size aircraft.
Examples of Part 121 Aircraft
- Regional jet/turbo props — 30-70 seats with 3 hours of range or less
- Narrow-body airliners — VIP & “high-density” with 150-186 seats and 4-6 hours of range
- Wide-body — VIP with 60-80+ first-class seats & high-density 220-300+ seats typically flying 9+ hours
Why Others Avoid Part 121 Charter
From flight logistics to people management, large group movements require a level of expertise that few charter companies can match. Most of those able to manage a Part 121 charter only focus on a single segment or industry.
Companies limit themselves to guarantee success. Success in Part 121 requires a team that is financially secure and has the bandwidth necessary to handle the hours and months of pre-planning that go into all large group flights — typically 10 hours of planning are needed for every hour spent in the air.
Limited manpower is also a concern for many companies. Part 121 charters require extensive personnel to manage properly, including flight coordinators and a 24 hours operations center.
The PJS Expert Difference
As a consultancy, we make it our mission to understand all of the nuances of Part 121 charters to curate the best aircraft and private travel experience for each client’s unique needs. We prioritize Part 121 trips and offer high-value services to accompany all flights within this category.
At PJS, group charters can expect:
- Full-service, 24/7/365 Concierge — Receive a dedicated PJS concierge for every flight of 50+ passengers. A concierge handles all the ground operations, ensures FBO terminal operations run smoothly, personal arrives on location to facilitate aircraft arrival and flight preparation 24 hours in advance, and 2-3 hours before the flight — flight crew briefed, catering set up, etc.
- Industry Expertise — From group corporate movements to sports teams and the top names in the entertainment industry, PJS employs experts in every category so that we ensure we are deeply educated on each specific use case.
- Security — Any flight with over 50 passengers requires security screening. PJS will arrange for third-party TSA screens to expedite this process.
- Administrative Ease — Use of the PJS portal — a dedicated website built for clients to upload manifests, view the flight schedule, catering requests and more.
- Contingency Management — PJS’ policy is to always have a minimum of two contingency plans in place for every flight to quickly recover from any mechanical issues, weather or other force majeure.
- Aircraft Branding — Building a seamless group trip is our priority. PJS will personalize details of your flight, such as headrest covers, napkins or branded amenity kits.
