Comparable programs fly comparable aircraft. The contract is what separates them.
Most people comparing fractional jet ownership companies start with the share price and the fleet. Both are the wrong place to start. Programs at a similar price point fly similar equipment, and the share price is the number every program is most willing to discuss.
The differences that decide what fractional plane ownership costs you over four years sit in the terms, and they are rarely on the first page of anyone's brochure.
The four terms that actually separate programs
One
Monthly management fee
Charged every month of the term whether the aircraft flies or not. Over 48 months this can rival the share price itself. Ask whether there is one, what it covers, and whether it can rise.
Two
What moves the hourly rate
Some programs adjust annually against a published index, some at discretion. Ask what can change your rate, how often, whether the increase is capped, and how much notice you get.
Three
What is passed through
Fuel surcharges, de-icing, positioning, peak-day fees and taxes. Two programs quoting the same hourly rate can differ by a wide margin once pass-throughs are counted.
Four
How you get out
The least-asked and most expensive question. Is the exit contractual, or does it wait on a buyer? How is the price set, and who appraises the aircraft?
The comparison most buyers never run
Total cost across the full term
The share price
Plus the monthly fee, multiplied by every month of the term
Plus the hourly rate, multiplied by the hours you realistically fly
Plus surcharges and pass-through costs
Minus what you actually receive at the end
Run that for each program you are considering. The last line is the one almost nobody calculates, and it regularly changes which program comes out ahead.
Bigger is not automatically better
The largest fractional jet companies buy you fleet scale and airport coverage, which counts for a lot if you fly frequently and unpredictably. What scale does not necessarily buy is better terms. Large programs commonly carry monthly management fees that smaller programs may not, and their exit provisions vary as much as anyone's.
If you fly roughly 50 hours a year on reasonably predictable routes, the contract matters more than the size of the fleet behind it. If you fly several hundred hours a year across unpredictable routes, scale starts to win and you should weight it accordingly.
Fleet scale wins on unpredictable routes. On predictable ones, the contract wins.
Where we fit, and where we do not
Jet Corp is a small program, and we have been operating since 2013. We are built for an owner flying around 50 hours a year who wants a defined cost and a defined exit: no monthly management fee, one capped annual rate adjustment tied to manufacturer program escalation, and a contractual Guaranteed Buyback priced off an independent appraisal.
If you fly several hundred hours a year and need the deepest possible fleet on short notice, one of the large programs will serve you better than we will, and we would rather say so than sell you the wrong thing.
Questions buyers ask when comparing programs
Who are the main fractional jet ownership companies?
The category is led by a small number of large programs, NetJets and Flexjet being the best known in North America, alongside regional and specialist operators such as PlaneSense, AirSprint in Canada, and a number of smaller programs including Jet Corp. Programs differ less on aircraft than on terms: fee structure, escalation, and what happens at the end of the term.
What makes one fractional program better than another?
Not the aircraft, in most cases. Comparable programs fly comparable equipment. The differences that matter over a full term are whether there is a monthly management fee, what can move your hourly rate, which costs are passed through to you, and whether your exit is contractual or depends on finding a buyer. Two programs with the same share price can differ enormously on those four points.
How do I compare fractional jet ownership companies fairly?
Put the programs side by side on total cost of ownership across the full term rather than on share price. Add the share price, the monthly fee multiplied by the number of months, the hourly rate multiplied by your expected hours, and any surcharges. Then subtract what you get back at the end. That last figure is the one most buyers never calculate, and it frequently changes which program wins.
Is the biggest fractional program the best one?
Not automatically. Scale buys fleet size and airport coverage, which matters if you fly constantly and unpredictably. It does not necessarily buy better terms, and larger programs typically carry monthly management fees that smaller ones may not. If you fly around 50 hours a year on reasonably predictable routes, terms tend to matter more than fleet size.
What should I be sceptical of when comparing programs?
Any comparison that stops at the share price. Also any program that cannot tell you in writing what its exit is worth and how it is calculated, or that describes a fractional share as an investment. A share is a purchase that gives you access to an aircraft. It is not a security and should not be sold to you as one.
Where does Jet Corp fit?
We are a small program, operating since 2013, built around a specific structure: no monthly management fee, one capped annual rate adjustment, and a contractual Guaranteed Buyback priced off an independent appraisal. That suits an owner flying roughly 50 hours a year who wants a defined cost and a defined exit. It suits a very high-hour flyer less well than one of the large programs, and we will say so.
Run the comparison
Put our terms beside anyone else's.
Share price, hourly rate, term and buyback, all in writing, so the comparison is like for like.
