Today, in addition to regular flights, airlines offer charter flights for passengers. They are convenient because they allow you to fly even to those parts of the world where conventional planes do not fly. Moreover, this can be done without transfers and a little cheaper.
A charter flight is a flight made on special request. It means that places are purchased by interested travel companies who sell them to their clients.
Such flights are sent only if there is demand for them, and there are no regular aircraft with such routes.
According to the rules, charters are not indicated in schedules, and seats on them are not sold at the box office. They can only be purchased from tour operators. To fly on a charter, a tourist just needs to provide the necessary information to a travel agency, which organizes the trip and books seats on the plane.
A charter flight differs from a regular flight in that:
- For a regular flight, the ticket is given immediately upon purchase, and for a charter you can get it at the airport before check-in or the day before departure. This is not particularly inconvenient, but you need to remember this.
- If the passenger does not catch the plane, the travel agency operator will cancel the return ticket. It happens that in such cases, tourists get to the resort on their own, and plan to fly home on a return charter, which was originally arranged by the tour operator. To do this, you must notify the travel agency.
- Air charter operations may move to another airport or change aircraft. This almost never happens on regular departures.
- It is impossible to reserve a convenient seat on a charter, since reservations are opened extremely rarely.
Kinds
Charter flights come in several types. There is a difference in price and amenities between them. The cheapest is considered a wet charter, and the most expensive is VIP.
shuttle
In this form the plane It delivers and picks up new passengers all the time. Shuttle flights are slightly more expensive than other types of charters because the first and last flights depart empty and the cost of the flight remains the same.
Split
This is a combined flight where Passengers fly part of the way on a regular plane, and then switch to a charter plane. This method of transportation is used when traveling to particularly remote places.
Poly charter
Similar to split, but its difference is that passengers are forced to change planes 2 or more times. Here too, this is due to the possibilities of departure to the most remote parts of the world.
Corporate
Corporate charter is arranged by companies, to organize travel for your employees to attend events, such as conferences, meetings.
Charter sucks
This type represents a departure where the plane transports clients to the final destination of the route, stays there and then returns back with them. This method is used to save money, since parking a vehicle is cheaper than sending the plane back empty. The only negative is that the time spent on vacation is limited to about a week.
VIP
The most expensive type of charter, since this flight The customer rents the entire vehicle.
Advantages and disadvantages
Such flights have their advantages and disadvantages, which are related to the comfort for passengers.
- the opportunity to visit remote places where regular flights do not fly or fly extremely rarely. This saves time and budget that would have to be spent on transplants;
- affordable price compared to regular flights;
- if the client is unable to fly on the set date, and the seat has already been purchased, then it can be reassigned to another person.
- the flight may be postponed or the departure time may be shifted in favor of a regular flight that must be skipped ahead;
- By purchasing a ticket on your own without involving a tour operator, you may encounter insufficient occupancy of the airliner, which will result in the flight being cancelled. But in this case, the company will select another nearest flight in the desired direction;
- the duration of a tour through a charter is limited in time, because the planes have a clear flight schedule and it will not be possible to extend your vacation at the resort;
- Bonus miles are not awarded for such air travel;
- If you cancel your flight, money for the purchased seat will not be returned;
- in order to save money in such aircraft there are only economy class seats, therefore, the option to fly comfortably in business class is not available. This is due to an increase in the total number of passenger seats.
All disadvantages are due to lower prices, so the flight quality is worse than on regular aircraft. But this does not stop many tourists.
Misconceptions
Inexperienced travelers may have doubts and misconceptions about charter flights. It is worth knowing that all these fears are in vain. Among them are the following:
- The fleet of such companies consists only of old aircraft. This is one of the main misconceptions that is not true. Flights are carried out by the same airliners that fly regular flights.
- Charter flights are unreliable. This is not true, since if the departure is delayed, passengers will be offered free food, and if there is a long wait, they will be able to spend the night in a hotel at the airport terminal.
- There is no food on charter. In fact, depending on the flight time, passengers are given drinks and meals.
- Flight cancellations. If a flight is cancelled, it will be rescheduled or another airliner will be provided, but the flight will take place in any case.
- Flight without luggage. It is a misconception that when flying on a charter you cannot take luggage with you. This is not true, since carriers' baggage allowances apply here, which always include free transportation of a certain number of things.
The number of people who systematically use air transport, including international travel, is very large. And even if you don’t fall into this category, it’s unlikely that you haven’t heard about charters at least once. So what is the difference between a charter flight and a regular one? What are its specifics?
Many people believe that high-cost flights are combined under this name. And they save on literally everything - on updating the aircraft fleet, on food and water supply, on fuel and wages of workers. Indeed, the cost of tickets in a charter service can be extremely low (although this does not always happen). However, there is no reason to worry or internally shudder from the low level of comfort on the road. Let's try to figure out why charters are cheap and how exactly they are organized.
Basic scheme
In the vast majority of cases, travel agencies initiate this transportation option.
Let's assume that a major player in the tourism market is going to send a group of travelers to a resort. But there are no regular flights there, since outside of the season they would be almost not in demand.
What does our supposed tour operator do? That's right, he formally negotiates with the airline, and it undertakes to operate flights in such and such a direction on such and such days for a certain period.
In fact, the travel company acts as a lessee of aircraft and redirects them to where they need to go.
That's all the difference between a charter and a regular flight. It so happened that the name of the type of contracts (charter) was transferred to the type of transportation itself.
Now about the features
So, thanks to the cooperation of the tour operator and the carrier, passengers can fly to one direction or another. By the way, when can they fly out?
Since contracted flights are not scheduled, it is almost useless to track them through the airport website. Buying a ticket from the airline or at the ticket office is also not possible. Such tickets are sold only by tour operators or through booking services.
All airports in the world give priority to regular flights, as a result of which charters are simply “stuck” into the first “window” that comes along. Thus, the risk of flight delay is quite high. But this inconvenience is compensated by the fact that the flight will be guaranteed direct, there will be no transfers and no waiting at intermediate sites. And therefore, even a slight delay in departure allows you to arrive at the right place sooner than by first flying to the place from where you can get a regular flight to the resort. A regular flight is a tool for organizing transportation to destinations whose workload does not depend or almost does not depend on the season.
Of course, air transportation is a costly business. And even large travel companies rarely have sufficient funds to organize them alone. As a result, we have to retreat from unrestrained, fierce competition and move towards cooperation.
The airline is always the operator of the flight and the level of service does not differ from its regular flights.
What else is important for a traveler
As a rule, along with a flight ticket, tour operators also sell other services. It’s more profitable for them - they can at the same time sell hotel rooms, food, and excursion services. Some companies, however, sell the tickets themselves. But here the cost is no less than in regular communication, if not higher. The question arises: where do travel companies get lucrative offers from? What is their source?
The fact is that as the scheduled departure date of the aircraft approaches, some seats remain unsold. If there are a lot of such seats on the plane, then the company begins to reduce prices in order to sell the seats, at least with some revenue, without incurring a serious loss.
That's why the prices for such places are lower. And that’s why so many people are interested in how to find out whether a charter flight is regular or not. When choosing offers of this kind, it is important not to forget all the time: departure dates are only approximate and prices can also change significantly at the last moment, in both directions. If you suspect that your trip may be disrupted, it is better to buy tickets on a regular route, since seats on a charter flight are non-refundable, and there is no way to exchange them for another flight.
Experienced travelers know: the most profitable tickets for charter flights almost always appear in the last seven to ten days before departure. Of course, this feature almost completely puts an end to planning the shipping date. But for those who “do not care what day and what specific resort to fly to” this is not a minus, but a big plus! Sea and mountains, cultural leisure and exotic cuisine can be found in many places and it is better to save money when buying a ticket, then have a good rest.
It is therefore not entirely correct to say that the difference between a charter flight and a regular one is only in price. After all, many factors influence the same price:
- how much time is left before departure;
- how many seats are not sold;
- what is the seller’s trade margin;
- what is the dynamics of fuel prices;
- what additional in-flight services are provided.
Typically, seats on new planes are more expensive. Even the payment method (cash or transfer from a bank account, bank card, etc.) affects the price! Charter flights are more difficult to organize than regular ones. After all, in the usual scheme there is only an air carrier and an airport, which usually work well together. And then another tour operator appears. It is always more difficult for three participants to interact than for two. And that is why failures occur more often.
On charter flights, passenger service classes are not allocated; sometimes the seats are even moved to accommodate more people in the cabin and thereby ensure maximum benefits. For the same savings, the list of services and the amount of food provided is much reduced. Charter flights cannot be booked and airline bonus programs do not apply to them.
In contact with
The word “charter” has become quite common among modern travelers, but surveys show that few people understand exactly what it is and how it differs from a regular flight. Most often, when asked: “What is a charter?”, people answer something like: cheap flight, direct flight over long distances. But how does it differ from regular flights? AND what's better— charter or regular flight? We invite you to understand this topic together once and for all.
What is the difference between a charter and a regular flight?
The biggest difference between a charter and a regular flight lies in the terrible word - “chartering” :). But in fact, there is nothing wrong with it. Freight is when someone pays the owner of a vehicle (airplane, ship) for the opportunity to transport his passengers in it.
Who uses it? Of course, tour operators who are interested in optimizing the cost of tours and their expenses for transporting tourists. Let’s say a tour operator wants to sell as many tours to Bali from Moscow as possible, but understands that regular flights take a long time (several transfers) and are expensive (airline fares change all the time). Then the tour operator buys all the seats, for example, on a Rossiya Airlines plane and launches its charter to Bali. Because Since all the seats were purchased in bulk, the cost of the flight as part of the tour is often not as high as on a regular basis.
Thus, it is also beneficial for airlines, because... Their ships are not idle and tour operators can reduce the costs of transporting tourists.
Which is better: charter or regular flight?
This is a question that interests many travelers. After all, they worry about their comfort and safety in flight. Let's look together at the main advantages and disadvantages, as well as the main differences between a charter flight and a regular flight.
Is this a regular flight?
This constant flights, which are organized by the airlines themselves according to a clear schedule approved in advance. That is why, long before departure, you have a ticket in your hands, which contains all the necessary details for you: the name of the airline, flight number, departure time, and so on. Tickets for regular flights can be purchased at airport ticket offices or on the Internet - for example, at Aviasales.
Pros:
- Clear schedule and fixed departure time.
- A ticket for a scheduled flight is a legal document between the customer and the airline, and in case of anything the airline is directly responsible for everything.
- Unused tickets can be fully or partially refunded.
- The client immediately knows which airline he is flying with (and for many this is important).
- Regular flights allow you to accumulate miles and participate in all bonus programs.
- In case of flight delay, the airline is guaranteed to provide the client with all amenities: food, drinks and hotel. And if none of this was provided, you can.
- For regular flights, you can choose the level of comfort on board: economy, business or first class.
Minuses:
- Insufficient coverage - direct scheduled flights operate on a limited number of routes.
- The price of traditional flights tends to constantly change and increase closer to the departure date, which is not the case with charters.
- Most regular long-distance flights involve transfers, sometimes very long and inconvenient.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW: To save on the cost of regular flights, tickets should be purchased in advance and preferably immediately there and back. This is often an order of magnitude cheaper than purchasing tickets separately.
What is a charter flight?
From what was said earlier, it is clear that a charter flight is a flight operated not by an airline, but by one or another tourism operator that charters the entire aircraft or some part of it. Such flights are most often a seasonal phenomenon. A large number of them occur in two seasons: summer (from May to September) and winter (from December to March). A ticket for such a flight cannot be purchased at the ticket office or from the airline directly; they are sold only through tour operators or through special online services - more on that below.
To better understand the specifics of such a flight, let’s consider its main pros and cons.
pros
- The main advantage is that the price is often lower. Especially on short routes (30 - 50 percent benefit compared to regular routes).
- Right before departure or a few days in advance, the cost of a ticket often drops significantly.
- Charters fly to rare destinations. To places where regular flights either do not fly directly or fly infrequently.
- Direct flights only - no transfers.
- Passenger lists are compiled right before departure, so you can change your last name on your ticket for free or with a minimal surcharge.
- Luggage is always included. Recently, this has been very relevant, due to the fact that most airlines are trying to introduce baggage-free fares.
Minuses:
- The charter flight schedule is nominal. The exact time becomes known just 24 hours before departure. Thus, think about the docking in advance,
if you need it, it is not possible. - Tickets for charter flights are non-refundable.
- Charter flights do not earn miles and do not participate in bonus programs at all.
- All passengers are in the same conditions. There is no choice in terms of comfort level.
- Information about the air carrier often becomes known to the client only after purchasing tickets.
General conclusions
From all of the above, it is impossible to draw an unambiguous conclusion - which is better, a charter or a regular flight. The decision to choose one or another flight option, in our opinion, should be made situationally - depending on the direction you are flying, the availability of charters and their prices.
If we talk about the low cost of charters - a factor that is decisive for many people, then it is not always lower than that of regular flights. In addition, the lowest price for a charter is almost always set just a few days before departure, which complicates the process of preparing for the vacation, because... you cannot be sure that it will fall. It depends on the tour operator’s flight load and other factors.
Therefore, before making a decision and making a choice between a charter flight and a regular one, thoroughly study the cost of tickets for regular flights (if such exist at all in your direction). And if the cost is not much different, we still recommend that you fly on regular flights. This is both safer and more comfortable for many reasons.
Purchasing air tickets for regular or charter flights
You can buy tickets for both flight options using various online ticket offices. There are a lot of them, prices everywhere differ in one direction or another, and it is worth noting that tickets for charters, unlike regular ones, are sold by a very limited number of ticket offices, which can literally be counted on one’s fingers. However, if you search for tickets through the Aviasales service, you will be offered all flight options available from more than 100 ticket offices and airlines from around the world and you can be sure that you are seeing the lowest price.
In order to find air tickets at the lowest prices, use this search form, indicating the flight directions, the dates you need and the number of people.
Many travelers are intimidated by the word “charter.” Will they provide food or should I take food with me? How long will you have to wait at the airport and why are the prices so low?
We answer these and other questions in our article.
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What is a scheduled flight?
Regular flight- a flight operated by major airlines strictly on schedule. Unlike a charter, a regular flight will fly even if you are the only passenger in the cabin.
What is a charter flight?
Chartered flight- a flight organized by tour operators to a specific destination during the holiday season.
For example, in the summer Russian tourists love Turkey. There are not enough regular flights for the entire flow of travelers, and tour operators are ordering additional planes. Thanks to them, everyone can go to the beach.
What types of charters are there?
Split- a flight with a transfer, where part of the journey you fly on a regular flight, and part of the way on a specially rented plane.
shuttle- a plane that takes one group of tourists and immediately picks up another, so as not to fly empty.
Time charter- the plane that will take you on your trip will wait for you in the hangar, and then bring you home.
Useful lifehacks:
1. There is a high chance of catching a profitable ticket at the beginning and end of the season.
2. Do not confuse a charter with a low-cost airline - a budget airline that charges extra for luggage and food! All this is already included in the price of the charter flight ticket.
Pros and cons of charter flights:
Charter is the only way to get to the resort on one flight, without transfers. The most striking examples are that regular flights do not carry tourists to the Dominican Republic and Phuket.
Charter flights to tourist countries fly from many cities, while regular ones fly only from large transport centers that still need to be reached.
If charter flights are not sold out as part of package tours, tickets can be purchased very cheaply, especially closer to the departure date.
Regular flights do not fly frequently to rare destinations. And flying by charter to Gambia or Tanzania is as easy as shelling pears.
Passenger lists are not compiled in advance, as on regular flights, but right before departure. Therefore, the ticket can be reissued for free or with a small additional payment to another person.
Sometimes tickets for charter flights are cheaper than regular ones, even without taking into account discounts and the proximity of the departure date.
Luggage is always included in the price.
— Tickets can only be found from tour operators; only sometimes they appear on aggregators.
— It is impossible to return the ticket.
— When flying as a charter, you do not accumulate miles and do not participate in bonus programs at all.
— On some routes there is no “business class” and generally no choice of comfort level on the plane. You can find out whether it exists or not only at a travel agency.
— The charter departure may be delayed or rescheduled. Regular flights at airports are usually a priority.
Pros and cons of regular flights:
Clear schedule. You probably know the time and airport of departure.
A regular flight ticket is a legal document. The airline is responsible to you for everything. For example, if a scheduled flight is postponed for more than 48 hours, the airline must provide you with accommodation and food during this time. Or monetary compensation.
Money for an unused ticket, although partially, can be returned.
By flying on regular flights, you accumulate miles and bonuses.
You can change your ticket if you have purchased a “refundable fare” in advance.
— Regular flights do not always fly to popular resort cities.
- Sometimes additional payment is required. The flight program of a regular flight includes a minimum fare, and the air carrier often charges unpredictable fees - for example, Pobeda requires a fuel surcharge for check-in at a foreign airport and requires you to pay for baggage separately.
— The closer the departure, the more expensive the tickets, because regular flights are sold out in advance.
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Updated: 07/12/2019 18:52:21
Expert: Zalman Rivlin
A long-awaited vacation is an excellent opportunity to properly relax in a warm, comfortable resort. A long search for a suitable destination, choosing a good hotel, etc. All that remains is to choose the optimal departure date. And then your eyes come across the concept of “charter” and immediately in your head thoughts about what it is and how it differs from a regular regular flight. Our experts will talk about this in detail further.
About charter flights
There is a difference between the two types of flights, and it is quite significant. To understand it clearly, it is necessary to consider in detail the concept of charter and a clear picture will immediately emerge.
What is it, pros and cons
To understand what a charter flight is, it is enough to draw a simple analogy with ground transport. If regular flights are comparable to a minibus, for example, then a charter flight is a taxi. In essence, a charter flight allows airline customers to travel to their destination at a better price, more conveniently and faster.
Since booking a charter is not a cheap pleasure, private individuals almost never do this: large tourism operators take care of it, buying, as a rule, if not the entire aircraft, then a significant part of it. For them, a charter flight is actually the raw material on the basis of which they create a full-fledged tourism product, adding accommodation, transfer to a hotel, excursion services, etc. to the air flight. The result is ready-made tours, the sale of which is mediated by travel agencies.
As a rule, airlines do not “throw out” tickets for charter flights into the public domain; therefore, it is unrealistic to find them on airline ticket search sites – they are on tourist tours. Can they be purchased separately? Yes, it is possible, but the likelihood of success is low. Tour operators sometimes offer charter tickets for sale separately (this happens when they still have free charter seats, which, by the way, is very rare). But keep in mind: the cost of such a ticket will be significantly higher than when purchasing a ready-made tour (in fact, this is what is good about ready-made tours).
ON A NOTE. It is important to understand one clear rule: charter tickets are created mainly for package tours, so purchasing them separately for your needs is not an easy task. In addition, if you do end up being one of the lucky ones, you will not be able to cancel your reservation later: this means that the ticket is non-refundable and your money will not be returned.
The charter has both nice features, and obvious shortcomings. Let's start with the positive aspects:
No transfers - if you do not take into account split charters, which will be discussed below, charters imply the absence of transfers so beloved by tourists and all the hassle associated with it;
The opportunity to fly to a rare destination - often charters go to places where regular flights do not show their “nose”. In fact, a charter is one of the few ways to quickly and conveniently get to the most exotic places;
Low price - the cost of a charter ticket differs significantly from a regular ticket - often this difference is significant (at least 2 times).
And now about the unpleasant stuff:
Rescheduling of departure time - in case of problems with the departure/arrival of an aircraft, the first ones to be serviced will be regular flights, because passengers often fly on them not only for tourism, but also for business trips, and many of them have transfers (sometimes - some). You should be prepared for the fact that the time of the charter flight may be rescheduled up to a day before departure, and you should not blame the travel operator or agency for this.
Economy class - the absence of business class on charter is due, first of all, to the understandable desire of the tour operator to reduce the cost of tickets. Modest food, economy class cabin with seats arranged according to the principle “the more the merrier.” Some tourists, after returning from a trip, complain about the carrier, not taking into account that their wallet remains intact.
Inconvenient schedule - charters in the vast majority of cases are released after regular flights. Accordingly, the standard departure time is early in the morning or in the evening. This is not very convenient for vacationers, since check-in to the room occurs after 14:00, and the flight lands in the morning and you will have to “cook” for several hours (although this time can, of course, be whiled away in a bar or pool, leaving things in the hotel storage room ). The evening option is not the best, since after check-out at 12:00 you will have to hang around the airport for several hours.
No bonus miles – unfortunately, bonus miles are not awarded on charters.
It is impossible to reschedule the departure date, as well as the departure time. Hence the unpleasant conclusion: if you want or need to shift the time of your stay on vacation, it will not be possible in any way.
There are several types of charters. Let's consider those that tourists most often encounter:
Charter with layover - the flight operation scheme is very simple: after arriving at the destination, the plane remains parked (in the layover) awaiting the return flight. In this case, the tour operator pays only for parking without the need to pay for an empty flight. After finishing their vacation, tourists board the same plane and fly back on it. Such flights are relevant when flying to long-distance, often exotic destinations.
Shuttle - after the cabin is filled, the plane immediately sends the entire group to its destination and operates according to this scheme throughout the entire rental period. A convenient option for destinations with high demand throughout the tourist season. The downside of the shuttle is that the first and last flights will be empty, and the costs for them will fall on the shoulders of vacationers.
A split charter is the least convenient, but in rare cases a necessary measure. This is a kind of “mixture” of a charter and a regular flight. For example, first everyone flies by charter to the transfer point, and then to the final destination by regular (or vice versa). This is true for exotic destinations.
How to order a ticket?
Although air tickets for charter flights, as a rule, are sold exclusively as part of tours, since (as mentioned earlier), such flights are booked by tour operators specifically for their product. Still, if there is a need to purchase a separate air ticket, you should contact travel agencies working with major tour operators, or directly at the latter’s representative offices. It is impossible to find the required charter on the official website of the airline or websites selling air tickets.
It should be taken into account that the charter price will be quite high. In addition, the closer to the departure date you plan to purchase a ticket, the lower the likelihood of buying it at all. With regular flights everything is usually much simpler.
Differences between charter and scheduled flights
So, to summarize: what is the difference between charter and regular flights? The key difference is in a number of points:
Transplants– on regular flights this is a common thing, but charters and transfers are two incompatible concepts. Charter flights are always operated non-stop, which is a significant advantage over regular flights.
Price– the cost of regular flights is usually significantly higher than the cost of charters.
Quality of service on board– charter flights include “modest” meals on board (or no meals at all), as well as exclusively economy class in order to reduce the cost of the flight.
Departure time– changes in departure times are normal for both regular and charter flights. The difference is that in any emergency situation, the regular one will be sent first, which is not least due to the availability of transfers (no airline will want to take responsibility for missed connections).
