How to check a private flight offer is legitimate
Updated 3 October 2026
Cheap private flights attract illegal operators and outright scams. A few questions, asked before you pay, protect you from both.
Know who operates the flight
Every legal charter is flown by an operator that holds an air operator certificate (AOC) for that kind of flight — in the US, typically an FAA Part 135 certificate. Brokers arrange flights; they don’t fly them.
- Ask: who is the operator in operational control, and what is their certificate number?
- Check it with the aviation authority that issued it. In the US, the FAA publishes a list of certificate holders.
We check the AOC of every operator that posts on our operator portal before they can list, and your booking confirmation names the operator flying you.
Red flags
- Nobody will tell you which company operates the flight before you pay.
- The aircraft is flown by its owner’s pilot and offered to you for money, without a charter certificate (“grey charter”).
- Individual seats on a private jet sold to strangers, with no public charter or operator approval behind it.
- Pressure to pay immediately, in cash or crypto, to a personal account.
- Bank details that change by email, or an invoice from a company you’ve never heard of.
- A price far below everything else, with a large deposit up front.
Pay safely
- Pay only the account printed on your invoice, using the invoice number as the reference.
- We will never ask you to pay to a different account by email alone. If anything looks different, call us on a number you already have.
- Keep your signed booking terms, invoice and booking confirmation together.
See also what happens if a leg is cancelled.
Questions
Who is responsible for my flight?
The operator in operational control — the company that holds the air operator certificate (AOC) for the flight. A broker like us arranges it; the operator flies it. Your booking confirmation names the operator.
How can I check an operator?
Ask for the operator’s legal name and certificate number. In the United States, operators are certificated by the FAA (Part 135 for on-demand charter), and the FAA publishes a list of certificate holders. Elsewhere, the national aviation authority that issued the AOC can confirm it.
Is it legal to buy a single seat on a private jet?
Only under specific arrangements — for example a public charter or a scheduled semi-private service. On a normal private charter, the whole aircraft is chartered by one party. We don’t sell single seats. Our shared flights — one whole aircraft split between parties — are arranged only with the operator’s approval.
How do I pay safely?
Pay only the account on your invoice, and never change payment details because of an email alone. If you receive different bank details, call the company on a number you already have before paying.
Jettura arranges flights as booking agent. Every flight is operated by a licensed air operator that holds operational control of the aircraft. This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice; your booking terms are what apply to your flight.