Safety on every Colorado charter flight
Safety is the first thing we consider for any Colorado charter flight, and while brokers are not required by law to have any safety due diligence procedures in place, we go above and beyond. Before we send you a single option, we check who operates the aircraft, review that operator’s safety and incident history, and confirm that the pilots are experienced and current on the aircraft type you will be flying on.
The people on board might be your family, your colleagues or your guests for the week, and you are entitled to know who is flying them.
Vetting Behind Every Trip
Every operator, aircraft, and crew goes through our internal due diligence before we present any options. Our internal standards meet or exceed what the FAA requires:
- FAR Part 135 charter operators for traditional private aircraft, or FAR Part 121 for airliner-size and group trips (or the foreign equivalent on international legs)
- Operator subscription to Wyvern and ARGUS reviewed where the operator participates.
- Pilot experience and operator incident history reviewed before we recommend an aircraft.
- Fewer than 60 brokers worldwide hold Premium Wyvern Broker Member status, and Air Charter Advisors is one of them.
Wyvern and ARGUS are independent third-party aviation safety organizations. They audit operators and maintain databases of operator safety records, and where an operator participates in one of those programs, we reference the audit as part of our review.
Part 135 is the FAA’s set of rules for on-demand, for-hire charter. It carries stricter operating, crew, and insurance requirements than FAR Part 91, the rules for private, non-commercial flying that cannot be sold as charter.
Crew qualification
FAR Part 135 sets minimum crew requirements by aircraft type, and some aircraft types are certified for single-pilot operations. Rather than make a blanket promise about crew size, we confirm that the pilots assigned to your flight are experienced and current on the specific aircraft type they will be flying on.
Who controls the flight
The certified operator holds operational control of every flight we arrange, and the Pilot in Command makes the final call on departure, routing, and landing. Maintenance is the responsibility of the air carrier and aircraft owners. It is their job to ensure they are up to date and in compliance with all laws and regulations.
We review that operator before you book, and an operator that does not meet our standards never reaches your quote.
Flying in the mountains
Every airport in Colorado is at a higher altitude than most. Denver sits at about 5,400 feet, Aspen at about 7,840 feet and Telluride at about 9,070 feet, and thin air, heat and weight all reduce how an aircraft performs. Whether a particular aircraft can use a particular runway on your date is the operator’s call for that aircraft, at that weight, in that day’s conditions. We confirm it with the operator before you book, and the answer can change with the season and the load.
The mountain airports also keep their own hours. Aspen is closed overnight from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., and Telluride has a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., so a late departure from Denver may not be able to be accommodated and may need to be pushed to an early departure the next morning. Aspen’s airport will close to all aircraft from April 4th to November 19th, 2027 for runway reconstruction, and your advisor will plan any trip in that window through another airport.
Colorado weather and air traffic
Winter brings snow and ice, and when an aircraft has to be de-iced, that takes time on the ramp before it can depart. Summer brings afternoon thunderstorms, which can stop departures at Denver until a line of storms passes. Air traffic control delays affect private flights as well as the airlines. Your advisor monitors conditions ahead of departure. If any changes are required due to weather and passenger safety, you can expect your advisor to reach out as soon as we are aware. Depending on the day, we may recommend expediting departure, delaying, or using an alternate airport, subject to scheduling and aircraft availability.
International trips
Denver International, Colorado Springs, Centennial, Rocky Mountain Metropolitan and Eagle County can clear a private flight arriving from abroad. Aspen and Telluride cannot, so an international arrival for the mountains clears customs first and continues from there. Your advisor will confirm which airport suits your routing. Customs procedures differ from one airport to the next.
On international legs, operators must meet the equivalent safety standards of the country of operation. Landing permits and authorizations are generally applied for after a trip has been secured on the aircraft schedule, and sometimes the timeline is dictated by the local airport authorities. We will always do our best to ensure departure and arrival times meet your needs, but these are sometimes subject to the approvals of the local airport authority and government.
Ask us
If you have a question about an operator, a crew or an aircraft on your quote, ask before you book. The phone is answered 24 hours a day at 1-888-987-5387, or you can send your trip details through our contact page.
Our Colorado charter FAQ page answers the common questions about booking, payment, travel documents and choosing an aircraft.