Walk into any grocery store in Nebraska, and you’ll find a meat counter with more options than you need. Ribeye, sirloin, strip, skirt. A multitude of brands to choose from. Something on sale. It’s convenient, it’s easy, and, sometimes, when you have an empty fridge at home, or it’s a special treat, it’s exactly what you need when you need it.
But that store didn’t produce that beef. A rancher did, and the store just decided which rancher they bought it from.
Some people skip the store altogether, buy their beef straight from the rancher, and send it straight to their processor. They (may) know the rancher, they know their standards for care, and they know the quality of the product. Less on demand variety. More certainty.
Neither is wrong; they’re just built for different buyers.
Private aviation isn’t so different. Every charter flight is flown by an operator, a company holding a FAA Part 135 certificate and operational control of the aircraft, the crew, and the maintenance. Brokers don’t fly aircraft; they find an operator with availability and arrange the trip.
Both can get you where you’re going and, done right, both put you on a properly certificated aircraft. The difference is going to a grocery store or going to a rancher.
If you want the whole meat counter, a broker makes sense. One-off trips, odd routes, or shopping every flight for the lowest number. One call, lots of operators, whoever has the aircraft that day.
If you want to know your rancher, an operator would make the most sense. You’ll know the aircraft, recognize the crew, and know what the trip costs before you ask for a quote. You’re not just buying access with an operator; you’re buying a relationship with the people doing the flying and the team that schedules your flights.
The question that I encourage everyone to ask themselves when we start talking programs is simple: “What matters to me?” Either way, your beef comes from a rancher. The only difference is whether you want a glass case in between.
– Mark
