Kentucky Jet Charter arranges private flights for artists, athletes, executives and other public figures traveling to and from Kentucky. Some are flying in for the Kentucky Derby, the Keeneland meets, a concert or a college game, and others live here and are heading out on tour or to work.
Keeping the trip out of public view
On a private flight, you board through a private terminal, with no airline gate to wait at and no crowd to walk through. We give passenger names and travel plans only to the people who need them, which means the operator and the crew flying the trip. If the trip is confidential and requires extra discretion, tell your advisor when you first call, and we will handle it that way from the start.
Choosing a quieter airport
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport and Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, are the main airports, and both get very busy during Derby week and the Keeneland meets. The smaller fields usually see far fewer people. In Louisville, Bowman Field sits closer to the middle of the city, although heavier aircraft need the airport’s permission first. Around Lexington, Georgetown-Scott County and Capital City Airport in Frankfort are both options. We confirm your choice with the operator for your aircraft and date.
Management, security and paperwork
Tour managers, agencies and studios often have their own insurance and paperwork requirements for travel. Send those with the request, and your advisor will review them with the operator before the trip is booked. If you travel with security, we can work with your team on the arrangements at each airport and help book cars on the ground.
Counting the whole touring party
A touring party includes managers, security, stylists and crew as well as the principal, so give us the full headcount from the start. Charter flights for smaller groups run under FAR Part 135, the FAA’s rules for on-demand, for-hire charter. Once the group runs past nineteen passengers, the trip calls for an airliner-size aircraft and no longer falls under FAR Part 135. Those flights operate under FAR Part 121 or a foreign equivalent, which generally carries stricter crew and operating requirements than both Part 91 and Part 135. Our VIP airliners page covers those larger groups.
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.
Kentucky-Specific Patterns We Plan Around
Kentucky’s busiest weeks follow the racing calendar. The Kentucky Oaks and Derby fill Louisville on the first weekend of May, and Keeneland’s spring and fall meets and its horse sales bring owners and buyers into Lexington, so those dates book first, and the FAA manages arrivals into the Louisville airports during Derby week. The rest of the year, flights leave the state for business, for Florida in the winter and for family vacations. Most Louisville trips use Louisville Muhammad Ali International or Bowman Field, Blue Grass Airport in Lexington sits across the road from Keeneland, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International in Hebron serves the north of the state, and Bowling Green, Owensboro and Paducah cover the south and west. Ice and snow in the winter and strong spring thunderstorms are the weather we watch most often.
Contact
For a quote on a Kentucky charter, send the trip through our contact page or call an advisor at 1-888-987-5387. Our safety page sets out how we review operators and crews, and the aircraft gallery covers every category we arrange. We are also a member of the National Business Aviation Association.