What is a charter? Is it a plane, type of flight or contract? Why are charter tickets sometimes half as expensive as regular flights? What risks do we face when we decide to fly to the resort with such an airplane? You will learn about the secrets of pricing for charter flights by reading this article. We will try to uncover the logic of such agreements. But the most useful information that ordinary travelers are not interested to know is whether it is possible to buy a ticket for a charter without having to buy a ticket from a tour operator. We will also try to debunk a number of myths that have developed about such flights.
Origin of the term
Charter is a word from the dictionary of English merchant shipping. The British Empire constantly maintained contact with numerous colonies. But merchants were even more interested in delivering their goods overseas. They did not have their own ships at their disposal. Therefore, they simply began to hire them. This collaboration between the ship's captain and the trading house became known as freight. The parties entered into a charter agreement. It could be for one flight (sigle-trip) or for a certain time (time-charter).
Later, a charter contract became the term not only for shipping. It began to be used in air traffic. In addition, the meaning of the word “charters” ceased to apply only to freight traffic. The object of freight was passenger seats on board.
Gradually, the original meaning of the term “charter” - a contract - was lost. In other languages, he received a different semantic load: a passenger ship (or part of it), leased from the carrier company for flights intended by the charterer. In the modern world, the word "charter" in most cases refers to airplanes. Therefore, we will use this term in this sense.
Types of Freight Contract
We have already considered what charters are; now we will examine what they are. In addition to the main division - for freight and passenger, such freight contracts indicate how much time or how many trips they are made. There are charter flights. According to the agreement, the airline makes the aircraft and crew available to the charterer (called the consolidator). Thus, the filling of passenger seats and, consequently, the responsibility for the fact that the cost of the flight pays off, lies entirely on the shoulders of the tenant. They are travel companies. Most often they cooperate to avoid the risks of incomplete filling the cabin. Such flights operate under the shuttle system: the plane brings tourists to the resort and immediately picks up those who have expired. In contrast, there is such a thing as a "slop charter." This is when the plane is waiting for the passengers it brought at the airport. Such flights are practiced on weekends and holidays.
Why are charter tickets cheaper?
Now consider the pricing process. For regular flights, carrier companies already lay down risks for possibly unsold flights. The charter is usually one hundred percent full. Skillful marketing policies of travel companies practice such attractive events for tourists as early booking, “last minute” tickets, discount cards of a regular user and, finally, “last minute”. Thus, it turns out that passengers gathered on one side have tickets of different prices. For some companies, air travel is included in the price of the tour. Others travel on their own, but bought tickets not at regular ticket offices, but through a travel agency, as they say, "got hooked on a charter." The fact that several companies charter a plane at once guarantees full loading of the board. And if there are still few passengers, a smaller plane is served for landing. Therefore, there is no risk. Therefore, charter flights are often cheaper than regular ones. Although this does not always happen.
Legal Aspects
What should a passenger who buys a charter flight ticket know? Firstly, the fact that he does not enter into an agreement with the airline with this purchase, but with a travel agency. Tickets look the same, and if everything goes well, you will not feel any difference. But if you want to cancel the tour, the airfare is not refundable. Also, they are not subject to return or transfer departure time.
Often, cheap charters have fixed dates. Such flights may be late, as they fly in “time windows” between regular trips. That is, on the runway, the prerogatives are those planes that are indicated in the schedule. This circumstance should be taken into account when a connecting flight awaits you. The airline does not bear any responsibility for the delay of the vessel. But in some cases, you can take a ticket for such an aircraft with an open date of return departure (subject to reservation for a certain period of time).
Charter Schedule
The movement of such flights is very irregular. In the "high season", which can last from two to six months, charter planes fly very often. Then their number decreases markedly, and in some areas disappears altogether. Only regular flights remain. Travel companies can buy only part of the cabin from the airline. But the plane still flies according to a scheduled schedule, while charter flights land directly at the airports of resorts. For example, you can fly to Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey in the winter only by purchasing a ticket from the carrier company. Often planes land in Athens and Istanbul, while during the season you can charter directly to Crete, Kos, Burgas or Antalya. The schedule for such aircraft is displayed on the board at the airport. However, charter flights are irregular. Therefore, they are not in the list of departures and arrivals of airlines.
The myth and its debunking
Since tickets for charters are often cheaper than for regular flights (sometimes 2-3 times), people who do not understand anything in pricing begin to build idle speculation. Say, give old, worn-out cars, which almost two times in the third crashed. It is not true. The charterer rents conventional planes that operate regular flights. The type of car is determined the day before departure, when the number of tickets sold becomes clear. But this does not affect flight safety. Without exception, all machines are checked by the technical service at the airport, they are all equipped equally. For example, Transaero charters use such wonderful aircraft as Tu-204-100, Tu-214, Airbus A320neo, Boeing 777, 747, 767 and 737. Aeroflot takes Tu-154 cars for its irregular flights , IL-86. Very comfortable Tu-154M fly to Western Europe.
The debunking of the second myth: charter is not low-cost
The proverb “Cheap is never good” defines passengers' expectations of a service on an irregular flight. Do not forget that the principle of total savings on everything (except for flight safety, of course) is practiced only in the so-called "low-cost flights". There, the tickets are really "cheaper than dirt." But there is not only a business-class compartment, but also fixed seats, food and the ability to refuse a purchased ticket. Passengers fill the cabin like a bus - they sit on empty seats. Food (drinks and snacks) is offered for a fee.
In charters, the level of service depends on the airline. Some do not want to deviate from the standards adopted in regular flights. But there are also such airlines that completely give to the merchant passenger services. On such aircraft, there may be no business class, and food comes down to a sandwich and salad set without serving alcohol.
How to buy charter tickets
It is not as simple as it seems. Since the plane was leased to consolidating firms, tickets for it should not be sought at the box office, but at these same travel agencies. Those, in turn, are interested in including as many of their services as possible for customers. This includes the whole package: ground transfer, hotel accommodation, meals, excursions. But every year on the tourist market, the proportion of independent tourists becomes more tangible. They only want the charterer to "get hooked on the charter." The aircraft is completed in this way: the bulk of the passengers are those who have purchased vouchers. If you plan your vacation in advance, the company will offer you to buy the whole tour or break the ticket for the same price as for regular flights. Buying is only profitable when other planes do not fly in this direction. For example, there are no scheduled flights to Hurghada or Goa.
When to buy cheap tickets
The closer the departure date, the more expensive the place for a regular flight. On charters, however, a completely opposite trend is observed. When renting an entire plane, charterers begin to get nervous if the cabin fills up slowly. And they are completely panicked when there are three or two days before departure. Companies are ready to sell seats on the plane without any tour packages and even lower than the cost in order to help out at least something. This is where it is necessary to “forge iron”. True, so you risk not flying away at all. Indeed, in the high season, salons are filled to the eyeballs. But it doesn’t matter. Most travel agencies on the site have a heading “Ticket Exchange”. On it you can see offers in areas where specific departure dates and prices are indicated. The latter indicator often changes.