Glossary
Operations
9 terms
What happens on the day: positioning, block time, ground handling and the parts of a trip that are billed but not flown.
Block Time
Block time is the total time an aircraft is in motion under its own power, measured from brakes released at departure ('off-block') to brakes set at arrival ('on-block'), including taxi. Charter operators typically bill by block hour rather than pure airborne flight time, so ground delays add directly to the invoice.
DefinitionDeadhead
A deadhead flight is a leg flown with the aircraft's crew aboard but no paying, revenue passengers, usually to reposition the aircraft before or after a paying charter. Charter clients are commonly billed for this leg, so a one-way trip often costs close to what a round trip would cost.
DefinitionEmpty Leg Flight
An empty leg flight is a one-way charter repositioning leg that an aircraft must fly with no paying passenger aboard, which an operator or broker then offers for sale at a reduced price. Because the aircraft is flying anyway, empty legs are typically priced well below a standard one-way charter, but the schedule and route are fixed, not chosen.
DefinitionFBO (Fixed Base Operator)
An FBO, or Fixed Base Operator, is the private terminal at an airport that handles general and business aviation aircraft, crew and passengers — providing ramp parking, fuelling, hangarage, catering and passenger lounges. Charter clients pay for FBO services indirectly through handling fees, which appear as a separate line on many invoices.
DefinitionHandling Fees
Handling fees are charges levied by an FBO or airport ground handler for services provided to a private aircraft on the ground, such as ramp parking, fuelling coordination, catering and de-icing. Operators bill these costs through to the charter client, usually as a separate line item added to the flight invoice.
DefinitionPositioning Flight
A positioning flight is the leg an aircraft flies without passengers to reach the airport where a paid charter begins, or to return to its base once a charter ends. Charter clients are usually billed for this empty flying time, so cost depends heavily on where the aircraft starts, not just the distance travelled with passengers aboard.
DefinitionRepositioning Cost
Repositioning cost is the charge billed to a charter client for flying an aircraft empty to or from a trip, covering positioning and deadhead legs when no fare-paying passenger is aboard. It appears as an added charge or is folded into the quoted price, and can substantially raise the cost of a one-way charter.
DefinitionSlot Restrictions
Slot restrictions require an aircraft to hold an allocated take-off or landing time, a 'slot', before operating at a congested airport, to manage runway capacity. In the United States, the FAA designates slot-controlled airports such as JFK, LaGuardia and Reagan National under 14 CFR Part 93; the UK and EU allocate slots through national coordinators under Regulation 95/93.
DefinitionTail Number
A tail number is the unique registration identifier painted on an aircraft's tail and fuselage, issued by a national aviation authority — an N-number by the US FAA, a G-prefix mark by the UK CAA. It identifies one specific aircraft, letting a buyer verify its safety records and operator, rather than pricing anything directly.
Definition