Private charter - is this how it's done in the UK?

[AdamFrisch]

Recently on one of my film jobs, the crew and production needed to shoot at a remote zoo in Normandy. It seemed to make more sense to charter a plane and fly us out from London, than deal with the much longer travel times of going on trains etc. Said and done - Caen was the closest big city, but Rennes is what they chose to charter a plane to, which was a bit more than an hour away by car.

Here's what was so strange.

Upon arriving to Luton (first warning sign), we had to not only stand in line like all the rest of the punters checking in in the main hall, we had to endure endless security checks and all the rest of it, just as if we were going on a stag due in Malaga with EasyJet. Half my camera crew had brought tools to use for the cameras and they got duly seized, of course. We were all under the impression and had been informed this was a private flight and that we would be able to bring gear, tools etc, just like on a private flight. After that we're shown to the gate and endless handlers in high vis wests chaperon us like we were some clueless charter tourist to the Jetsream 31 below the jetway. Flight is uneventful, but the return trip has the same farcical process. We're literally the only ones in the Rennes airport for our departure, so the same ones checking us in at the counter are the ones X-raying and security checking us etc.

I ask the producer how much she's paid for this charter and she says it's more than £13000 to fly 14 of us to Rennes and back - about an hour trip each way.

Maybe the most absurd case (pun intended) - and anyone who's familiar with Jetsream's will know this - is that the luggage compartment is just by the exit and entry to the cabin. So in this great big mound of luggage that's literally a feet away from us as we pass out, we're not allowed to take our own baggage. It has to be handled by handlers and then we have to wait at a deserted baggage circus for another 15 minutes until they've collected them and driven them there. However, my carry on, that was in exactly the same mound of luggage as all the rest (as there are no overhead bins) - that one I was allowed to grab...

The cost of all these superfluous handlers and high vis vest chaperoners must be staggering.

My question is this: is this the procedure in the UK for a private charter? That you have to go through mind-numbing security on the same level as airlines? Get a ticket and a boarding card issued? Have to wait at gates and be high vis vested around? Flown to airports much farther away just because they serve airlines, rather than go to the closer airfield in Caen? If so, why would anyone ever pay for this if it's just as inconvenient as airline travel and at a much higher cost?

Flight was operated by Links Air (or maybe Lynx Air). The crew did a decent enough job with the old Jetstream, but I'm just shocked at the procedures involved. I'd think for that price I'd be boarding at Biggin Hill, no security and bring all the camera tools we needed and just be whisked off. Do the private jets have to deal with this insane rigmarole as well? The movie stars? I'm incredulous.

[dc9-32]

I'd have a word with the person who organised it, not LinksAir. They just turn up and fly you there.

Whoever in your company organised the trip, didn't......

[Expressflight]

Presumably the zoo in question was either Jurques or Champrepus, both of which are much closer to Caen than Rennes; 26 minutes compared to 90 for the former and 48 compared to 66 for the latter.

If a broker was used by the client they should have advised Caen as destination as it's a fully equipped port of entry handling 100,000 scheduled pax per annum and would have saved flying time and cost. It doesn't say much for whoever organised the charter. Mind you a lot of brokers are sloppy in this respect and cannot be bothered to actually earn their commission.

[Globally Challenged]

It never was going to be a private flight as you don't own the aircraft so it was a non-scheduled public transport, which for some reason did not depart through Signature / Harrods / whatever Ocean Sky is called now, and left through Luton.

All of these things mean lots of lovely DfT 'safety enhancement'

[AdamFrisch]

Thanks. I think it's a combination of the producer not having done this before and a broker/agent who didn't ask the right questions. It got the job done, but I doubt any of them will be rushing to do a private charter again, thinking this is how they're all done....

[Contacttower]

I sounds Adam (knowing that you are a pilot from your postings on here) like you would have been better off perhaps doing a bit of research on here and dealing with it yourself!

I mean I haven't actually chartered a private plane before but as a PPL holder have used Signature etc a lot at various large airports with friends and family and would know exactly what questions to ask to ensure I got what I wanted if I ever did.

Perhaps a reason to use a handling agent in the main terminal (Menzies? - Not familiar with Luton) was to save cost? Could they have been cheaper than Signature/Harrods?

[cldrvr]

is this the procedure in the UK for a private charter

No

That you have to go through mind-numbing security on the same level as
airlines?

No

Get a ticket and a boarding card issued?

No

Have to wait at gates and be high vis vested around?

No

Do the private jets have to deal with this insane rigmarole as well?

No

The movie stars?

No


This was p!sspoor organising by either your operator or the person/broker booking it.

[David82]

Has anybody thought about the reason Cairn was not used ?

Could it be that due to the timings required there was no extensions availiable ? Timings may be the issue you went to Luton and not Biggin Hill ( Luton 24H)

Also it is common on commuter aircraft to go through the main terminal, I have had handling agents in Scotland refuse to handle a Jetstream 41 and had to go through the main terminal.

Maybe the broker involved did do his job and gave the solution to the scenario in hand. I know that when I offer trips to my clients i will always make a reccomendation sometimes people do not listen to them.

Maybe this was a last minute flight and the only realistic solution was what happened ? Links Air provide Schedule services so maybe it was trying to get this to work with their schedule ?

[transilvana]

Well, I flew as private to Luton a couple of weeks ago and had to go trough the same sh it too as a crew member. Had to go from the aircraft to passport control, all airside, the girl from harrods had to go trough scan on the airside and upon returning to the aircraft on airside we had to go trough screening again.

All this security is bull**** and worthless, I have an 8 inch sharp axe behind my seat and can reach my luggage any time. If I take pax with guns for huntting they are at hand reach...

Neverless is not the brokers or airline fault, it´s the system.

[AdamFrisch]

So is this just Luton, or in fact endemic structurally across the board?

[Chilli Monster]

Going through Signature Luton I, nor my passengers, have had to put up with rubbish like this.

Somebody didn't arrange this very well!

[cldrvr]

So is this just Luton, or in fact endemic structurally across the board?

Going in and out of Luton since late last century and crew nor passengers have ever had to go to the terminal.

[Globally Challenged]

Due to heightened DfT interest in the last couple of years, Luton FBOs will only accept you as a private flight (i.e. no screening of any kind) if they get written confirmation by email from your ops department confirming that the flight is a private flight with the owner (or his family etc) onboard. If memory serves, this may also require that the flight is filed privately too.

[zoigberg]

My experience is in 3 years plus of biz jet flying from Luton I never had to go through the terminal. And neither did my passengers. Someone got it wrong on that flight.

[Phill]

Departing the UK.

Aeryplane less than 10 tonnes and your using a recognised FBO / Handlers facility (Such as RSS or Signature at Luton): Rock up, throw your gear on, fly.

Aeryplane over 10 tonnes: Full security screening, shoes off, orifices probed, no liquids etc. etc. etc. Bags tagged and locked in hold.
(most FBO's can do this in house)

If your 'charter' is through a main terminal your just like the rest of the SLF.

Don't use brokers unless you know exactly what you want / need and you use them to nail down the cost.

[x933]

Badly arranged I say. I've never had anyone have to go through the main terminal at Luton (and i've thrown all sorts of stuff through there) on the way out. Way back can be a main terminal job depending on circumstances / handler / etc. Europe isn't brilliant by any stretch of the imagination but should have / could have been better if the brief was clearer.

[Contacttower]

So is this just Luton, or in fact endemic structurally across the board?

It really depends on the airport in question. But not really is the short answer.

Reading your OP I can't understand why you used the main terminal. Was it really late at night or something? As stated previously the normal procedure is to use the FBO of one of the private handlers like Signature, they generally have FBOs at most major airports or if not someone else similar to them will. This is the common procedure at large airports like Gatwick, Glasgow, Edinburgh etc.

I guess one could use one of the handling agents in the main terminal like Menzies, Servisair or whoever but I can't understand why anyone would. I mean perhaps they might be cheaper but why would anyone subject themselves to the main terminal building (especially at Luton of all places!) I have no idea. Perhaps no private handling agent could accommodate you for some reason?

In terms of security screening there are two reasons that people need to be screened in the UK. Firstly if they are entering the "secure area" of the airport or if they are boarding a flight that could have been booked/chartered by a member of the public and the aircraft weighs more than 10 tonnes.

Normally airport planners put the private handlers, flying clubs, maintenance hangars etc, away from the secure area so that people do not need to go through security every time they go out to the ramp. Occasionally this is not the case, I believe Signature at Edinburgh is in the secure area and therefore even people boarding privately owned aircraft need to go through security, similarly at Gatwick there is no GA area as such so people have to be driven around the main apron to the aircraft, therefore requiring screening. That is relatively uncommon though. Smaller airports like Biggin Hill, that have no scheduled flights often don't have a secure area as such at all but still have screening equipment available for use on charter flights above 10 tonnes.

Obviously in your case you were using the main terminal and had to be screened because although the flight may not have required screening by virtue of the fact that the J31 is less than 10 tonnes you were going to be mixing with other passengers in the secure area.

Had you been using a private handler in its own FBO, as a flight such as yours would usually use, then there should not have been a need to be screened unless the FBO was in the secure area, which as I said depends on the airport in question.

Originally Posted by Globally Challenged

Due to heightened DfT interest in the last couple of years, Luton FBOs will only accept you as a private flight (i.e. no screening of any kind) if they get written confirmation by email from your ops department confirming that the flight is a private flight with the owner (or his family etc) onboard. If memory serves, this may also require that the flight is filed privately too.

But surely that doesn't mean you have to use the main terminal if you are a charter? Why should the DfT pick on Luton on that point, what about all the other major airports that have private handling agents?

If there is one thing that really annoys me about flying in Europe is not the rules as such but the lack of common interpretation and application of them!

[Globally Challenged]

But surely that doesn't mean you have to use the main terminal if you are a charter? Why should the DfT pick on Luton on that point, what about all the other major airports that have private handling agents?

No, it just means you will be going through the FBO screening (which particularly in Luton, is not dissimilar to that of the scheduled terminals in terms of its mindless implementation of ill thought through rules - particularly given the inconsistency within the UK let alone Europe etc)

We are >10T and go through the x-ray / metal detector etc with a security cordon around the aircraft 2 hours prior to EOBT for charter flights, but none of this rubbish for a private flight (arranged as described in my earlier post)

It used to be more relaxed until all the Luton FBOs all failed some DfT audits a while back.

The rest of your post is spot on though.

[Contacttower]

It used to be more relaxed until all the Luton FBOs all failed some DfT audits a while back.

I mean I know the rules need to adhered to but it often seems to be the case that the DfT puts the wind up certain airports and this in turn leads to 'crackdowns' by management. Happened at Bournemouth recently and the management did the classic thing of going into 'lockdown' for a few weeks and then deciding that in fact that they had gone too far and then relaxed things a bit...

It's all this obsession with procedure that blinds people to the reality that actual security requires vigilance and common sense.

Best story I've heard as got to be Signature at Edinburgh though, they insisted on a handler escorting two people with their luggage to a 4 seat light aircraft and loading the screened 'checked baggage' into the 'baggage compartment'...that was of course accessible in flight.

[Trim Stab]

Possibly the reason Caen was not used is that it has the highest fuel cost anywhere in France.