Chartering a flight from UK to Poland and back
 

I only really joined this forum to ask the following, as I have no idea about how to go about this.

I'm part of a group of amateur sportspeople who want to attend an event in Kołobrzeg for a week next July.

• where do I charter a flight, rather than going via a scheduled service? We'd ideally like to fly out of GLA, EDI or PIK
• What's the closest airport / airfield to Kołobrzeg, considering the nature of the flight?

Thanks in advance.

How many people in the group ?
5 ? 50 ? 500 ?

Good point. I have yet to determine that, but let's say between five and fifteen.

Seek the help of an established charter company and don't take advice from individuals who pretend to know what they're doing.

Hi JCB 3CX,
2 IFR airports nearby are Heringsdorf in Germany, EDAH, and Szczecin, Poland, EPSC.
Since it's a charter, your choice. Personally, I'd go for PIK instead of EDI. Although, it depends on how big (heavy) the aircraft is from a security screening POV.
Airport/FBO opening times need to be considered too.
Probably a 2 ish hour flight.
5 pax, you could get away with a Phenom 300 or Excel. No need for security screening as the aircraft is less than 10 tonnes.
15 pax? Ok, now your costs have easily tripled. You're looking at least a Global Express or Gulfsteam 550. Embraer Legacy too.
Catering? Transport?
You'll need to find a broker/charter company.
Good point SWBKCB - luggage!

I do, yeah. Thanks, that's useful.

Szczecin looks to be the nearest airport. I think you really need to be confident about your numbers - there will be more choice at around 5 people than there will be at 15, but if it is going to be up at that sort of number Loganair would be a good starting point given your preferred departure points.

Another thing to consider is what will your baggage requirements be e.g. will you also need to transport bulky/heavy sporting equipment

Tighten the numbers early on, that will give you an early pointer as to whom can fulfill the charter requirements. What sport is it? That too may have an impact on the type of suitable aircraft, do you need to take you’re own equipment, or can it be rented/bought at location? Depending on the size of the athletes (eg Rugby) that too can have an effect on the type of aircraft suitable for the charter. If there’s five of you and you don’t need lots of ‘stuff’ then that potentially opens up B200 King Air type aircraft too.

How long are you going for? That will determine if the aircraft and crew ‘stay’ with you or get used between flights.

There’s quite a few variables as you can see, the best thing is to determine how many are serious about going and what stuff you need to take, and how long you’re going for. Having tried a similar thing as spectators a few years back, many will say yep I’ll go, when it comes to nailing wallets to the table, the tumbleweed factor may apply!

We'd be going for a week. I'm going to get a show of hands soon. We do martial arts, so each of us has a pair of boxing gloves, so one 20kg suitcase each would suffice.

You can get some idea of the costs etc here:
https://www.privatefly.com/
Disclaimer - I did some work for them a few years ago (on the ground!).

My suggestion would be to look at costs of Easyjet, who have a regular service from Glasgow to Berlin, and then rental cars (useful whilst you are there), or if a lot a small minibus. Then compare that to a charter.

If you are not used to charter you may be surprised at the overall substantial cost for an oddball flight, not just for the aircraft but also crew accommodation, charges for empty leg flying, etc - notwithstanding the enthusiasm of some here who actually work for such organisations !

I don't see much "enthusiasm". If you're referring to my post then it was merely a point of information. I have no current dealings with privatefly, nor for many years now.

If price is a consideration - and a week long stay will undoubtedly mean the aircraft not staying on the ground at the destination between your flights - then a turboprop should be in your mind. For anything about 6-8 pax, something like a Saab 340, Metroliner or even a Dornier 328 will be economical and should be able to carry the luggage. A heck of a lot cheaper than a heavy exec jet, if you don't mind more of an "airline" cabin.