For visitors from the United States
Private Jet Travel
Inside Europe
Most US visitors do not need a transatlantic charter. They arrive commercially or privately into London, Paris or Geneva and then need short private sectors inside Europe, where the distances are small and the airports are numerous.
For travellers and assistants based in the United States
Why the aircraft you want is usually already in Europe
European sectors are short. London to Nice is under two hours, London to Ibiza under two, Paris to Milan just over one. A European-based light or midsize jet does that work far more economically than positioning an aircraft across the Atlantic, and it is already inside the European handling, slot and permit system. Sourcing locally is almost always the cheaper and simpler answer.
The things that surprise US visitors most
Europe has far more usable airports than the equivalent US geography, and they are much closer together, so the right airport often matters more than the right aircraft. Slot coordination is real and binding at busy airports in season. Overnight parking at popular destinations frequently is not available, which means the aircraft repositions and returns, and that flying is chargeable. None of this is hidden — it just is not how domestic US charter behaves.
Schengen, customs and the paperwork
Arriving into the Schengen area from outside it means immigration and customs at the first point of entry. Once inside, intra-Schengen sectors are considerably simpler. The United Kingdom is not in Schengen, so a London arrival followed by a European sector crosses a border in both directions. Some destinations outside the EU — Morocco for instance — need overflight and landing permits that take time to arrange.
If you do want to fly the Atlantic privately
It is a long sector and aircraft choice narrows sharply. London to Teterboro is around 2,986 nm great-circle, which is beyond the practical range of a super-midsize aircraft and normally means a fuel stop or a heavy or ultra-long-range aircraft. Westbound, Shannon is the usual technical stop because it offers US Customs and Border Protection preclearance to business aviation — you clear US immigration in Ireland and arrive in the States as a domestic flight.
Time zones and how to reach us
We are on UK time, five hours ahead of New York and eight ahead of Los Angeles. An email sent from the US East Coast in the morning lands in the UK afternoon. Enquiries go to a working commercial pilot rather than a sales desk, which usually means fewer exchanges to get to a useful answer.
Common questions
Should I charter from the US or source an aircraft in Europe?
For travel inside Europe, sourcing locally is almost always cheaper and simpler. Positioning an aircraft across the Atlantic for short European sectors rarely makes commercial sense.
How far apart are European destinations?
Much closer than the US equivalent. London to Nice, Ibiza, Geneva or Paris are all under two hours airborne. See the route pages for calculated distances and times.
Do I clear customs on every European flight?
Not once you are inside the Schengen area, where intra-Schengen sectors are far simpler. Arriving from outside Schengen, and any sector to or from the UK, does cross a border.
Who operates the flight?
Charter flights are operated by appropriately certificated third-party air carriers. Ben Aviation arranges the charter as an authorised introducer and is not the operating air carrier. The operating carrier is identified with the quotation.
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