Family office advisory
Private aviation advisory for family offices
We help family offices select and oversee private aviation programs, balancing the access the family needs with the capital and ongoing costs each choice requires. A program can serve one principal well and still leave the office arranging extra aircraft when schedules overlap. We recommend how much access to secure through a core program, which trips to cover separately and whether aircraft ownership makes sense.
We are paid by the client and take no operator commissions or referral fees.
The family's decision
Secure the right access for the family as a whole
The family's total flying does not tell the office how much access to buy. Permission for several people to use an account does not necessarily include several aircraft at once. Trips concentrated in the same weeks can require more access than the same annual hours spread across the year. We compare programs against those overlaps and the aircraft each principal needs.
A fractional program may serve regular travel well, while charter or a jet card covers occasional trips outside it. Expanding the core program can provide more committed access, but it can also increase fixed monthly fees through quieter periods. We determine whether that additional commitment is justified by the family's travel or whether separate access is a better fit, subject to each option's availability and terms.
Our cost comparison includes those additional flights, so the family council or investment committee can judge the cost of serving the whole family. The office can see why we favor a particular program or combination, how much capital it requires and what it would cost to change course if the family's use changes.
Ongoing oversight
Keep the program aligned with actual use
A program can be correctly billed and still no longer suit the family. We review charges against the agreement, track utilization and assess service performance. That separates questions about whether the provider is meeting its obligations from the wider question of whether the family is still buying the right amount and type of access.
A lower program bill is not necessarily a lower overall cost if the office is buying more flights elsewhere. Our comparison with other options includes that separate travel and the costs of entering or leaving a program. The office can judge whether the current arrangement remains competitive on the trips the family actually takes.
Renewal is a chance to adjust the program to changes in the family: a principal flying less, more international travel or a recurring need for a different cabin. We evaluate the new terms and alternatives, including whether to retain, resize or replace the program. Transfer and exit conditions can affect the timing and cost of that decision; counsel reviews their legal effect.
Whole aircraft considerations
When owning an aircraft serves the family
High combined usage can support whole aircraft ownership, but one aircraft may still leave gaps when principals travel separately or need different cabins. Occasional long trips may be better served separately than by owning a larger aircraft for every flight. We compare ownership with fractional and charter access, including flights needed when the owned aircraft is unavailable.
Ownership also gives the family control over a particular aircraft, its cabin and its crew. That control comes with continuing decisions about staffing, maintenance and operating budgets, even when a management company handles the operation. A fractional program handles much of that administration for the owner, reducing the office's day-to-day workload. That is part of the value of the program alongside the fleet access it provides.
We assess whether the family's need for that control warrants the capital and ongoing responsibility. For families that already own aircraft, our role includes management company selection and reviewing performance against the management agreement.
Working with the office
Privacy and coordination with your existing advisors
Travel privacy involves more than whether an aircraft appears on a tracking website. Passenger details, schedules and routing information can move through provider systems and third-party service providers. We consider those data-handling practices before enrollment and during ongoing oversight, and identify questions for the provider, counsel or the office's security advisor.
Aircraft registration and public flight tracking require separate attention. Neither program selection nor a registration structure can ensure complete privacy. Our role is to bring the relevant issues into the aviation decision while the office's legal and security advisors determine the protections appropriate to the family.
We advise on aviation costs, access and commercial terms. The family or investment committee approves the commitment, counsel reviews the agreement and the office's tax advisor determines tax treatment. We provide the usage and cost information those advisors need. An engagement can cover a first program selection, ongoing oversight or an approaching renewal, with scope and reporting suited to the office's decision.
The family's aviation arrangements should reflect how its principals actually travel. We help the office assess access, capital commitments and ongoing costs, and provide independent advice on selection, oversight and renewal.
Discuss your family's aviationCommon questions
Frequently asked questions
Privacy descriptions reflect the FAA LADD, ADS-B Privacy and Aircraft Registration pages, checked October 8, 2026. Structure, resizing and transfer depend on the executed agreement and applicable consent or change-of-control conditions. Nothing here is legal or tax advice.
Prepared by Fractional Aviation Advisors. About our principals. Last updated October 2026.