Acquisition Guidance

    Private aviation guidance from people who ran it from the inside

    We are former senior executives of the world's largest private jet operator. We have seen how programs are structured, how contracts are written, and where clients consistently pay more than they should, or end up in programs that don't fit their actual missions.

    Our acquisition guidance gives you a client-side read on every major private aviation decision: fractional ownership, leasing, jet cards, and whole aircraft. No sales quotas. No operator affiliations. No incentive to steer you anywhere but the right answer.

    What we do

    Independent guidance through the marketplace

    We work across the full private aviation marketplace, fractional programs including NetJets and Flexjet, lease structures, jet card and membership programs, charter, and whole aircraft, giving clients an objective view of where each option fits and where it doesn't.

    What an acquisition engagement covers

    What we do for you

    Flight needs analysis
    Aligning mission profiles, peak periods, and routing patterns to define what your program actually needs to do, before evaluating any specific solution.
    Marketplace review
    An objective look across fractional, lease, jet cards, memberships, and charter, and an honest assessment of where each fits your situation and where it falls short.
    Proposal sourcing & comparison
    Apples-to-apples evaluation of competing terms, limitations, and the fine print most clients never see placed side by side.
    Cost forecasting
    Total cost of usage tied to your real goals, scenario modeling, break-even analysis, and clear long-term projections across the options you're considering.
    Aircraft selection
    Guidance on the right aircraft for your missions: cabin size, range, ride quality, luggage capacity, and onboard configuration, matched to how you actually fly.
    Safety & operator due diligence
    Training standards, maintenance programs, and operational decision-making culture, evaluated by people who have worked inside these organizations and know what to look for beyond the marketing materials.
    Contract advisory
    A detailed review of terms, fees, service credits, restrictions, and exit provisions before you commit, and clear guidance on what to push for in negotiations. We advise; your counsel executes.
    Tax referral coordination
    We connect you with vetted third-party CPAs who specialize in private aviation tax structures. We facilitate the introduction and provide context, the tax advice itself is theirs.
    Privacy guidance
    High-net-worth individuals in fractional programs have real exposure: scheduling data, routing patterns, and passenger information that moves through multiple systems. Privacy and data-handling practices differ between operators and between structures. An engagement can help you frame those questions for the provider before you are inside the program.

    Ready to talk through your situation?

    A defined review scope, a documented output, and the assumptions written down.

    When to engage us

    The right moment to get independent advice

    Independent acquisition guidance is most useful before any program conversation begins. The following reflects the situations where clients most commonly find it valuable.

    You are entering private aviation for the first time and want an independent overview before talking to any operator or broker.
    You are comparing a fractional share, a lease, or a jet card and need an objective model of real cost and coverage, not a sales projection.
    You want aircraft recommendations grounded in your actual missions, not marketing categories.
    You are weighing charter flexibility against the consistency of a structured program and want a clear framework for that decision.
    You want to understand your contract, exits, renewals, credits, and fee structures, before you sign.

    Our approach

    A structured acquisition process

    1. Mission analysis

    We start by understanding how you actually fly: destinations, trip frequency, group sizes, peak periods, and operational requirements. The right program follows from the right definition of the mission.

    2. Option evaluation

    We build an objective comparison across fractional, lease, jet card, and charter, modeled to your specific usage, not industry averages. You see the real numbers before you talk to anyone trying to sell you something.

    3. Contract advisory & introduction

    We review the terms in detail, tell you what to push for, flag what to avoid, and connect you with the right specialists, tax, legal, or otherwise, before you commit. If ongoing program oversight makes sense after closing, that is a separate engagement.

    Why work with us

    The difference independent guidance makes

    Seasoned perspective
    Perspective from the operating side of these programs, applied on the client side of the table.
    Operational insight
    Former senior executives with firsthand knowledge of how fractional programs actually operate.
    Client-side by construction
    The work is organizing your decision from your own travel and documents, rather than presenting a product.
    Data-driven analysis
    Utilization modeling, cost benchmarking, and scenario forecasting built from your real numbers, not industry averages or marketing projections.

    Explore Related Advisory

    Account ManagementNetJets AdvisoryFlexjet Advisory

    Proposal review

    What to normalize before two proposals can be compared

    Proposals are not written to be compared with each other. Before setting one beside another, put both onto the same footing on each of the following. Where a figure is not stated, record it as unknown rather than as zero.

    01The aircraft and the commitment

    • Aircraft type and cabin category, and whether the same category is being quoted in each proposal.
    • Share size, lease term or card denomination, and the period you are committing to.
    • Capital or deposit required at signature, and what is refundable in what circumstances.
    • The document version and date of each proposal, so you are comparing current terms.

    02Cost, in the order it bites

    • Recurring fixed charges owed whether or not you fly, and any escalation formula that moves them.
    • The flight charge, and precisely what counts as billable time on each leg.
    • Daily minimums, taxi treatment, positioning and any short-leg minimum.
    • Which taxes and surcharges sit inside the quoted rate and which are added to it.

    03Access on the dates that matter

    • Notice required in normal periods, and notice required on high-demand dates.
    • How peak dates are designated, how many there are, and who sets the calendar.
    • Interchange or substitution rights, and what they cost when used.
    • What happens when the assigned aircraft goes out of service.

    04Getting out

    • Renewal mechanics and the notice window for electing not to renew.
    • Exit, repurchase or remarketing terms, and any deduction applied at exit.
    • Whether the interest or balance can be transferred, and on what conditions.

    Tax treatment is a question for your own tax adviser, and the enforceability of any provision is a question for counsel. The current proposal and the executed agreement control.

    Scope

    Where our role ends

    We document the travel requirement, compare the structures on one set of assumptions, and organize the questions the proposal leaves open.

    Our work is advisory and does not replace legal, tax, investment, appraisal, aircraft-operating or safety-management advice. Where those questions arise, and on a commitment of this size they usually do, they belong with the professionals responsible for them. We are happy to work alongside yours.

    Ready for an independent read?

    An honest assessment of your acquisition decision, built from your missions, your budget, and your priorities.

    This page describes how we organize an acquisition decision. It states no operator's pricing, terms or availability, and no negotiation, savings or transaction outcome.

    General information only. Nothing here is legal, tax, investment or financial advice, and no advisor-client or attorney-client relationship is created by reading it. Program pricing, terms, availability, fleets and contractual provisions change. Current operator documents and executed agreements control. Verify current terms directly with the operator, and take legal and tax questions to your own qualified professionals.

    Fractional Aviation Advisors is an independent, client-side advisory firm. We are not affiliated with the operator, and we take no operator commissions or referral fees. We are not a direct air carrier, broker-dealer, lender, law firm or tax advisory firm. Flights are operated by properly certificated direct air carriers that retain operational control. We do not guarantee savings, availability, pricing, negotiation outcomes, or that any program will suit your requirements.

    Prepared by Fractional Aviation Advisors and reviewed by Erich Walsh, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, formerly Senior Vice President of Sales at NetJets (2016–2024).

    Last updated: August 2026.