The floor is high. The ceiling is mandatory.
Every operator in our network meets a written safety floor before they're eligible for a single flight. We re-audit every twelve months. The protocol is below — the same one our chief pilot uses to vet his own family's flights.
ARG/US Gold
FLOOR · ALL OPERATORS
Aviation Research Group. The standard accreditation for serious charter — historical safety audit and operator profile.
ARG/US Platinum
PREFERRED · 78% OF FLIGHTS
Highest ARG/US tier. On-site audit plus emergency-response, ground-handling and security review.
Wyvern Wingman
REQUIRED · INTL & ULTRA
Pilot-specific qualifications, trip-level safety review, real-time risk assessment for every leg.
IS-BAO Stage 2
PREFERRED · LARGE-CABIN
International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations. SMS implemented, audited, and demonstrated in operation.
— The floor
The non-negotiables. Every operator. Every flight.
Below this line, an operator does not enter the network. There is no exception process, no client request that overrides it, no rate that justifies a waiver.
- 01— Certification
FAA Part 135 certificate, current and unblemished.
No suspensions, no enforcement actions, no certificate amendments under review in the last 24 months. Foreign equivalents must be verified by recognized aviation authority.
— Preferred
ICAO Annex 6 Part II compliance for cross-border missions.
- 02— Audit standing
ARG/US Gold or higher; current.
Audit cannot have lapsed. Wyvern Wingman or IS-BAO Stage 2 required for international, transoceanic, and ultra-long-range missions.
— Preferred
ARG/US Platinum + Wyvern Wingman dual rating.
- 03— Pilot qualification
Two ATP-rated pilots, in-type, on every flight.
Pilot-in-command minimum 3,500 total hours, 1,500 hours in-type. SIC minimum 2,500 total hours. Both current on aircraft within 90 days. No exceptions for daylight, short-leg, or VFR conditions.
— Preferred
PIC 5,000+ hours, augmented crew on legs >8 hours block-time.
- 04— Insurance
$300M minimum hull-and-liability for light through midsize.
$500M minimum for super-mid through ultra. Policy must be primary, not contingent on a fractional or fleet umbrella. Certificate provided to JetNine in advance of every booking.
— Preferred
$500M+ across the board, AM Best A or higher carrier.
- 05— Maintenance
Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Program (CAMP) or equivalent.
No deferred maintenance items at dispatch. All inspections current within manufacturer-recommended intervals (not regulatory minimums). Aircraft must have completed a full Phase inspection within the last 12 months.
— Preferred
Factory-authorized service center, single-fleet operator.
- 06— Safety record
No event-of-significance in the last 24 months.
No fatal accidents in the last 60 months. No NTSB-reportable incidents under review. FAA enforcement history reviewed back five years; any enforcement action is grounds for rejection unless cleared by our chief pilot.
— Preferred
Zero NTSB-reportable events lifetime, fleet-wide.
- 07— Operator stability
Minimum 5 years in continuous Part 135 operation.
Verified financial standing — no bankruptcy, receivership, or aircraft repossession events in the last 36 months. Single-fleet operators preferred over fragmented charter brokers re-selling under their certificate.
— Preferred
Founder-owned, >15 years operation, single-flag-carrier.
— Audit cycle
A standard isn’t a standard unless it’s enforced.
Approval isn’t a ribbon to be cut and forgotten. Every operator runs through this four-stage cycle, every twelve months, with spot-checks in between. The grading is binary: stay in network, or out.
Document review
Insurance certificate, ARG/US or Wyvern audit, current rosters, training records, type-rating proofs, AD/SB compliance.
On-site visit
Our chief pilot or a qualified third party — JetNine standards must be observed in operation. Maintenance hangar, training facility, dispatch operations.
Trip-level review
Before every booking — current pilot duty time, aircraft maintenance status, weather, route alternates. Wyvern Wingman runs this automatically.
Spot-check & debrief
Random flight-by-flight crew checks, post-flight client surveys, anonymous tip line for crew & FBO staff. One strike on safety — out.
— The funnel
From 5,000 operators to 380 in network.
There are roughly five thousand FAA Part 135 charter certificates active in the United States. Most are excellent. Some are not. Our job is to know which is which — and we are aggressive about saying no.
- STAGE 01
All US Part 135 operators
Every certificated charter operator in the country. The starting universe before any filter.
~5,000CERTIFICATES - STAGE 02
After certification & insurance filter
Drop operators with certificate amendments, insurance below threshold, or fewer than five years continuous operation.
~2,100REMAINING - STAGE 03
After audit-standing filter
Drop operators below ARG/US Gold or with lapsed audits. Drop any operator with an NTSB-reportable event in the last 24 months.
~880REMAINING - STAGE 04
After on-site visit & chief-pilot review
In-person hangar & ops walk-through. Roughly half the operators that look good on paper don't survive a site visit.
~410REMAINING - STAGE 05
JetNine approved operators
Operators currently flying for our clients. Re-audited every 12 months, spot-checked continuously, with a one-strike policy on safety events.
380CURRENT · IN NETWORK
— Insurance
Hull-and-liability, at the levels above.
Operator-level coverage — primary, not contingent. JetNine carries an additional $50M umbrella as broker. Certificates verified before every booking; clients can request a copy on confirmation.
Per-occurrence hull-and-liability minimum. Most operators in this category carry $500M; we publish the floor, not the average.
Per-occurrence hull-and-liability minimum. Higher floor reflects passenger count, transoceanic exposure, and airframe replacement cost.
— Part 295 broker disclosure
What “we are a broker” actually means.
JetNine LLC is an indirect air carrier registered under 14 CFR Part 295 with the United States Department of Transportation. We are not a direct air carrier — we do not operate aircraft, and we do not hold an FAA Part 135 certificate.
For every flight, we arrange charter on behalf of our clients with a third-party FAA Part 135 certificated direct air carrier. The Part 135 carrier is the operator of record, holds operational control of the aircraft, employs the pilots, holds the maintenance program, and carries the insurance.
The identity of the operator, their FAA certificate number, their insurance carrier, and the operating-control documentation is provided to every client at the time of booking and is included in the charter agreement. The trip is operated under the Part 135 carrier’s certificate and operating specifications. Our role is to source, vet, contract, and coordinate — not to fly.
This is the standard, regulated structure for premium charter brokerage in the United States. It is the same structure used by every reputable broker in the industry. The Part 295 disclosure on the agreement makes liability and responsibility unambiguous, in plain language.
Questions about the protocol?
Our chief pilot will take your call. The vetting documents for any specific operator are available on request.