5,000 operators go in. 380 come out.
A charter broker's real product is the operators it says no to. This is the funnel every airframe on a JetNine quote has already passed — and keeps passing, every twelve months.
- 01~5,000The starting universe
Every certificated Part 135 charter operator in the United States. Anyone can broker flights across this whole list — most brokers effectively do. The vetting below is what separates a network from a directory.
- 02~2,100Certification & insurance filter
We drop operators with certificate amendments under review, enforcement actions in the last 24 months, insurance below our $300M–$500M hull-and-liability floor, or fewer than five years of continuous Part 135 operation. Financial standing is verified — no bankruptcy, receivership, or repossession events in the last 36 months.
- 03~880Audit-standing filter
Below ARG/US Gold, or with a lapsed audit, an operator is out — no exceptions. Any NTSB-reportable event in the last 24 months is disqualifying. For international, transoceanic, and ultra-long-range missions, we additionally require Wyvern Wingman or IS-BAO Stage 2.
- 04~410On-site visit & chief-pilot review
Our chief pilot — or a qualified third party applying JetNine standards — walks the maintenance hangar, training facility, and dispatch operation in person. Roughly half the operators that look good on paper don't survive a site visit. That number is why this stage exists.
- 05380In the network
Operators currently flying for our clients. Approval isn't permanent: documents are re-reviewed and sites re-visited every twelve months, trip-level checks run before every booking, and random spot-checks plus a crew tip line run continuously. One strike on safety — out.
The written floor behind these filters — certification, audit standing, pilot qualification, insurance, maintenance, safety record, operator stability — is published in full on the safety standards page. What the certifications themselves mean is on ratings, explained.
— Asked about vetting
How often is an approved operator re-checked?
On a fixed twelve-month cycle for documents (insurance, audits, rosters, training records, AD/SB compliance) and on-site visits — plus a trip-level review before every booking and continuous random spot-checks. Approval lapses; it is never grandfathered.
What gets an operator removed from the network?
One safety strike. A lapsed audit, an insurance shortfall, an NTSB-reportable event, or anything our chief pilot flags on a spot-check ends the relationship. We would rather refund an entire trip than fly an airframe we aren't comfortable with.
Does a client request ever override the floor?
No. There is no exception process, no rate that justifies a waiver, and no schedule pressure that changes the answer. If the only available airframe is one we rejected, we'll say so and help you wait or fly commercial.
Fly the 380, not the 5,000.
Every quote we return is an airframe that already passed this page. Price a mission and see.