Ask five private jet brokers for a quote and you will get five numbers, each for one aircraft, each with its own fine print. That tells you what one broker found. It does not tell you what the market looks like for your trip. The Detailed Estimate Report, or DER, is how Alta Jets solves that. Here is what is inside it, how the $500 deposit works, and why we built our process around it.
What a Detailed Estimate Report is
A DER is a full picture of your trip before you commit to anything. Instead of a single price for a single airplane, it lays out estimated price ranges for every class of aircraft that can fly your exact route, from empty leg rates at the low end to standard retail at the high end. You see the whole market, side by side, and choose with the facts in front of you.
What is inside the report
Pricing by aircraft class
For your route and dates, the report shows estimated ranges for each class that fits the mission, for example light, midsize, super-midsize and heavy jets. The range runs from empty leg pricing, when a repositioning flight lines up with your trip, up to a standard one way or round trip rate. You can see exactly what moving up or down a class does to the price.
Cabin size and comfort
Price only matters next to what you get. The report includes cabin dimensions for each class so you can compare headroom, cabin length and seating for your group before you pick.
Safety ratings and insurance
Every aircraft we source operates under a Part 135 certificate or its international equivalent. The report covers the safety side too, including insurance and third party safety ratings such as ARGUS, Wyvern and IS-BAO, so you know the standard behind every option. Read more about our safety standards.
Photos of in network aircraft
Sample photos show the kinds of aircraft in each class, inside and out, so the choice is not made from a spreadsheet alone.
How the $500 deposit works
The DER is unlocked with a $500 deposit, and the process is designed so the risk sits with us, not you.
- Place a $500 deposit. It secures your request and is credited toward your trip. It is never an extra fee.
- Get your DER. It arrives within about an hour.
- Take 48 hours to decide. If the report is not what you want, decline within 48 hours for a full refund.
- Say yes and we send formal quotes. Sign off on one, and your $500 applies toward the total trip cost.
- Protected if the numbers change. If the formal quotes do not match your report on price or aircraft, you can take the refund instead.
Why a report beats a quote
You see everything up front
A quote asks you to trust that the airplane in front of you is the right one at the right price. A DER shows you the alternatives, so you can judge that yourself. If a super-midsize does the mission for less than the heavy jet you had in mind, you will see it.
It stops the five broker problem
Shopping one trip to several brokers feels like smart comparison shopping. In private aviation it usually backfires. However many brokers you call, the trip comes down to the same few aircraft. When the operator holding that aircraft gets the same request from broker after broker, it stops looking like a serious inquiry, and the price often goes up. A DER gives you the market view you were looking for, from one broker negotiating on your behalf.
The price is grounded in real options
Because the report is built from real aircraft in the market for your route, the formal quotes that follow should line up with it. That is why a quote that does not match the report on price or aircraft is refundable.
Who the DER is for
It works for a first time charter client who wants to understand the options before spending anything, and for frequent flyers who want to see the whole market on every trip. If you fly often, the Alta Jets Deposit Program takes the same idea further, with a balance you draw down trip by trip instead of a rigid jet card.
See one for your trip
Start with our private jet charter cost guide for typical prices on popular routes, browse private jet charter from Orange County, or book a trip to get a Detailed Estimate Report for your exact route. Questions first? Our private jet charter FAQ covers the rest.