If you’re booking your first private charter or your fiftieth, the same advice applies: ask us anything. The questions below are the ones we hear most often from clients flying in and out of Puerto Rico. If yours isn’t here, pick up the phone or send an email and we’ll handle it the same day.
Flying In and Out of Puerto Rico
SJU or SIG: which airport should I use?
SJU for most trips. Luis Muñoz Marín International (TJSJ) is the primary of entry for the island. Its 10,400-foot main runway accepts every jet category we quote, from a light jet on a Miami leg to a VIP airliner on a group trip. Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport (SIG, TJIG), commonly called Isla Grande, sits closer to Condado, Miramar, and Old San Juan. It handles light and midsize jets when the aircraft fits its 5,539-foot runway, and it makes sense when the drive time to Old San Juan matters more than the aircraft category. We will recommend the appropriate airport when we present your first quote, subject to scheduling and aircraft availability.
What size aircraft can use SJU?
Every category. SJU’s 10,400-foot main runway removes the runway-length caveats that constrain smaller Caribbean fields. Light jets, midsize, super-midsize, heavy jets, ultra-long-range aircraft, and VIP airliners all fly directly into SJU. If the runway is contaminated or the operator identifies a performance limit on the day, we may coordinate an alternate field, subject to scheduling and aircraft availability.
What about direct arrivals into Vieques, Culebra, or Aguadilla?
Direct arrivals work for the right aircraft. Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport on Vieques (VQS, TJVQ) has a 4,301-foot runway that turboprops and light jets can use. Culebra (CPX) has a very short runway; piston and light turboprops only. Rafael Hernández Airport in Aguadilla (BQN, TJBQ) offers an 11,702-foot ex-military runway that accepts any aircraft category and serves the west coast, including Rincón. If your trip ends outside the San Juan area, tell us the destination and we will match the aircraft to the field.
Which FBO will handle my arrival at SJU?
FBO handling on the ground is coordinated by your operator on arrival. We do not require you to work through a specific handler at SJU or SIG. The operator selects the handler that fits the aircraft, timing, and any specific ground services you have requested. Your itinerary will list the FBO once the trip is confirmed.
What about hurricane season?
Yes, it is a real factor. Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30 and statistically peaks from mid-August through early October. Puerto Rico sits in the track. As your trip date approaches, your advisor monitors the forecast and tells you what we are seeing. If changes are required due to weather and passenger safety, you can expect your advisor to reach out as soon as we are aware, subject to scheduling and aircraft availability.
Can you arrange ground transport in Puerto Rico?
Yes. With enough notice before your flight, we can do the legwork to help you locate and arrange ground transportation through a third-party vendor, whether that is a luxury chauffeured sedan, a stretch limousine, a Sprinter-style van, or even an armored vehicle, anywhere on the island from Condado and Isla Verde to Old San Juan, Dorado Beach, or Palmas del Mar.
What about customs for international arrivals?
We coordinate it. SJU is a full US Customs and Border Protection port of entry. Notice requirements vary by airport and by trip, so the earlier we know, the better. The USVI (St. Thomas, St. Croix), the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, and the rest of the Caribbean are the international pairings we run most often on Puerto Rico trips.
About Puerto Rico Jet Charter
When can I reach you?
Anytime. Day, night, weekend, holiday. Call +1-888-987-5387 whenever you need to and someone is on it.
Do you offer supplemental lift for aircraft owners?
Yes. We backfill for corporate flight departments when an aircraft is down or two trips are stacked, and for fractional owners who need an extra leg outside their plan. Four to six hours of notice is usually enough; if your aircraft is suddenly AOG, the call goes faster than that. Fractional owners often use a charter leg to protect their plan hours for later in the year.
How do you protect my privacy?
Privacy comes first. Names, manifests, dates, destinations. Only the operator and the crew assigned to your trip see them, on a strict need-to-know basis. Nobody else needs to.
What is an airport slot?
It’s prior permission to land or depart at a specific airport during a busy window, granted by the airport authority and ATC. Big events trigger slot restrictions. Examples include Masters week at Augusta, the Kentucky Derby at Louisville, peak ski weeks in Aspen, and cruise-ship home-port turnovers at San Juan. We arrange slots as part of your trip when we know the dates fall inside one of those windows.
Why have a dedicated advisor?
One phone number, first call to last leg. The same advisor handles bookings, weather, FBO arrival, ground transport, and anything that goes sideways.
What sets Puerto Rico Jet Charter apart?
Our vetting protocol is documented and applied to every recommendation: FAR Part 135 charter operators for traditional private aircraft, or FAR Part 121 for airliner-size and group trips (or the foreign equivalent on international legs); Premium Wyvern Broker membership held by Air Charter Advisors; Wyvern and ARGUS reports referenced where the operator participates; NBAA member since 2012. We provide consultative advice on whether a specific aircraft or quote fits your trip. The longer write-up lives on the safety and vetting page.
Where are you based?
Headquartered in the Philadelphia region, with operator relationships across the country and abroad. We coordinate flights from any departure airport through our network, and we will return a competitive quote on the first call.
Who are your clients?
A mix. Families heading down for a winter escape. Executives between meetings at pharma and life-sciences facilities on the island. Family offices managing a year of trips. Act 60 decree holders shuttling between Puerto Rico residency and mainland business hubs. Sports teams. Celebrities and the people who work with them. Pet owners moving with a dog or two. Patients on non-emergency medical transport. Manufacturers shipping cargo against a deadline. If you don’t fit one of those boxes, ask anyway.
Do you offer shared flights?
No. Charter flights under FAR Part 135 contract with a single party, by law. If a group is putting the trip together, one person signs and pays, then settles up with the others on the back end. Shared seats on a single charter operate under Part 380, a different regulatory setup we don’t currently arrange.
Booking and Pre-Flight
How far in advance should I book?
Sometimes as little as 6 hours, depending on aircraft and route. For a firm number to the dollar, 45 to 90 days out is the sweet spot. We do not give firm quotes too far in advance; aircraft availability shifts as the trip date approaches. Reach out closer to the trip date for a firmer quote.
Any luggage limits?
Luggage capacity varies by aircraft. Bigger plane, more room. Soft bags pack better in tight compartments than hard cases. Tell us total weight, dimensions, and anything fragile or oversized when you book, and we’ll match the trip to a plane that fits the bags.
Do you arrange tours, hotels, or concierge?
Not directly. Our lane is the flight. If you want a recommendation, we work with hospitality and concierge people we trust, and we’ll make the introduction.
Which airports can I depart from and arrive at?
Almost anywhere. Private aviation runs out of thousands of airports that a commercial schedule never touches, so you usually land far closer to where you’re going than the airlines allow. Each aircraft has its own runway requirements, and international legs need a customs-capable field, but inside those limits we pick the airport that gets you to the front door fastest.
How do I pay?
Payment is straightforward. Pay in full at booking; we hold a credit card on file (Amex, Visa, or Mastercard) for incidentals. The specifics are in your Charter Broker Agreement, and the short version sits below. Most clients choose to pay via wire transfer in order to accommodate a 5% cash payment discount. AMEX, personal or corporate, covers any flight up to the card-charge limit on file with your advisor. Trips inside four business days: we authorize the credit card on file for the total, then a wire is due within 24 hours of signing.
In Flight
Can I bring my pet?
Yes. Rabies vaccination is required for pets entering Puerto Rico, and requirements vary based on where the pet is traveling from. Tell us the species, breed, weight, and any special needs when you book, and your advisor will confirm what documentation the trip needs. Airline-quality carriers help on the FBO transfer. See our pet travel page for the specifics.
What about catering?
Anything from a coffee run to a full multi-course meal, dietary requirements included. Menus in advance where possible. Tell your advisor what you want and it will be waiting on board.
Anything Else?
Reach us any time via the contact page or call +1-888-987-5387. If your question is not on this page, that means we have not heard it yet, and we want to. See the safety and vetting page for the vetting write-up, the services page for what else we handle beyond a standard passenger flight, and the aircraft directory to browse categories.