People considering getting into private jet charter arrangements are often advised to consider the 'safety factor' very keenly. A private jet charter is, by the way, an arrangement where a person (or another entity such as an organization) hires a 'whole' aircraft for their own use. It exists as a distinct entity to business jet charter where a business (rather than an individual person) charters an aircraft to ferry its luggage or staff. It is also quite distinct from a normal airline operation, where people purchase tickets entitling them to seats (or luggage places) on aircraft; but where their command of the aircraft is limited to the tickets they purchase in that way. The private jet charter is part of the general aviation. This is one branch of aviation in which the safety factor is very important. Industry statistics show that a majority of the air travel accidents that take place do so in the general aviation niche, rather than in the airline aviation niche. Yet there are many instances in which you have no alternative, other than that of making use of general aviation services. A good example of this is when looking to fly to a place that is not served by any airlines, and there are indeed very many such places. So are there are situations in which your best interests are served by a chartered aircraft. In any case, the relatively poor safety record associated with general aviation is not an indictment of the niche as a whole, because there are many general aviators with sterling safety records. But the fact that there are safety concerns raised with regard to general aviation means that this is not something you should take too lightly. One of the important predictors of the safety (or otherwise) of a general aviation operator is the type of fleet they have. In simpler terms, this is about asking the question as to what types of aircraft they have, and then interrogating the safety ratings of those aircraft. There are some types of aircraft that, statistically speaking, are nothing less than 'death traps.' Yet there are some private jet charter companies whose aircraft are of the sorts that have truly good safety records, meaning that your brief, in this case, is to ensure that you identify them and opt for them rather than the ones whose fleets are made of 'deathtrap aircraft.' Another important predictor the safety (or otherwise) of a general aviation operator is the average age of aircraft they have. It is important to note that some people hold this view that aircraft which becomes too old for the airline aviation business should be consigned to general aviation. A given private jet charter company may have the best aircraft types in the world, but if the aircraft are too old, then that is not too good. There are also staffing considerations, as another important predictor of the safety (or otherwise) of a general aviation operator. Particularly important here are the credentials of the pilots and engineers on the operator's staff. These are particularly important considerations when it is a private jet charter you are considering engaging on a long term basis. Don't, of course, expect the operators to tell you that their staff members are of dubious qualification. But if they keep dilly dallying with the answers (and if the licenses, ratings and hourly experience don't seem to be stellar), you may have reason to worry. If a private jet charter company has been in the news a lot because of incidences involving its aircraft, you may need to steer clear of it. This would be doing out of appreciation for the fact that the next 'incident in the series' could come to pass while you (or your interests) are inside the private jet charter company's aircraft.
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