A group flying into Martha’s Vineyard arrives at a single airport with a single handling operation, which removes a good deal of the coordination a mainland trip needs.
Moving a Team to the Island
Retreats are easier to arrange than they look, provided the passenger count is settled early. Below nineteen passengers a single aircraft usually covers it. When your total passenger count outgrows a heavy jet and the group consists of more than nineteen passengers, the aircraft required would fall into regional airliner, or airliner-size. Those trips would no longer fall under the FAR Part 135 standards but possibly operate under FAR Part 121 or foreign equivalent standards, which generally carry stricter crew and operating requirements than FAR Part 91 and FAR Part 135.
Arriving From Several Cities
If people are coming from several cities, we can gather everyone onto one aircraft at a mainland airport or run separate legs into the island. On a busy summer weekend the single aircraft is usually the easier answer, because it needs one parking space rather than three.
What the Airport Needs, and When
Anything above nine passenger seats needs twenty-four hours’ notice to the airport. That is the constraint most likely to affect a retreat, because retreat dates tend to move late. We would rather hold provisional timings early than find the notice window has closed.
Martha’s Vineyard Patterns We Plan Around
July and August are the island’s peak and the airport is busiest then, so a summer date is worth asking about early and a holiday weekend, even earlier. Winter is the opposite problem: the island is quiet, but the tower day is short.
Vetting Behind Every Trip
Before we confirm anything, we check:
- 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)
- The operator’s safety and incident history
- That the pilots are experienced, qualified and current on the aircraft type you will be flying on
- Fewer than 60 brokers worldwide hold Premium Wyvern Broker Member status, and Air Charter Advisors is one of them
Contact
Tell us the dates, the passenger count and where you are starting from, and we will come back with aircraft that fit. Ask for a quote through our contact page, browse the aircraft we arrange, or read the questions we are asked most often. The National Business Aviation Association sets the broader operating standards we work within.