Broker or carrier
Two kinds of company can stand behind a private charter.
The direct air carrier operates the aircraft. It has control over how the flight is run: the crew, the aircraft, the decisions on the day. US rules call this operational control.
The air charter broker arranges the charter. It may act for you as your agent, or sell the flight in its own name, but it does not operate the aircraft.
Narook is a broker, and these are the rules it works under.
What a broker must say in public
Part 295 of the US aviation rules requires every advertisement and solicitation, including web pages, to state clearly and conspicuously three things: that the company is an air charter broker; that it is not a direct air carrier in operational control of aircraft; and that the flight is provided by a properly licensed direct air carrier.
If a website selling charter flights does not say this, ask why.
What you receive before you sign
Before you enter a contract for a specific flight, the broker must tell you, in writing, the corporate name of the carrier in operational control and any other names it uses, and the capacity in which the broker acts, along with the other disclosures the rules require.
If you ask, the broker must also tell you the total cost and the fees third parties will collect from you directly. When it acts as your agent, this includes any business relationship with the carrier that may affect its choice. Email is allowed.
At Narook, we send all of these in writing for every flight, without being asked.
After you sign
If any of this information is missing when you sign, or changes later, the broker must send it within a reasonable time. If it does not, you may cancel and receive a full refund for the flight and related services. Everything must be disclosed before the flight begins.
When a flight cannot be performed, or a refund is otherwise due, the broker must refund promptly.
Words to read carefully
The rules treat certain claims as unfair or deceptive. A broker may not imply that it is the carrier. It may not misstate the aircraft type, the times or the route. And it may not say a flight is arranged before the carrier has made a binding commitment.
So read a proposal for who operates the aircraft and the moment the flight is actually arranged.
How Narook arranges flights
For flights, Narook acts as an air charter broker and as your agent. Narook is not a direct air carrier, does not own or operate aircraft and does not hold operational control of any aircraft. Every flight Narook arranges is operated by a properly licensed direct air carrier that holds operational control of the aircraft.
Before you enter a contract for a flight, Narook tells you in writing the name of the carrier that will operate it, the capacity in which Narook is acting, and whether Narook holds liability insurance covering you, your passengers and your property on the flight, with its limits. We also give you in writing any business relationship between Narook and the carrier, the total cost, and any fees third parties will charge you directly.
Sending an inquiry does not reserve an aircraft. A flight is arranged only once the operating carrier has made a binding commitment and you have accepted the written terms. Aircraft, times and routes mentioned on this site are examples; the operating carrier confirms them for each flight.