Know the difference between a "Broker" and an "Operator".
Most people booking a private flight for the first time assume the company they're talking to owns the plane. Sometimes that's true. Often it isn't. The difference between a broker and an operator isn't a technicality, it changes who's actually responsible for your aircraft, your crew, and your safety, and it's worth understanding before you book anything.
An operator holds a Part 135 certificate issued by the FAA. That certificate makes them legally responsible for the aircraft's airworthiness, the crew's qualifications and currency, the maintenance program, and full operational control of every flight. When you fly with an operator directly, they own or lease the aircraft, employ or contract the crew, and answer to the FAA for how that flight is run.
A broker doesn't own aircraft. Stratos Jets, the network The Jaime Forte Agency operates within, is a broker: it arranges charter flights by sourcing aircraft and crew from a network of independently certified Part 135 operators. The broker's job is matching your trip to the right aircraft and the right operator, not flying the plane.
This is the specific point required by DOT advertising rules for charter brokers: a broker must clearly identify as a broker, not misrepresent itself as an operator, and never imply it owns or controls the aircraft it arranges. Any charter company using language like "our fleet" or "our crews" without actually holding the operating certificate is blurring a line that exists for a reason.
An operator has one aircraft type, or a small fleet, to offer you. If their aircraft doesn't fit your mission well, or isn't available on your date, your options are limited to what they happen to have. A broker sources across an entire network, so the aircraft recommended is chosen to fit the trip, not to fill a specific operator's schedule.
An operator has an incentive to fill their own aircraft. That's not a criticism, it's just how the business works, a company that owns the plane wants it flying. A broker with no aircraft to fill has a different incentive: matching the mission to the right operator, even if that means recommending a smaller or larger aircraft than what a single operator happens to have sitting on the ramp that week.
Accountability works differently. An operator is directly accountable to the FAA for that specific flight. A broker's accountability is in the vetting that happens before you ever board, confirming the operator's certification, insurance, safety history, and crew qualifications meet a defined standard, not just accepting whatever a single operator claims about itself.
If a company is operating as a broker, here's what that should look like in practice, not just in a disclaimer buried in the footer:
Jaime Forte spent 20 years on the operational side of aviation, including as a Part 135 Director of Operations, the role directly responsible for an air carrier's FAA compliance, crew standards, and maintenance oversight. That background means he's reviewing an operator's records the way a regulator would, not taking a certification at face value. Because Stratos Jets operates strictly as a broker and doesn't own aircraft, that review has no competing incentive behind it, the aircraft recommended is the one that fits your mission.
Every flight arranged through this agency is operated by a properly certified U.S. DOT and FAA Part 135 air carrier, who maintains full operational control of the aircraft, crew, and flight at all times. That's not a workaround, it's the correct and required structure for how a broker relationship is supposed to work.
If a broker doesn't own the aircraft, who's actually responsible for my safety on the flight?The certificated Part 135 operator maintains full operational control and legal responsibility for the flight itself, the aircraft, crew, and maintenance. The broker's responsibility is in vetting that operator before the trip is arranged.
How do I know if a company is actually a broker or an operator?Ask directly which company holds the Part 135 certificate for your specific flight. A broker should answer this without hesitation and name the operator. Language like "our fleet" or "our pilots" from a company that doesn't hold an operating certificate is worth questioning.
Does using a broker instead of booking an operator directly cost more?Not inherently, brokers source across a network rather than marking up a single operator's rate structure. Pricing depends on the specific trip, aircraft, and operator, not on whether a broker is involved.
The Jaime Forte Agency is an independent private aviation firm, backed by the Stratos Jets global infrastructure. Among the first ARGUS-Certified Brokerages in the industry — delivering vetted aircraft access, dedicated advisory, and Risk-Managed Private Aviation™ on every flight.
