Definition
Flights operated on demand for a specific customer or group rather than on a published schedule, with the routing, timing, and passenger list arranged by contract between the operator and the customer.
Plain English
Flights that are hired for a particular trip instead of being open to the public on a fixed schedule. The customer arranges where it goes and who is on board.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of airline history, commercial aviation rules, and the difference between scheduled airline service and flights arranged for a specific customer.
Derivation
‘Charter’ comes from the Latin charta, meaning a written document or contract. A charter flight is literally a flight flown under a contract, which is exactly what distinguishes it from a regular scheduled service.
Why Pilots Care
Charter operations fall under different FAA regulations than scheduled airlines, affecting pilot scheduling, rest requirements, and operational flexibility.
Intuition Check
Do not assume charter means fancy, private, or unregulated. In aviation, it means the flight is arranged for a specific customer or trip instead of being part of a regular airline schedule.
Example Sentence 1
After deregulation, several operators expanded their charter flights to carry sports teams between cities the airlines did not serve directly.
Example Sentence 2
After deregulation, operators expanded charter flights to serve routes without regular airline service.