cbn42

Since many of my friends know that I "fly a lot", I have been sucked into volunteering to make transportation arrangements for our school district's 3 marching bands. I need to figure out how to get 225 high school kids from the LA area to Atlanta and back this July. So I have a couple of questions.

1. Would chartering a jet be feasible? Our band director suggested it, but I'm not sure he knows much about these things. How much would it cost? Any companies anyone can suggest?

2. If we just book a commercial flight, will airlines provide a bulk discount? About how much would it be, and who do I contact to arrange it?

We only want nonstop flights since the logistics of keeping everyone together while trying to switch gates might be difficult, and there's no way we can get hotel rooms for everyone if we get stuck somewhere.

Thanks in advance for any insights.

rafi2k6

Delta is your best bet if you want to book with a commercial airline.
If not, try Ryan Air, Miami Air, World Airways, Sun Country, North American Airlines, or possibly American Airlines.

CaptainMiles

The really question for FT should be: how can I get credit for the mileage of those 225 kids into my account?

But seriously, if it's your first time chartering, you may want to go through a charter broker. They can guide you through the process. Find a reputable broker that specializes in large groups and airliner size aircraft. Note that most charter brokers specialize in the luxury executive travel using business jets, and that is NOT the type of broker you want. Perhaps call around to local sports teams and find out who they use for their charter needs, and go from there.

Check into a charter that will allow you to set your requirements for how to handle musical instruments. An operator that boards through the FBO will bypass the normal baggage handling through the airline terminal, and may be able to provide customized baggage handling and proper care for your instruments. You may also want an aircraft with some extra seats, if you want tubas and such in the cabin.

rafi2k6

There's no need to go through a broker. Booking a charter with NOA or WOA is pretty straight forward, they can arrange almost anything you might need.

Going through a broker might end up being more costly/complicated in the end...

LizzyDragon84

The major airlines all have group booking departments as well, so it would be worth contacting them as well to see what they can offer you.

I would plan on the possibility of having to split the group onto two or more flights- 225 people is more then the average 737 can hold.

CaptainMiles

Pretty straight forward if OP even knows what NOA and WOA are, and their implications. It appeared that this is a first time for OP, so going through an experienced broker might help. Yes, it could be most costly (broker commission), but then again a good broker may have access to or knowledge of options that a newbie would not.

rafi2k6

OP said they're a band (or a few of them) which means luggage + oversize baggage, i.e. Tuba, cello, etc..
Even if they split the group into two 737's there wouldn't be sufficient cargo space.
If he books with delta I suspect they'd charter a 767-300 out to LAX for the flight. It seats 262, so the group will fill 225 seats, delta can sell the other 37 seats for extra profit.

CO's 764's seat 235, that would be a perfect fit if they have a/c availability and a good price.

AA's 763's seat exactly 225, might be good.

Or you can split the group into 113 + 111 and get a couple of A319/20's from US/UA/DL or something like that.

Another thing to consider is, 225 students + teachers/chaperones. In reality you're looking at booking 235-250 people.

All good points.
I'm just speaking from my experience, I was put in charge of a similar situation a couple years ago. We used WOA. Nice ride on the MD-11.

GB

There are travel agents who are experienced with this and do this frequently in most cities. This is something that is extremely detailed and involves large quantities of people with questions, unfamiliarity with flying, documentation, etc. If it was me, I would have a travel agent do all of the heavy lifting on this and field all of the questions, problems, etc. We all "fly alot" on this board, but finding air transportation and managing the logistics and process for this is much more involved than simply contacting a few airlines to compare prices.

B747-437B

Don't even dream of trying to do your first charter yourself unless you have plenty of time and budget to spare. It also inevitably screws up somehow.

I've sold charters to first time organisers before and can't remember a single one that went without a major hitch. The best ones probably wound up with 4 hour delays due to someone forgetting to do something, the worst one caused a major diplomatic incident with 80 people quarantined on a Barbados military base.

Airlines will quote a lower rate to a broker any day of the week simply because they know that there will be less effort needed for them to clean up the mess later.

WHBM

Although a chartered aircraft sounds simplistic for these volumes, if it is on a mainstream route (as this is) the group travel department of the major carriers on the route will often come in with a much better deal, using their established flights.

The issue with charters is that you are a "one-off", needing an aircraft to start at LAX and finish in Atlanta, and then some time later to do the reverse. A charter carrier is unlikely to have a programme where this just "fits in" at both ends, so there is likely to be some empty positioning to/fro, which pushes up the cost significantly, whereas a carrier with a major presence can accommodate you on scheduled flights. One-off charters can often be significantly more expensive than schedules, they come into their own for other reasons, privacy, obscure routings, etc.

Another thing about you being co-opted for this, be sure that you NEVER become personally financially exposed; you may like to consider getting someone else responsible for the money. With 225 travelling there will be some who pay late, some who won't pay at all, some who argue over the price, some who accuse you of pocketing any commissions, some who say they are not returning with the group and only want to pay half - the list is endless. A scheduled carrier is obviously better at handling a group of 225 that eventually turns out to be 200, or even 250.

Do try a broker, but don't be surprised if they end up offering scheduled group travel.

cordelli

Almost every airline has a webpage on charter services, google the name of the airline and charter services

United offers this warning

Customers interested in pursuing charters should be aware that the cost of exclusive occupancy can be substantially higher than scheduled service on United. We are able to provide customized routings and times, though weekend and off-peak travel will likely be lower priced than peak travel dates and times.

http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,51117,00.html

They also list the configurations of their different aircraft for number of passengers.

Contact both the charter and group sales and compare the prices. Some airlines for group sales will give you one free ticket for every so many paid seats so make sure to ask about that too.

sbm12

No, they can not. That's not how charter flights work. Scheduled charter service is slightly different but that's not what is involved here.

If everyone absolutely must arrive at the same time then a charter is likely going to be the best solution, though probably not the cheapest. I know how much it cost to hire a 739 from United/Continental for a few hours of flying (IAH-PHX-PAE), for example, and it wasn't cheap. And the OP would need two of those or a larger aircraft.

tentseller

This was 10 yrs ago:

Daughter's band was invited to a festival in Bahamas so there were 200 including parents and 400+ pieces of luggage plus instruments.

Dealt with AMEX corp travel department and it was cheaper to charter. Plus:

• You can carry what ever your group needs (Think Sousaphones). We took our luggage/instruments to planeside and put on on the conveyor ourselves.
• Bring your own water/soda/juice fastfood.
• You save by not paying for terminal baggage handling and flight catering.
• Direct flight to and back from destination. We flew out of a local smaller airport which which made gathering the group together much easier.
• Fly almost at the exact time you want (ATC permitting)

TMOliver

The best. most useful advice and assistance I've ever received came from the athletic department of the local university. With contacts at several airlines and a wealth of experience, their help came with a substantial list of mistakes to avoid making.

Inescapably, a charter will cost more, but the complexity of scheduling, handling musical instruments, and the absolute necessity for substantial and constant "chaperonage" will likely make regular commercial service daunting if not impossible. Of course, you'll need buses to move 225+ kids from ATL to the hotel involved.

Then there's the first in a series of series of crises you'll face....getting 225 kids, their clothing, their instruments, and assorted impedimenta to one of LA's airports with enough time to sort'em out before departure (and to count the missing, of which there will be a number, both bodies and "stuff"). You can rest assured that between lack of communication, communications skills, or the capacity to function, there will be both parents and kids at the wrong airport at the right time or the right airport at the wrong time.

Then there's mustering the crew for the return from Atlanta, only to find that at least half a dozen have taken "French Leave" or leave of their senses.

Kagehitokiri

could it be an option for OP?
any chance of finding "empty" scheduled DL flight?
DL does LAX-ATL
763 and 332 - definitely options
757 and 73H - not sure which layout?