wrote in message
ups.com...
Questions:
1.) Is there a general market rate for rental of a smaller,
non-executive private aircraft?

You started out talking about a jet charter. But at least to me, "smaller,
non-executive private aircraft" rules out jets. Business jets (that is,
those you might charter for only 10 or fewer people) are about as
"executive" as you get.

So, to start out, you might think about being less ambiguous about what
you're asking.

As far as "is there a general market rate", sure. There's a general market
rate for everything. If you can accurately define what it is you're asking
about, someone can tell you what the market rate for that thing is.

2.) Would it be legal for me to "advertise" (I use the word in the
informal sense) this as a transportation service, without being filed
as an air carrier?

Assuming a normal charter, which would require an operator meeting Part 135
standards, I see no problem with advertising. The operator itself could
advertise of course, and for you to advertise for others to share the costs
of the charter shouldn't be an issue whatsoever.

3.) Could this be done for, say, around $150/person each way, or even
less?

Not in a jet, no. Are you asking about a jet or not?

400 miles is about 3.5 hours in a Cessna 182. Figure $150/hour for pilot
and airplane (as a rough guess...prices do vary a bit, as they do in any
market), and you get a total one-way cost of $525. Split that three ways
(the maximum number of people you can get into a 182 and you get $175/person
each way.

However, you need to keep in mind some things. One is that if you don't
have three more people for the plane to carry on the return trip, you'll
probably have to pay for that too, doubling your cost to $350/person.
Another is that while a 182 can carry a pretty good load, three college
students might find they are limited in how much baggage they can carry. I
remember what I used to haul back and forth between school and parents;
between books, clothes, food, etc. Some trips I would have been
hard-pressed to get me and all my stuff in a 182, never mind three other
kids and their stuff.

Going back to what you originally seemed to be asking about, a chartered jet
is going to cost big $$$. First of all, a jet carrying 10 people is
definitely on the high end of business jets. You would want to make sure
you had all seats filled before you ordered the charter. But more
importantly, no matter what kind of jet you wind up in, the per-seat cost is
generally going to be at *least* what you'd pay for a first-class ticket on
an airline, and unless you get a really good deal, two or three times that
wouldn't be unexpected.

Pete