A same-day booking does not have to mean a bare cabin. Food, bags and animals can all be accommodated at short notice, provided the right people hear about them early enough. The trick is knowing which requests are quick and which need a head start.
The short version
| Request | On the day | Tell us |
|---|---|---|
| Snacks and drinks | Usually straightforward | With the booking |
| A simple meal | Usually possible with a few hours' notice | As early as you can |
| A full menu or a named restaurant | Possible on some days, not guaranteed | In the first message |
| Normal luggage | Fine on most aircraft | Count and size |
| Golf bags, skis, large cases | Can rule out small aircraft | In the first message |
| Dogs and cats | Often accepted with operator approval | In the first message |
Catering
Private aircraft do not have kitchens in the restaurant sense. Food is prepared by specialist aviation caterers or sourced through the private terminal, then loaded before departure. Caterers work to lead times, and on the day those lead times are the constraint.
Simple requests travel well: sandwiches, salads, fruit, cheese, pastries and drinks. A hot plated meal needs more preparation and the right equipment on board, which not every small jet carries. If you have a particular restaurant in mind, it may be possible on some days, but it depends on the restaurant as much as on us.
Dietary needs and allergies should be mentioned with the order, not on board. A caterer can label and separate items when it knows in advance; the crew cannot conjure a substitute at 40,000 feet.
Luggage
Baggage space varies a great deal between categories. Light jets carry normal luggage for their passengers, but large hard-sided cases, golf bags and skis can fill a hold quickly. Midsize and larger aircraft have more room. On a same-day trip, the risk is discovering a problem at the aircraft door, when there is no time to change plans.
So describe the bags in the request: how many, roughly how large, and anything unusual. Soft bags pack more flexibly than hard cases. If you are bringing something awkward, such as a large instrument or sports equipment, give its dimensions. Weight matters too, because total load affects how much fuel the aircraft can carry, and on longer flights that can matter for range.
Pets
Many operators welcome dogs and cats in the cabin, which is one of the reasons people fly privately with their animals. Each operator sets its own policy, and the approval has to be in place before the flight, so mention pets in your first message. Useful details are the species, the size and weight, and whether the animal travels in a carrier.
Some operators ask for a carrier or a lead, and some add a cleaning charge after the flight. For trips abroad, animals need the right documents for the destination country, which can take far longer than a day to arrange. A same-day international trip with a pet is therefore only realistic if the paperwork is already in order.
Weight, balance and the long way round
Every aircraft has a maximum weight for takeoff, and passengers, bags and fuel all count towards it. On short trips this rarely matters. On longer ones, a full cabin with heavy luggage can limit how much fuel the aircraft carries, and with it the distance it can fly without stopping. The operator checks this before departure; your part is simply to give honest numbers for passengers and bags in the request, so the plan is right first time and nobody is weighing suitcases at the aircraft.
Small comforts that need a word in advance
Some requests are easy if the crew knows about them before the day starts and awkward if they do not: a particular drink or brand, flowers for an occasion, blankets and pillows for a late flight, a cake for a birthday. None of them is unusual, and all of them can go in the notes of your request. On a same-day booking, the rule is the same as for catering: what is mentioned early is usually possible, what is mentioned at the aircraft door may not be.
Getting to the aircraft
At many private terminals a car can bring you close to the aircraft, subject to the airport's security rules. That makes loading bags and settling a pet much easier. If you want this, say so when you book, along with the vehicle details if the FBO needs them.
The return leg
If you are coming back the same day or the next, the same rules apply in reverse, with one advantage: there is time. Catering for the return can be ordered properly, a pet's comfort planned and bags that grew during the trip accounted for. Mention the return in your first request so the advisor can arrange both directions together.
What to put in the first message
- Any catering beyond drinks and snacks, with dietary needs.
- The number and type of bags, and anything oversized.
- Pets: species, size and whether they travel in a carrier.
- Whether you want a car to meet the aircraft.
The requests that need the most notice, a full menu, bulky bags and pets, are exactly the ones to mention first.
Our quote form has a notes field for all of this, and the same-day planner shows when a catering order needs to be in for your departure time. Every option we send includes the aircraft, the operator and an all-in price, so you can see straight away whether your bags and your dog are part of the plan.