Teterboro to Palm Beach. A client asks their broker for a quote on a light jet. The broker comes back with three options: a Phenom 300 at $18,500, a Citation CJ3 at $16,200, and a Hawker 400XP at $14,800.

The client picks the Phenom. Good aircraft, reasonable price. What the client does not see is the math behind the quote.

The operator's net price for the Phenom was $15,200. The broker added $3,300. That is an 18% margin. On the Citation, the operator quoted $14,100 and the broker added $2,100—a 13% margin. On the Hawker, the operator quoted $13,500 and the broker added $1,300—an 8% margin.

The broker makes more money when the client picks the most expensive option. This is not fraud. This is how the industry works. Most charter brokers operate on an undisclosed margin model: they get a net price from the operator, add their fee on top, and present the total to the client.

The margin typically ranges from 5% to 20%. There is no standard. There is no regulation requiring disclosure. The client sees one number and assumes it is the operator's price.

It is not.

Some brokers advertise 'no fees.' This is technically accurate and functionally misleading. They do not charge a separate fee. They build their compensation into the quoted price. The client pays the same way—they just cannot see the split.

This model creates an incentive problem. The broker benefits from higher prices. The client benefits from lower prices. These interests are not aligned. A broker who presents three options is also presenting three different paydays for themselves.

This does not mean every broker is steering clients toward expensive aircraft. Many brokers are ethical, experienced professionals who recommend the right aircraft for the mission. But the incentive structure exists whether or not any individual broker acts on it.

The fix is not regulation. The fix is transparency. Some brokers now operate on a disclosed-fee model: they show the client the operator's net price and charge a flat or percentage-based fee on top. The client sees exactly what they are paying for the aircraft and exactly what they are paying the broker.

The client does not need to become an expert in broker economics. The client needs to ask one question.