By the end of this guide, you will have generated trip cost estimates, configured rate cards, compared estimates across aircraft, and shared quotes with owners or customers.
The Operations module must be enabled for your workspace. You also need the appropriate operations
permissions. Contact your workspace administrator if you cannot access these features.
You need the dispatch.read permission to view estimates and dispatch.update or
financial.update to create or modify them.
Prerequisites
- A trip must exist with at least a departure airport, destination
airport, and aircraft assignment (or candidate aircraft for
comparison estimates).
- Aircraft performance profiles should be configured with fuel burn
rates. See Manage Aircraft.
- Rate cards should be set up if you use standardized pricing. See
Configure Flight Settings.
Open the estimate
Step 1: Navigate to the trip detail page
Open the trip from the All Trips list, the Dispatch Board,
or the Schedule page.
Step 2: Click the Estimate tab
On the trip detail page, click the Estimate tab. If the trip
was created through the wizard, a preliminary estimate may already
exist from Step 4 of the creation process. Otherwise, you see an
empty state with a Generate Estimate button.
Generate a cost estimate
Step 1: Click Generate Estimate
Click the Generate Estimate button. The system calculates costs
for each component based on the trip route, assigned aircraft, and
your workspace’s configured rates.
The estimate is generated per leg and then totaled across the trip.
For multi-leg trips, each leg shows its own cost breakdown.
Step 2: Review the cost breakdown
The estimate displays as a detailed line-item table with components such as fuel, landing fees, handling fees, crew per diem, crew travel, catering, customs, overnight/hangar, repositioning, insurance surcharge, and other manual items. Each line item shows the unit rate, quantity, and extended amount. The estimate footer shows the subtotal, any taxes or surcharges, and the grand total.
Step 3: Adjust individual line items
Click any line item row to edit it:
Change the unit rate to reflect a negotiated price (e.g., a
discounted fuel rate at a preferred FBO).
Change the quantity if the default calculation needs
correction (e.g., actual fuel quote from the FBO differs from the
calculated estimate).
Add a note explaining the adjustment.
Adjusted items display a pencil icon indicating manual override.
The total recalculates automatically.
Step 4: Add custom line items
Click Add Line Item below the estimate table to add a cost
that is not covered by the standard components. Enter the
description, category, quantity, unit price, and any notes.
Examples of custom line items:
De-icing fees for winter operations
Permit fees for overflight rights
Lavatory service at a specific airport
VIP terminal surcharges
Ground transportation arranged for passengers
Step 5: Save the estimate
Click Save. The estimate is attached to the trip and the total
is reflected in the trip header and list view.
Step 1: Navigate to rate card settings
Go to Admin > Flight Settings > Rate Cards.
Step 2: Create or edit a rate card
Each rate card is associated with an aircraft or aircraft type and contains default rates for fuel, landing fees, handling fees, crew per diem, overnight/hangar, customs, catering per passenger, insurance surcharge, and charter hourly rate. Fill in or update the rates on the form.
Step 3: Set airport-specific overrides
Within the rate card, click Airport Overrides to set rates for
specific airports. For example:
KTEB: Landing fee 450,Handling850 (Signature Flight Support)
KPBI: Landing fee 200,Handling400
TNCM: Customs fee $150
Airport-specific rates take precedence over the default rates when
the estimate engine encounters those airports in the route.
Step 4: Save the rate card
Click Save. The rate card is applied to all new estimates for
the associated aircraft.
Review and update rate cards quarterly. Fuel prices, FBO fees, and landing charges change
frequently. Accurate rate cards produce estimates that closely match actual costs, reducing the
gap between quoted and actual trip expenses.
Compare estimates across aircraft
When evaluating which aircraft to assign to a trip, use the
estimate comparison feature to see costs side by side.
Step 1: Open the estimate comparison
From the trip Estimate tab, click Compare Aircraft. A
comparison panel opens.
Step 2: Select candidate aircraft
Choose two or more aircraft from your fleet. The system generates
an estimate for each aircraft using the same route and passenger
count.
Step 3: Review the comparison table
The comparison displays each aircraft in a column with rows for
every cost component:
| Component | N123AB (Citation X) | N456CD (King Air 350) | N789EF (Gulfstream G280) |
|---|
| Fuel | $8,200 | $4,100 | $6,900 |
| Landing | $400 | $300 | $400 |
| Handling | $800 | $600 | $800 |
| Crew | $600 | $600 | $600 |
| Total | $12,450 | $7,800 | $11,100 |
The most economical option is highlighted with a green border.
Additional context (flight time, cabin size, range margin) is
shown below the cost table to support a holistic decision.
Step 4: Select an aircraft
Click Use This Estimate under the preferred aircraft column.
The estimate is applied to the trip and the aircraft assignment is
updated accordingly.
The comparison uses the same rate cards and airport-specific overrides configured for each
aircraft. Ensure rate cards are up to date for all candidate aircraft before running a comparison.
Share an estimate with owners or customers
Step 1: Click Share Estimate
From the Estimate tab, click the Share button in the toolbar.
PDF — Generates a professionally formatted PDF with your
organization’s branding, the trip route summary, detailed cost
breakdown, and the grand total. Suitable for emailing to an
aircraft owner or charter client.
Link — Creates a secure, read-only link to the estimate in
the PlaneConnection customer portal. The recipient does not need
a PlaneConnection account to view the estimate.
Step 3: Choose recipients
Enter the email addresses of the recipients. For owner-managed
aircraft, the owner’s contact information is pre-filled from the
owner profile. For charter clients, enter the client’s email.
Step 4: Add a message (optional)
Write a brief message to accompany the estimate. This appears in
the email body or at the top of the portal view.
Click Send. The estimate is delivered and a record of the share
event is logged on the trip timeline.
When sharing estimates with charter prospects, include a validity period in your message (e.g.,
“This estimate is valid for 7 days”). Fuel prices and vendor rates can change, and an expired
estimate may not reflect current costs.
Track estimate accuracy
After a trip is completed, the Estimate tab shows a comparison
between the estimated costs and the actual expenses logged:
| Component | Estimated | Actual | Variance |
|---|
| Fuel | $8,200 | $7,950 | -$250 |
| Handling | $800 | $850 | +$50 |
| Total | $12,450 | $12,100 | -$350 |
Estimate accuracy depends on the quality of your rate card data and the completeness of expense
logging after trips. Encourage crews and dispatchers to log all actual expenses promptly so the
variance analysis is meaningful.
Create a Trip
The trip creation wizard includes an initial estimate step.
Log Expenses
Record actual costs after the trip for variance tracking.
Handle Accounting
Reconcile estimates with invoices and owner statements.
Manage Catering
Catering order totals feed into the estimate automatically.
