Charter flights are not computerized, so agents must check them out through brochures and book them over the phone. Since agents must work harder to make less money booking a charter, they tend to be relatively uninformed and negative about them. If you decide to fly a charter, your best bet is to track it down yourself and have an agent write the ticket. This is more than merely convenient. In some cases of failures by charter carriers or tour operators, tickets purchased through accredited agencies have received priority refunds.
Charters advertise widely during the months preceding flights.
Check out local newspapers and the Sunday travel section of the paper in your most convenient gateway city-the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and others. Charters flights are not the best mode of cheap travel. They must be arranged far in advance and their itineraries are relatively inflexible. And while the risk of a failure that leaves you stranded is slight, so too may be the price differential between the charter and the best advance-purchase excursion fares.