How political candidates charter jets to travel across battleground states during election cycles

Advanced Aviation Team, a Washington, DC-based charter firm founded in 2015 by former White House Travel Office director Gregg Brunson-Pitts, has received roughly $58,000 from Sen. Susan Collins' leadership PAC and $66,000 from Rep. Hakeem Jeffries' campaign committee for 2026 travel, according to Federal Election Commission filings. The nonpartisan firm arranges aircraft, crews, plane branding, security coordination, and rapidly changing itineraries for candidates and their staff, donors, and press as all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats, 36 governorships, and thousands of state legislative seats go before voters. Brunson-Pitts, who ran the White House Travel Office for eight years under President George W. Bush, said campaign travel has become a distinct aviation niche requiring protocols that blend chartered aircraft with armed security. He said clients are planning earlier and locking in travel support sooner because capacity disappears quickly once the calendar tightens. The FEC filings offer a rare window into the scale of spending on this niche service during a midterm cycle.