The new year initiates a barren stretch of winter when to escape the monotonous gloom, our heads float to the clouds � or above them � soaring away in a jet to a beach somewhere warm. In luxury.

For the bona fide jet-setters, charter flight companies such as Boston-based Magellan Jets have made the plane-procuring process as easy as pie � in the sky. Still, there’s confusion among those looking to book a holiday in the sun and sand. The steel drums of the Caribbean may be calling, but vacationers remain reticent to commit.