Flypooler works co-operation with national authorities and EASA.
Flight sharing is fully legal
Flight sharing is fully legal in the European Union according to the European Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 and it has been confirmed by the EASA. Private pilots are allowed to share their flights and costs with passengers in non-complex aircrafts carrying no more than 6 persons including the pilot. They are also allowed to advertise their flights. Furthermore pilots are only allowed to share the direct costs of the flight. Making any profit is illegal.
Flypooler’s rules
Pilot
The pilot in Command in Airplane is the only one who has the authority to make decisions concerning the flight safety, aircraft and flight. Other people on board should never make the pilot feel pressured to conduct the flight in risky situations or weather. Pilot in Command (PIC) is the only one aboard who knows how to safely pilot the aircraft and have approved licenses for that. All passenger are informed about the possibility of the cancellation of the flight at any time for any reasons.
Too bad weather is primary reason for accidents in non-commercial General Aviation flights. Weather can change fairly quickly, as a result the pilot may cancel the flight. The day before the flight, the pilot should inform the passenger of the weather forecast affecting the actual flight and it’s possibilities to succeed. The presence of the passenger on the day of the flight and their expectations shall not make pressure to pilot to avoid flight cancellation.
Pilot in Command (PIC) can refuse to carry a passenger at any time, for any reason (operational or safety) and without any justification.
Before the flight, the Pilot in Command (PIC) shall always inform the type of aircraft used for the cost-shared flight. If the aircraft type and model changes, the pilot in command must inform the passenger of such a change before the flight.
EU regulations only permit cost-shared flights by private individuals, if the direct cost (i.e. cost directly incurred in relation to the flight, e.g. fuel, airfield charges, rental fee for an aircraft) are shared between all parties, including the pilot. Cost-shared flights shall not make profit. If a flight is not a cost-shared flight in accordance with EU regulations, the flight will be qualified as a commercial flight and commercial air operation rules will apply. Then company have to have AOC (air operator certificate), airplane have to be AOC approved and pilot have to be commercial pilot with commercial pilot certificate (CPL).
The Pilot in Command shall do cost-shared flight under regulation for non-commercial flights with light aircraft by private pilots. Pilot is also responsibility about insurances in cost-shared flight.
Pilot in Command (PIC) shall inform the passengers that there are no toilets available on board. Pilot shall instruct passengers to go toilet before the flight.
Passenger
Flypooler is uber of the sky it matches private pilots with passengers who wish to do a flight and share the costs of the flight. Pilots get cheaper flight hours when they share the cost of flying and passengers get opportunity to experience a flight in a private general aviation aircraft and see stunning landscapes from bird perspective.
Yes. According to the European regulation (see art. 6 paragraph 4a regulation (EU) no. 965/ 2012) pilots are allowed to share flights as long as the aircraft does not exceed 6 seats and has a non-complex power unit. Pilots are only allowed to share the direct costs of the flight, they cannot make any profit. FlyPooler’s policy is that the pilot pays the something about the flight. We have got written confirmation from the EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency), stating that flight sharing and the advertising of flights are completely legal, as long as the pilots do not generate profit from the flights. Because all the flights in FlyPooler are private flights, the pilot does not need a commercial pilot’s licence to share their costs with passengers.
Flypooler pilots shall not make any profit on their flights. They only share the direct flight costs of the flight with you as a passenger. You only pay your share of the flight. The total flight cost of the flight includes aviation fuel, airport landing and other fees and price of aircraft rental. When passenger searches flights via Flypooler you will see given a price estimate based on the route and the aircraft type.
The price may change depending on the flight time, any waiting due other flight traffic, weather situations (pilot has to alternate route for thunderstorm, icy weather etc) and the number of people sharing the flight and is also dependent on the type of aircraft and the destination. The price what passenger pays is your share of the flight costs. For example, a day trip from Helsinki to Tallinn in a Cessna C172 will cost around 150 for the trip both sides. So 75 euros per one side. And flight time is 20-30 minutes.
Flypooler portal you find mostly small general aviation single-engine piston airplanes that carry from two to six passengers (including the pilot). You will also a wide range of float planes and rotary wing aircraft. Aircraft manufacturer and exact model is listed on the detailed description page of the each flight. Piper and Cessna are most used general aviation aircraft and robinson in helicopters. Also you can use google picture search to check more information about Flypooler’s aircraft by typing the name and model in the search field.
Flypooler app lets you search the flights by departure place, by entering the location you would like to start your flight or destination airport or city. In Flypooler app you can also see all current flights offered on our flight map. And you can choose flight you like.
Flypooler offers flights of sightseeing, round fly trips or one-way adventures. Please remember that if your destination isn’t already listed you have also the possibility to make a flight request to pilots in the certain area. Pilots will answer you back if they are interested to fly with you.
Pilots fly often spontaneously and also flying weather is difficult to predict weeks before the flight (mostly 3 days before the flight in Scandinavia), this is the reason why we in Flypooler wanted to solution also for this problem. Instead of using fixed day timelines, pilots can simply say that they are, for example, flying every weekend or every monday. Then you as a passenger are able to get in touch with pilot and make deal about the flight.
When you find from Flypooler app a flight that meets your requirements, you can submit a passenger flight request via Flypooler. Pilots answer usually in few hours.
Flypooler makes your life easier: sign in flypooler app, search for a flight in your area, connect with pilot and pay your share of the flight costs. On the day of your flight, meet pilot at the meeting point and soon you are in the flight. When you use Flypooler sky is no more limit to you.
Once you get at your destination, there is lots of different things to do! You can rent a car, bike or just take the bus to the city center. You can always ask pilot to give you tips of the city or ask from the airport personnel or from local taxi drivers.
Flypooler shows to you flight booking details page with all the necessary information about the airport, meeting point and time. The total flight cost will be withdrawn from your credit/debit card and Flypooler will keep the money until the flight happens. In the case of flight cancellation Flypooler will refund you the full price paid.
Airplane weight restrictions will vary by aircraft type and number of passengers; specific weight and luggage limits for all flights are set by the pilots according aircraft flight manual specifications. As a passenger, pilot will ask you to provide your exact weight. Weight limits are extremely important and safety issue on general aviation aircraft; therefore Flypooler reguires you submit accurate information and respect any luggage restrictions. Pilots may refuse to carry any passengers who submit inaccurate information or cancel the flight. And if you don’t know exact weight of you or your baggage, scale those to get specific and exact numbers. Pilot makes weight calculations about your numbers so all paper work is wrong if you have given wrong information. And it is illegal to fly overweight and you get problems to pilots.
Flypoolers offer credit/debit cards (VISA, MasterCard, Diners), PayPal payment options.
When booking a flight in Flypooler you will need to select the payment method for the flight booking. Flypooler then takes pre-authorisation for the amount on your card. If pilot approves the booking, the money will be withdrawn, and if the flight booking is refused, the authorisation is removed. In the case of flight cancellations in Flypooler, the money will be automatically refunded. Paypal refunds are immediate, card payments may take up to 72 hours.
If the Flypooler pilot cancels your flight due to bad weather or any other circumstances, you will be notified immediately via email or SMS. If the payment has already done, we will issue an automatic refund. Paypal refunds are immediate but card payments may take up to 72 hours.
No. Flypooler is not a commercial airline or a charter service, meaning flights may be cancelled for any reason including weather conditions, technical reason or at the pilot’s discretion. As there are no scheduled routes in Flypooler, you are simply sharing the ride with a pilot. Flypooler cannot guarantee the flight will go ahead. However, in the case of cancellation Flypooler will issue an automatic refund.
No. Aviation regulations deny a pilot to accept compensation from passengers. Flypooler helps you and pilot split the costs of the flight, but you cannot compensate the pilot any further. If you pay more so it is illegal and pilot is getting charges of illegal commercial flight transport and loses he’s licenses or gets sanctions of aviation authorities.
In really unlikely event that the pilot is not there 30 minutes after the meeting time without any warning of their absence or cancellation of the flight, you can send us a complaint so that you get a full refund of your money. Please keep your own phone on and check that there is enough battery that you can reach pilot. Or pilot can reach you. Within 3 hours of the planned flight time you will receive an email from Flypooler asking you to confirm if the flight happened or not. To solve this problem click the ‘No’ button, fill out the complaint form, send it back to us in Flypooler and we will come back to you asap.
Discovery flights are sightseeing flight experiences where you can fly over lovely city or ocean and take photos and videos. You can take your own garmin virb, gopro etc or other cameras and get good some content to social media.
Pets are not allowed on Flypoolers flights. Because some people can allergic to animals and in air it is safety risk that if animals get frightened and start barking or jumping over the aircraft.
Flypooler is not a commercial transport company and should be used for leisure travel purposes. If you have an urgent meeting with really exact timeline, trains, cars are more reliable and in time.
Normally the pilot will give you a clear meeting point in airfield and other booking/flight details. Keep in touch with the pilot closer to the departure date so you can keep up to date with any changes that may need to be made. And always save pilots number to your phone and give your number to pilot and keep your phone on and keep battery charged that you can call each other to make things happen.
Flying with general aviation aircraft is stunning experience, so why not take your camera/videocamera with you and get cool some content? Always ask from pilot that is it ok to take photos or videos of him/her or just from outside of airplane/helicopter. You can also send your stunning photos or videos to Flypoolers FB, Instagram or Snapchat or link via youtube.
You can ask from pilot options to get to airport or off from there. Sometimes pilot can pick you up, depends always about the pilot. Also there is busses, train and taxi options what you can think. Please remember that pilot is responsible of your flight but you are as a passenger responsible to get yourself at time on airport and off from airport.
If you can’t find the flight of your dreams in Flypooler you can create a ‘Flight Request’. Flypoolers flight request allows you to put times you want to fly, place you want to fly and where you want to start the flight. In order to reach a large amount of possible pilots, the flight request is a simple way to get in touch, without sending thousands messages. So it helps all of us that contacts stay in coordinated way. And pilot don’t get lots of messages.
You can cancel your flight up to 48 hours prior to the date of the flight and you are guaranteed to receive a full refund from Flypooler. If you wish to cancel the flight after this period, you will have to contact your pilot as soon as possible in order ask for a cancellation. If the pilot is unable to cancel the flight during this period, please contact Flypooler customer service support at info@flypooler.com
If the pilot has informed you that the flight is cancelled, but has not cancelled the flight via Flypooler (you will receive an automatic SMS and email confirming a cancellation in 3 hours) you need to contact your pilot to cancel the flight. If you have not received this notification please contact support at info@flypooler.com. Important to read: After the flight’s execution date and time, you will receive an automatic email to confirm if your flight happened or not. Please ensure to click on the link and notify us in Flypooler about the flight not taking place within 48 hours of the flight date.