Above Reality Inc. Hot Air Balloons
Cancellation Policy Effective as of 24 February 2022
We are a boutique aviation business affected by dramatically by weather, limited availability, and a short season. We must be strict about our cancellation policy for us to be able to function safely and successfully with these factors. We are up-front and clear about our cancellation policy.
Our cancellation policy is seven (7) days prior to the reservation time and date of your scheduled flight. Cancellations to your reservation may be made up to 7 days prior to your flight time without penalty. Once inside of the cancellation window of 7 days prior to the flight time of your reservation, charges will be incurred if you would like to cancel your flight. The amount of these charges will be a percentage of the total cost of your flight (ranging from 25%-100%) and those amounts and times are shown below.
If you have any questions about our policy, please feel free to ask us before booking a flight or before 7 days prior to your scheduled flight. Once you have made a flight booking with us, secured by your credit card, we guarantee those spaces in the balloon for your party. We are unable to absorb the costs associated with passengers who cancel inside of our cancellation policy. We are unable to fill these spaces at the last minute.
Any cancellations to your flight booking(s) must be made seven (7) days prior to your scheduled flight date to stay within the policy and avoid charges. Any cancellations inside of that 7 day period will incur charges to your card on file or the value of any gift vouchers used on the reservation in the following structure:
-100% charge for all cancellations made less than 24 hours prior to your scheduled flight time
-75% charge for all cancellations made between 24-48 hours prior to your scheduled flight time
-50% charge for all cancellations made between 48-72 hours prior to your scheduled flight time
-25% charge for all cancellations made between 3 to 7 days prior to your scheduled flight time.
If you wish to cancel a flight booking, simply send us an email. Please include your order confirmation number, or both your last name and date of flight. Send all cancellation notifications to abovereality@gmail.com and this email will serve as the time stamp of your cancellation. We will reply back and confirm we have cancelled your booking. If you notify us more than 7 days prior to your flight time, then there will be no charges. If you notify us less than 7 days prior to your flight date then charges will be applied as outlined above. ALL CANCELLATIONS NOTIFICATIONS MUST BE MADE VIA EMAIL.
Some examples of cancellations include but are not limited to instances where passengers: arrive late or after their scheduled flight time, arrive on the wrong day or a day when they do not have a flight scheduled, arrive at a meeting location other than what’s listed in the confirmation email, no-show completely, notify us inside of the cancellation window that they will not be present, notify us inside of the cancellation window that they will be late, do not arrive on time, do not arrive at all, miss their flight for ANY reason which INCLUDES road traffic and/or airline delays and cancellations, and/or are otherwise not present at flight time for ANY reason. If you are trying to plan a balloon flight for the same day that your airline flight arrives in Vermont, please text/email us to get some procedural tips that will prevent you from missing your flight.
Other situations that will be treated as cancellations are when passengers are denied boarding by the pilot and/or crew due to safety reasons. Passengers will be denied boarding if they show up without the required safety attire and/or footwear, have provided a weight for their party that is less than their actual weight, have injuries which they did not disclose which create a safety risk, have medical conditions which they did not disclose during booking which create a safety risk, have not fully recovered from a recent surgery and are physically compromised, have not disclosed a legal disability so that we can make reasonable accommodations when possible in a timely manner to safely accommodate them, are pregnant, are under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, do not meet the minimum age of 8-years old by the date of the scheduled flight, and/or refuse to comply with policies and instructions of pilot, crew members, and/or staff.
This policy addresses cancellations made by or created by passengers and/or customers. If we, Above Reality Inc., cancel flight operations due to weather, mechanical issue, or any other operational or safety reason(s) unrelated to the passengers, then you are NOT accountable for any charges. If you are visiting and wish to reschedule a flight cancelled for weather, we will rebook you at the earliest slot we have space available that also fits your itinerary. If you’re unable to reschedule during your stay after your original flight was cancelled – you will not be charged. Simply put, as long as you show up for the original flight you have scheduled and any subsequent flights times that you rebook or reschedule to, you won’t be charged if we cancel a flight for weather or mechanical issues.