When the passenger is a closed group — a company, an extended family, a team — the conversation moves. It stops being about the price of a seat and starts being about what it costs to move everybody together.
First thing that changes: the arithmetic
We show a "from" price per route; the final fare depends on the date, the group and the baggage, and is confirmed in writing before booking.
The aircraft costs the same with four passengers as with eight. For a closed group that means the per-person cost falls until it fills, and the incentive is to fit the group to the category rather than the other way round.
With twelve people there are two routes: one Caravan or two smaller aircraft. The first usually works out better and gets the group there together, which in a corporate context is not a detail. The specific aircraft is assigned on confirmation, based on passenger count, baggage and the destination field.
Second: time stops being abstract
On a leisure trip, two hours of check-in per person is an annoyance. On a corporate trip it is billable hours multiplied by the number of attendees.
That calculation changes the comparison more than any discount. A team of eight saving half a collective working day has a concrete figure to put on the other side of the scale.
And it is a figure the company already knows, because it uses it for other decisions. Nobody needs convincing about what an hour of their people is worth.
Third: the schedule governs
This is the case where the timing is literally the product. A meeting that starts at an hour. A connecting intercontinental. An event with a start time.
San José to Tamarindo is 97.1 nautical miles; to La Fortuna, 36.1. In both cases what is bought is not raw speed: it is leaving when it suits and returning the same day if the itinerary allows.
What gets forgotten in planning
The destination transfer for the whole group. With ten or twelve people that is a minibus or two vehicles, it is not in the fare, and at that size availability is not always immediate. Ground transfer is not included in the fare: your accommodation or a local operator arranges it.
And the formalities if the itinerary crosses a border. They vary by country, need lead time, and affect every passenger in the group. Departure and entry formalities vary by country and need lead time; we coordinate them with every passenger’s details.
What we need to quote properly
Four things, and with them the figure comes out firm:
- How many, with adults and children counted separately.
- What baggage, in pieces and dimensions.
- Whether you return the same day or the aircraft waits.
- And whether the itinerary crosses a border.
The third changes the price most and is the one least often mentioned unprompted. An aircraft waiting four hours at destination is occupied for four hours; one that leaves and comes back can chain other work in between.
When we will say it is not needed
If your group leaves San José for a destination with good scheduled service on normal dates, the scheduled flight may solve it and cost less. We will say so.
What scheduled service does not solve is a group that has to arrive together, at a specific hour, somewhere with one frequency a day.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the per-person cost fall in a group?
Because the whole aircraft is quoted. It costs the same with four passengers as with eight.
Twelve people in one aircraft or two?
Usually one Caravan. It works out better and the group arrives together, which counts in a corporate context.
How is time valued?
In a corporate context it is billable hours by number of attendees, not an individual annoyance.
What gets forgotten in planning?
The destination transfer for the whole group, and the formalities if the itinerary crosses a border.
Which detail changes the price most?
Whether you return the same day or the aircraft waits. It is also the one least often mentioned.
Will you tell me if it is not needed?
Yes. With good scheduled service on normal dates, it may solve it and cost less.
Enquire
The specific aircraft is assigned on confirmation, based on passenger count, baggage and the destination field.
See also: The per-seat math · Which aircraft for a group of eight to twelve · Multi-stop circuit · All destinations · Flying with pets · Bachelor and bachelorette trips · Property viewing tours by air · Semana Santa and peak weeks · Marina and yacht transfers · Team and athlete travel · Incentive and event groups · Film and production crews