Every regional operator has a cancellation story that turned into an argument. In almost all of them, the rule existed only after the event. Writing four sentences in advance prevents most of it.
The four cases, and they are not the same
1. You cancel on operational grounds. Weather, serviceability, duty. The passenger did not receive a flight, and the money side follows whatever your conditions say. AeroRide invoices and charges directly from the site; you receive your receipt in the name of the person or company you give us on confirmation.
2. The passenger cancels in advance. Your conditions decide. This is the one most often left vague and most often disputed.
3. The passenger does not show. A reserved aircraft and a called-out crew are real cost, and that is not a negotiation on the day.
4. The flight departs and the destination closes. The least anticipated. You flew, fuel burned, and the passenger arrived nowhere. Who carries this needs to be written, because both readings are plausible after the fact.
Why weather is different here
Many of these fields are daylight and visual. Tortuguero at 53.4 nautical miles from San José and Drake Bay at 83.5 both have closure conditions that are ordinary rather than exceptional.
That means weather cancellation is a normal operating event, not a rare one, and treating it as force majeure in the contract while treating it as routine in practice creates the gap where disputes live.
The clauses worth having
A stated notice ladder. What is charged at seven days, at forty-eight hours, at twelve. Three numbers, written once.
Make the last step meaningful. A ladder whose final rung is ten per cent tells the passenger that cancelling the night before is nearly free, which is a scheduling policy you did not intend to write.
A rebooking rule. Whether a weather cancellation converts to a credit, a rebooking at the same rate, or a refund. Pick one and say it.
A group-size change rule. Eight passengers becoming four does not change the aircraft or the cost. 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.
And a waiting rule. We quote waiting time and aircraft overnights at the destination: tell us whether you return the same day or the aircraft waits, and we include it in the price. A San José–Tamarindo of 97.1 nautical miles where the aircraft holds the day is a different job from one where it returns empty.
What an intermediary should and should not do
Should: hold the conversation with the passenger when a cancellation happens, so it does not land on your dispatcher during an operational day.
Should not: pressure you to reconsider an operational decision. There is no version of that which ends well, and an intermediary who does it once will do it again.
The part operators get wrong
Applying the rules inconsistently. An operator who waives the fee for a sympathetic passenger and enforces it for an unsympathetic one has no rules, only moods — and the second passenger knows it.
Write them, apply them, and vary them deliberately rather than by feel. Operators we bring on evidence current certification, insurance and fleet documentation before receiving a first assignment.
Deliberate variation is fine and sometimes right: a lodge that sends you work every month is not the same counterparty as a one-off booking. What is not fine is deciding which they are while upset.
Frequently asked questions
How many cancellation cases are there?
Four: you cancel operationally, the passenger cancels, the passenger does not show, and the destination closes after departure.
Which is most often missed?
The fourth. You flew, fuel burned, and the passenger arrived nowhere. Both readings are plausible afterwards.
Why is weather different on these routes?
Many fields are daylight and visual, so closure is an ordinary operating event rather than a rare one.
What clauses do I need?
A notice ladder, a rebooking rule, a group-size rule, and a waiting rule.
What should an intermediary do?
Hold the conversation with the passenger. What it should not do is press you to reconsider an operational decision.
What should the last rung of the ladder be?
Meaningful. A final rung of ten per cent tells the passenger that cancelling the night before is nearly free.
What do operators get wrong?
Applying rules inconsistently. Waiving for a sympathetic passenger and enforcing for another means you have moods, not rules.
Let us talk
Operators we bring on evidence current certification, insurance and fleet documentation before receiving a first assignment.