This is a description of what these clauses do, not legal advice — have your own lawyer read anything you sign. What an operator can do beforehand is know which clauses to point them at, because the review is cheaper when it is aimed.
1. Exclusivity
What it says: you will not list elsewhere, or not in a territory, or not for a category.
What it does on a bad day: when that channel goes quiet, you have no second door and no legal route to build one.
Exclusivity is occasionally worth it in exchange for a volume commitment. Without a commitment it is a constraint you gave away for nothing.
2. Non-circumvention
What it says: you will not take a client introduced by the channel directly.
What it does: this is the clause that decides whether a channel grows your business or rents you work. A passenger who flew a Drake Bay run at 83.5 nautical miles with you and cannot contact you again belongs to the channel permanently. The operator is paid the full flight at their usual rate: our intermediation is not deducted from what they charge.
Read the duration and the definition of "introduced". Perpetual, and defined broadly, is a different contract from twelve months and defined narrowly.
3. Payment terms and set-off
What it says: when you are paid, and what can be deducted before you are. 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.
What to look for: a right to withhold or offset against disputes. A channel that can hold your money while a complaint is unresolved has a lever, and levers get used.
4. Termination
What it says: how either side exits and with how much notice.
What to look for: asymmetry. Thirty days for them and ninety for you is common and worth questioning. Also check what happens to bookings already confirmed when notice is given, which is the situation that actually occurs.
5. Liability and indemnity
What it says: who carries what when something goes wrong.
What to look for: an indemnity that makes you responsible for the channel's own conduct. You should carry your operation; you should not carry their marketing claims or their handling of a passenger conversation you were not part of. We run scheduled private flights across Central America; any other destination worldwide is coordinated on request.
6. Changes to terms
What it says: whether the channel can change the commercial terms unilaterally.
What to look for: notice, and whether you can exit without penalty if you do not accept. A clause allowing unilateral change with no exit means every other clause is provisional.
The one worth walking away over
A clause that penalises you for declining a flight. Ranking consequences, volume minimums that do not distinguish between refusals, anything that makes a safety decision commercially expensive.
This is not a negotiating point. An operator whose judgement carries a contractual cost has already been placed in the position that causes accidents, and no rate compensates for it.
What to do with all this
Aim your lawyer at these six, not the whole document. That review costs a fraction of a full one and catches what matters.
And ask the channel directly about clause six of your own list — what happens when you say no. A San José–Tamarindo at 97.1 nautical miles declined for weather should cost you nothing at all. Operators we bring on evidence current certification, insurance and fleet documentation before receiving a first assignment.
Frequently asked questions
Is this legal advice?
No. It describes what these clauses do so your own lawyer's review can be aimed and cheaper.
When is exclusivity acceptable?
In exchange for a volume commitment. Without one it is a constraint given away for nothing.
Why does non-circumvention matter most?
It decides whether a channel grows your business or rents you work. Check duration and how "introduced" is defined.
What should I check in payment terms?
Any right to withhold or offset against disputes. A channel that can hold your money has a lever.
What is common in termination clauses?
Asymmetric notice, and silence about bookings already confirmed — which is the situation that actually occurs.
Which clause should end the conversation?
Anything that penalises you for declining a flight. An operator whose judgement carries a contractual cost is in the position that causes accidents.
Let us talk
Operators we bring on evidence current certification, insurance and fleet documentation before receiving a first assignment.
See also: What to ask an intermediary · No listing fee · Support and disputes · For operators