The question that reaches us is "is this better for me than building my own site?". And it is framed wrongly, because the two channels do not compete: they solve different moments of the same problem.
What your own site solves
The client who already knows you. Someone who searched for you by name, who was recommended by another passenger, who comes back. There your site is unbeatable: no commission, no intermediary and your own brand.
And the recurring corporate client. A company flying with you every month does not want to go through a third party, and neither do you. That client is worth more than their billing: they are the one who carries the low season.
If your site does not exist or does not let people enquire, you are losing that traffic. That needs solving regardless of anything else.
And it is cheaper than it looks: a page explaining which aircraft you operate, which fields you go into and how to request a quote covers most of that use. You do not need a booking engine to serve someone who has already decided to call you.
What a marketplace solves
The client who does not know you exist. Someone typing "private flight to Drake Bay" — 83.5 nautical miles from San José — is not searching for your name. They are trying to solve a transfer.
That client will reach whoever appears, and appearing for that search is continuous work with nothing to do with flying. It is also work that does not scale with your fleet: positioning a route costs the same whether you have one aircraft or six.
Why your own site takes time to pay off
Not because it is hard to build. Because positioning is slow and does not half-delegate.
A query like "how to get to Tortuguero" — 53.4 nautical miles — is answered by dozens of pages. Getting in there takes content, upkeep and months, and the result is not visible in the first quarter.
Meanwhile your aircraft still carries fixed costs. That gap is the real argument for a marketplace, not the commission.
The comparison that does make sense
It is not "commission versus no commission". It is cost per booking won, counting what each channel truly costs.
Your own site has no commission but it does have cost: content, upkeep and, above all, somebody's time. If that somebody is you, the cost is your hour, the most expensive in the company and the one that least appears in the accounts.
The operator is paid the full flight at their usual rate: our intermediation is not deducted from what they charge.
What we recommend, and it is not what suits us
Build your site and work it. Over three years it is the most profitable channel you will have, and we are not a substitute for having one.
And use the marketplace for what your site cannot reach: the new client, the route you do not position, the calendar gap that appears with two days' notice. A San José–Tamarindo of 97.1 nautical miles can come from either.
An operator who depends on a single channel is exposed, and it does not matter which channel. Ourselves included.
Frequently asked questions
Marketplace or my own site?
Both. They solve different moments: your site the client who knows you, the marketplace the one who does not.
Why does my own site take time?
Because positioning is slow. The result is not visible in the first quarter and your fixed costs keep running.
What should I compare?
Cost per booking won, not commission against no commission. Your site costs too.
Do I need a booking engine?
Not to start. A page with your aircraft, your fields and how to request a quote covers most of it.
What do you recommend?
Build your site and work it. Over three years it is your most profitable channel, and we are not a substitute.
Can I depend only on you?
It is not advisable. Depending on one channel exposes you, and that includes us.
Let us talk
Operators we bring on evidence current certification, insurance and fleet documentation before receiving a first assignment.