Both arrange flights they do not operate. The differences that matter to you are four, and three of them are about where the work goes rather than what it costs.
1. Where the demand comes from
A traditional broker brings relationships. Corporate accounts, family offices, agencies that have called the same person for years. The demand is loyal and it is theirs.
A platform brings search. Someone typing «private flight to Drake Bay» — 83.5 nautical miles from San José — who did not know any operator existed.
Neither is better. They are different sources, and an operator working with only one is covering half the market.
2. How the price reaches the client
A traditional broker quotes a number they construct, often without the client seeing the components.
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.
For you the practical difference is expectation-setting. A client who saw an indicative figure before contacting anyone arrives with a range in mind; one who did not arrives with whatever they imagined. The second conversation is longer.
3. Who holds the client afterwards
This is the one worth reading carefully in any agreement you sign, with either model.
A broker whose value is the relationship will protect it, and that is rational. You may never learn who flew with you.
That is not necessarily bad for you. A broker who owns the relationship also defends it, which means they have a reason to keep sending the client to an operator who performed. The cost is dependence; the benefit is repeat volume you did not have to earn twice.
A platform's position depends on its terms, not on its model. Ask directly whether a passenger who flew with you can contact you next time. An answer that avoids the question is the answer.
4. How you get paid
The operator is paid the full flight at their usual rate: our intermediation is not deducted from what they charge.
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.
Traditional brokerage varies widely here — some pay promptly, some at ninety days, some hold against incidents. The model does not tell you; the contract does.
Where they are the same
Neither operates aircraft. Neither carries your operational responsibility. Neither can make a field admit an aircraft it does not admit.
And both cost you something. An operator who believes one of them is free has not counted the enquiry time.
Both are also replaceable. Neither owns a route, an airfield or a category, and the operator who treats either as permanent infrastructure has misjudged what they are.
Which suits which work
Corporate and repeat work sits naturally with a broker relationship, or better, with you directly.
One-off tourism work sits with search. A San José–Tamarindo of 97.1 nautical miles booked by a family that will visit once is not a relationship anyone is going to nurture.
And short-notice gaps sit with whoever can be reached fastest, which is usually the automated one, because a person has to be awake.
The comparison to run
Not commission against commission. Cost per booking won, by source, over a quarter — including your own time. Most operators discover the two sources produce different work at different costs, and that the answer is a mix. Operators we bring on evidence current certification, insurance and fleet documentation before receiving a first assignment.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference?
Where the demand comes from: a broker brings relationships, a platform brings search.
Is one better?
No. An operator working with only one covers half the market.
Who keeps the client?
With a broker, usually them. With a platform it depends on the terms, not the model. Ask directly.
Which pays better?
The model does not tell you; the contract does. Traditional brokerage varies widely on terms.
Is a broker owning the client bad for me?
Not necessarily. They also defend it, so they have a reason to keep sending the client to an operator who performed. The cost is dependence.
What is the same in both?
Neither operates aircraft, neither carries your operational responsibility, and both cost you something.
Which suits which work?
Broker relationships for corporate and repeat, search for one-off tourism, and whoever is fastest for short notice.
Let us talk
The operator is paid the full flight at their usual rate: our intermediation is not deducted from what they charge.