This page runs against our own commercial interest and we are writing it anyway, because an operator who chooses intermediaries well is an operator who lasts.
About the money
1. How many days after the flight do I get paid? If the answer is "it depends", ask for the worst case.
2. Who carries non-payment if the passenger does not pay? It is the most-dodged question and the one that decides the most money. 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.
3. Is payment withheld over incidents? And if so, who decides and on what criteria. A withholding with no maximum period is a forced loan under another name.
4. What is the commission and what base is it calculated on? On the total, on the net, with or without fees. The same figure means different things. The operator is paid the full flight at their usual rate: our intermediation is not deducted from what they charge.
About the operation
5. Who decides whether the flight goes? If the answer is not "you", stop there.
6. What happens if I cancel on operational grounds? There must be a clear answer before the first booking, not after the first cancellation. Ask too whether it affects the requests you get afterwards: if the answer is yes, they are charging you for deciding correctly.
7. Do you verify the other operators? If they do not, you will compete against someone who does not carry your costs. Operators we bring on evidence current certification, insurance and fleet documentation before receiving a first assignment.
About what reaches you
8. What data does a request carry? Origin, destination, date, passengers and baggage should arrive settled. A request saying "a flight to Osa" leaves you the work of finding out whether it is Drake Bay — 83.5 nautical miles from San José — or the other side of the peninsula.
9. How is it ordered when several operators can do it? By seniority, by commission, or passed to all. Each answer tells you something different: the first rewards tenure, the second rewards whoever charges least, and the third rewards nobody but is the only one that does not ask you to pay for appearing.
And a tenth almost nobody asks: can I speak to an operator who already works with you? The answer to that is worth more than the other nine together, because it is the only one the intermediary does not get to give.
The signal that matters most
It is no single answer. It is whether the intermediary answers all nine without discomfort.
Someone who bristles at being asked about payment terms will be difficult the day there is a problem. And in this business there is always a day with a problem.
Our answers, so you can compare
All nine are answered across these pages: operational control is yours, we verify not to be awkward but because it is the minimum diligence, we do not withhold payment as leverage, and we pass the request to whoever can do it without ordering by seniority or commission. We work with certificated operators and aircraft available in Central America; outside the region we coordinate on request.
A San José–Tamarindo of 97.1 nautical miles is quoted the same wherever it comes from. If any of our answers does not convince you, do not work with us either.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the most important question?
Who carries non-payment. It is the most dodged and the one that decides the most money.
Why does the commission base matter?
Because the same figure on the total or on the net means very different things.
Which answer rules an intermediary out?
Anything other than "you" to who decides whether the flight goes.
Why ask whether they verify other operators?
Because if they do not, you compete on price against someone who does not carry the cost of being certified.
What data should a request carry?
Origin, destination, date, passengers and baggage. "A flight to Osa" is not a request.
Is there a tenth question?
Yes: can I speak to an operator who already works with you? It is the only one the intermediary does not answer.
What signal beats the answers?
Answering all nine without discomfort.
Let us talk
Operators we bring on evidence current certification, insurance and fleet documentation before receiving a first assignment.