A regional operator with an empty Tuesday says yes to almost anything, and that instinct is right most of the time. These are the situations where it is not.
1. When it risks a confirmed job
The clearest case and the most often ignored. A job that could run late and compromise tomorrow morning is a bad trade at any rate.
Cancelled confirmed work costs the counterparty's confidence, and in this market the counterparty usually sends repeat business.
2. When the aircraft only just fits
«Only just» on a runway, a load or a weather window is not a margin, it is an absence of one. The specific aircraft is assigned on confirmation, based on passenger count, baggage and the destination field.
Drake Bay at 83.5 nautical miles takes generous categories comfortably. A field that takes yours marginally, on a good day, with light fuel, is a field you decline.
3. When the passenger is pushing on a procedure
Pressure to skip the weights, to add a passenger at the apron, to carry something undescribed. Whatever the reason offered, the answer is the same, and an operator who bends once has told that passenger something about the next booking.
4. When the waiting is undefined
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. «We will probably be back by four» is not a booking, it is an option on your day that somebody else is holding for free.
Either it is quoted as a day or it has a hard return time. There is no third version that ends well.
5. When the leg is too short to pay
Liberia to Tamarindo is 23.2 nautical miles. The flying is minutes and the ground handling is not. 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.
These are worth doing as part of a chain and rarely worth doing alone.
6. When the client is buying on price alone
A client who has called four operators and is comparing numbers will do the same next time, and will leave for anyone cheaper. You are not building anything.
Take it if the day was empty. Do not restructure your pricing to keep it.
Why the habit matters more than any single decision
An operator who accepts everything has no capacity to accept the right thing. The San José–Tamarindo of 97.1 nautical miles that arrives on Thursday for a good client cannot be flown if Thursday is already full of work you took because it was there.
Declining is not lost revenue. It is retained capacity, and it only looks expensive because the cost of the alternative arrives later. Operators we bring on evidence current certification, insurance and fleet documentation before receiving a first assignment.
How to decline well
Fast, brief, and with the reason. «Aircraft committed» and «does not fit that field» lead to different next requests, and the counterparty who knows which stops sending you the wrong ones.
What not to do is decline by going slow. An operator who lets an awkward request expire has declined it anyway and paid the reputational cost of appearing unreliable rather than selective.
Frequently asked questions
When is declining clearly right?
When the job risks a confirmed one. Cancelled confirmed work costs the counterparty's confidence.
What about a field the aircraft just fits?
"Only just" is not a margin, it is the absence of one. Decline it.
What if the passenger pushes on a procedure?
The answer is the same whatever the reason offered. Bending once tells that passenger something about the next booking.
What if the return time is vague?
Either quote it as a day or set a hard return. There is no third version that ends well.
Should I take price-only clients?
If the day was empty, yes. Do not restructure your pricing to keep them.
What is the worst way to decline?
Slowly. Letting an awkward request expire declines it anyway and costs you the appearance of being unreliable rather than selective.
Is declining lost revenue?
No. It is retained capacity. It only looks expensive because the alternative's cost arrives later.
Let us talk
The specific aircraft is assigned on confirmation, based on passenger count, baggage and the destination field.