Operators arrive assuming a listing means accepting whatever comes. It does not, and the assumption costs them more than any commission does — because an operator who believes they must take everything stops answering rather than starts filtering.
What you can restrict
Dates. Maintenance, personal time, the week you always fly a private contract. Block them and nothing for those days reaches you.
Fields. If your aircraft does not belong on a strip, say so once rather than declining each time. The specific aircraft is assigned on confirmation, based on passenger count, baggage and the destination field.
Group sizes. A single-engine operator who states a four-passenger ceiling stops receiving group enquiries entirely.
Leg length. A Quepos hop at 33.4 nautical miles carries the same coordination as a longer job against a smaller contribution, and an operator who does not want them can say so.
And notice period. If you cannot take same-day work, that is a setting rather than a series of awkward refusals.
Why a filter beats a refusal
A refusal costs you a reply and costs the passenger time. A filter costs neither, and it improves what reaches you next.
It also protects the relationship. An intermediary receiving three declines in a row learns something about your reliability; one holding a filter you set learns something about your aircraft. Those are different conclusions and they lead to different work.
The two blocks that quietly cost you
Blocking too far ahead. A calendar blocked six months out for maintenance that has not been scheduled yet removes you from the planning window when lodges and agencies are building itineraries.
Block the fortnight you know. Extend it when the shop confirms.
The same applies to personal time. A week blocked in January because you might want it is a week nobody offered you work for — and the offer is what tells you whether taking the week was expensive, which is information you gave up by blocking early.
And blocking the shoulder rather than the peak. Operators often protect high season and leave the weeks either side open, which is backwards: the shoulder weeks are where a single well-placed job is worth more, because there is less competing for the aircraft.
What a channel should not do with your settings
Override them for a good booking. If a Drake Bay job at 83.5 nautical miles arrives for a date you blocked, the answer is that you are unavailable, not a phone call asking whether you would make an exception.
And penalise you for them. There is nothing to fall in and no ranking to protect. Operators we bring on evidence current certification, insurance and fleet documentation before receiving a first assignment.
Ask any channel this directly. An intermediary who treats your blocks as a starting position for negotiation has told you what the relationship will be like on a difficult day.
The setting most operators forget
Waiting. 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. Whether the aircraft holds is the largest single variation in what a job is worth to you, and an operator who has not stated their rule receives requests that assume the cheaper version. 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.
State it once, alongside the rest, and it stops being a conversation on every quote.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to accept everything to stay listed?
No. That assumption costs operators more than any commission, because they stop answering rather than start filtering.
What can I restrict?
Dates, fields, group sizes, leg length and notice period.
Why is a filter better than a refusal?
It costs nobody time and improves what reaches you next. Three declines teach an intermediary something different from a stated filter.
What blocks cost me quietly?
Blocking too far ahead, which removes you from the planning window, and protecting the peak while leaving the shoulder open.
Can a channel override my blocks?
It should not. An intermediary who treats them as a negotiating position has told you what a difficult day will look like.
Which setting is most often forgotten?
Waiting. It is the largest variation in what a job is worth, and an unstated rule attracts requests assuming the cheaper version.
Let us talk
Operators we bring on evidence current certification, insurance and fleet documentation before receiving a first assignment.