Charge a package price when the booking is created
Staff invoice a fixed package amount when a reservation is created. The guest can pay any time. Instructors see Collect payment until it is paid. Close-out records Hobbs and does not bill the hop twice.
For owners, admins, dispatchers and instructors
On a new booking, staff can choose Charge a package price when booked instead of billing Hobbs after the flight. AerScheduler emails a Stripe invoice for that fixed amount as soon as the reservation is created. The guest can pay any time, including the day of. Instructors see Collect payment until it is paid. Public discovery offerings use the same style: set it on the offering, and approval copies it onto the booking.
This is a collection style on the reservation, not a separate checkout only for
/book. A discovery page, a walk-up guest on the calendar, and a dual you book at the
desk all use the same two choices.
The two styles#
| Style | When money is collected | What close-out does |
|---|---|---|
| Bill after the flight (default) | After ramp-in and sign-off, from Hobbs and instruction | Raises the usual flight invoice or ledger charge |
| Charge a package price when booked | When the reservation is created | Still records Hobbs and tach. Does not mint a second flight invoice while the package bill stands |
It is a package price in dollars, not a percentage deposit, and not an authorization hold.
From the calendar#
Open a new booking on WebCalendar (staff only, not self-book, not maintenance). Under How this booking is billed, pick Charge a package price when booked and enter the amount. Save. Stripe emails the invoice through the same path as Create a manual invoice.
Connect Stripe first for guests and for invoice-mode members. Ledger-mode members are debited on their account instead. See Turn on invoicing and card payments and How billing works.
Repeating series cannot use this style: each occurrence would otherwise raise its own package bill. Maintenance cannot either.
From a public offering#
WebSettings → Booking offerings, on the offering. Under How this offering is billed, pick the same package style and amount. When the desk approves a guest request, the reservation is created with that style. The guest is emailed the Stripe invoice with the approval mail.
The public page can show the package price. Paying it is still Stripe hosted checkout,
not a card form on /book. Confirming the request email is not proof of payment.
After the flight#
The guest does not have to pay before they fly. Instructors must still be able to tell unpaid from paid.
Confirm the booking
On the calendar, Save a walk-up guest with the package style, or approve a public request whose offering uses it. Stripe emails the invoice with the confirmation. Confirming the request email is not proof of payment.
Fly
Ramp out and ramp in as usual so the meters move. An unpaid package does not block dispatch. The booking shows Collect payment until the invoice is paid.
Close out
On a guest booking, click Close out (collect package) (or Close out, if they already paid). Enter nothing extra for Hobbs billing: close-out records the flight and does not mint a second invoice while the package bill stands, paid or unpaid.
Collect or verify payment
If the banner still says Collect payment, open the pay link and send it, or wait for the guest to pay. Once Stripe marks the invoice paid, the booking shows Package paid. Ledger-mode members are already charged to their account at book, so there is nothing to collect from them.
The package invoice is tied to the booking for reports. It is kept off the ordinary flight-invoice list so dispatch still treats the booking as needing ramp-out.
If the package invoice never raised (Stripe not connected, or the charge was refused), the reservation is cancelled so you do not hold a tail with no bill.
Related#
The close-out path when you bill after the hop instead.
Share a discovery page. Approval uses this collection style when the offering is set to charge when booked.
Invoice vs ledger, and what close-out prices when you bill after the flight.
Common questions
- Is this a deposit?
- No. It is the package price in dollars, invoiced through Stripe when the reservation is created. Close-out still records Hobbs and does not bill the flight a second time while that invoice stands.
- Does this only apply to the public /book page?
- No. It is a collection style on the reservation. The calendar booking form has the same control. An offering can default to it so public approvals copy those fields onto the booking.
- Can I use this with Account ledger members?
- Yes for members. Ledger-mode members are debited on their account when the reservation is created. Guests always get a Stripe invoice, even at a ledger school.
- Can the guest fly before they pay?
- Yes. The invoice is sent when you confirm the booking. They can pay any time, including the day of. Instructors see Collect payment on the booking until the invoice is paid. Close-out records Hobbs and does not bill the hop a second time.
Related
- Bill a discovery or guest flightA guest has no account and no PIN, so a guest booking closes out in one step and Stripe emails them the invoice directly.
- Let guests request a discovery flight without an accountTurn on public booking links, share a page for an offering, and approve guest requests from the same Booking requests queue. Guests confirm by email first. Members keep booking as they do today.
- How billing works in AerSchedulerInvoice each booking or Account ledger: the path from booking to bill, what you set up first, where money shows up, and ledger-only tools like auto-refill and late fees.
Still stuck on this?
Email support@aerscheduler.com and tell us what you were trying to do. We answer.