Let guests request a discovery flight without an account
Turn 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.
For owners, admins and dispatchers
Turn on public booking under Settings → Booking offerings, share the link for an active offering, and approve guest requests from Calendar → Booking requests. Guests confirm by email first. Members still book with Solo, Dual, Ground and the rest; offerings do not replace reservation types.
What guests get#
A public page at /book/{your-slug}/{offering-slug}. The guest picks an open time,
enters name and email, and submits a request. AerScheduler emails them a
confirmation link. After they confirm, the request appears in the same queue as
member approval requests.
This is not instant booking. The front desk still approves or declines it. Until you approve, nothing is on the board, and the slot is not held.
Turn it on#
WebSettings → Booking offerings- Create an offering if you do not have one (name, slug, reservation type such as Guest / discovery, eligible aircraft, and a fixed length if you want one).
- Flip Allow public requests. If you have not set a link slug yet, AerScheduler fills one from the school name.
- Copy the public link from the offering's menu (Copy public link). Only Active offerings get a link.
Calendar visibility for Guests (public booking) still decides how much of the schedule the guest sees when picking times. Open slots only is the usual choice.
Public booking lives on the web console only. There is nothing to configure in the mobile app.
What the guest does#
They open the link. Day view is the default: a month calendar plus start times for the day they pick (8:00 AM, not a range). On a computer they can switch to a week calendar or a week of start-time buttons. They can change 12-hour vs 24-hour and the time zone.
On a phone there is only day view: the month sits above the start times, with large tap targets, and the window scrolls as one page. After they pick a time, the name and email form appears. Copy on the page says the school must approve it. They then click Confirm this request in email.
To put the same page on your website, first add your site under Websites that may
embed (one host per line, like www.yourschool.com). www.yourschool.com and
yourschool.com are different websites: list both if both serve your pages. Then use
the offering menu:
Copy public link, Copy embed code (inline iframe), or Copy modal embed (a
button that opens the page over your site). Leave that list empty to keep the share
link only: other websites cannot put the page in a frame. AerScheduler can still open
it in its own tab, including with ?embed=1 to preview. Do not inject your own CSS or
scripts into the frame. The embed does not set AerScheduler analytics or advertising
cookies, and it does not show a cookie banner.
If they never confirm, the request never reaches the desk. Unconfirmed requests expire after 24 hours, or sooner if the requested time has already passed.
Approve or decline#
Same place as member requests: WebCalendar → Booking requests. Guest rows show the name they entered rather than a member account. Approve creates a reservation (usually a guest on the flight). Decline emails them and closes the request.
What can go wrong#
| What they see | What it means |
|---|---|
| This page is not available | Public requests are off, the offering is paused, or the slug in the URL is wrong. |
| No open times this week | Guest visibility hides occupied times, or org notice/horizon/buffers leave no window. Try another week, or loosen guest calendar visibility. |
| Check your email | The request is waiting on confirmation. It is not in the desk queue yet. |
| This page cannot be shown here | The page is in a frame on a site that is not listed under Websites that may embed. Add that exact host. www and the bare domain are not the same listing. |
The public demo sandbox cannot send guest requests. That is on purpose.
Related#
The same queue for students and renters who must request before they fly.
Notice, horizon, buffers, and the other calendar rules guest slots still follow.
Common questions
- Does this replace Solo, Dual, and the other booking types for members?
- No. Members still book the way they always have. Offerings and public links are for guests who do not have an account.
- Does submitting a request hold the aircraft?
- No. The time can be taken by another booking while you decide. If you approve too late, the same conflict checks as a normal booking still apply.
- When does the front desk see a guest request?
- After the guest confirms the email link. Unconfirmed requests stay off the pending queue and expire after 24 hours.
- Can I embed the request page on our school website?
- Yes. Add your site under Websites that may embed, then use Copy embed code or Copy modal embed on an active offering. List both www.yourschool.com and yourschool.com if both serve the site. An empty list keeps the share link only. The embed does not set AerScheduler analytics or advertising cookies, and it does not show a cookie banner. Guests still confirm by email, and the desk still approves. This is not instant booking.
Related
- Require approval before members bookStudents, renters, or instructors in selected roles or groups submit booking requests. Staff approve or decline from the calendar or Home, and approval creates the reservation. Undecided requests expire when the requested time passes.
- Booking rules: the settings that change how booking worksFlying day, multi-day trips, payment-method gate, cancel/edit lock, late-cancel fee, max upcoming bookings, max reservation length, minimum notice, booking horizon, start interval, fixed duration, buffers, and account-ledger book/dispatch gates. What each does and where it lives.
- How much of the schedule guests and members seeCalendar visibility under Booking offerings sets how much of the schedule each audience sees when picking a time. It does not change the staff Calendar. Open slots only is the usual guest setting.
Still stuck on this?
Email support@aerscheduler.com and tell us what you were trying to do. We answer.