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Caution about Nationwide Balloon Ride Certificates 

In recent years, many nearly-identical websites have materialized offering ballooning gift certificates and attempting to book reservations for balloon rides.   Most advertise nationwide gift certificates.

They appear to be representing a balloon company in your local area and make claims that they have the highest safety record, use the best equipment, have been serving the local area for a long time, offer the least expensive balloon ride, and have the closest flying location to major metropolitan areas. 

However, these websites are not actual balloon companies, and you should be concerned about their misrepresentations.  To help you determine if a website represents an actual balloon company: 

If you're still not sure if they're legitimate, call the 800-number and ask where they are located. If they cannot answer immediately without asking where you are calling from, then you should be concerned.  

You should be aware of the following issues with the nationwide companies:

1. They employ a series of cookie-cutter websites which offer the exact same facts, testimonials, and pictures across the country, but claim to represent a local balloon company. 
2. Sometimes the nearest participating flying location in their network is hundreds of miles or even several states away.
3. "Convenience Fee," "Poor Weather / Re-Schedule Fee," "Return Transportation Fee," "Pilot Fee" (gratuity), "Champagne Fee," etc. are frequently tacked on after you have already paid over the internet and arrive for your appointment. The "bargain price" you paid now exceeds the flight fares that the respectable companies charge. All of these fees go directly to the booking agency and in most cases, the pilot never even knows this is going on. These fees are all redundant - the ride back to the launch site, champagne, and everything else is included standard in the price of a normal balloon ride.  

The experience of a balloon flight is one you will remember and cherish forever. It is important that this experience be performed by a competent, safe and professional company.  Choosing to make a reservation with an agency which makes claims of, but has no control over, safety, pilots and equipment quality is literally throwing caution to the wind.  We encourage you to do your research before you fly - your safety and enjoyment depend on it. 

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