Helicopter charter quote checklist: what to send us

Key points

• Eight details give us everything we need: route, date, times, passengers, weights, luggage, landing sites and return plan.
• If you do not know something, say so. We can suggest landing sites, check permissions and offer options.
• Passenger weights are the single most useful number, because they decide which helicopter is right and how much fuel it can carry.
• Flexibility on timing, even by an hour, often widens the options.
• The quote is fully inclusive for the flight you describe. If anything changes, we tell you before it affects the quote.

What do we need to quote a helicopter charter?

We need eight things: where you are going, when, how many of you, how much you weigh, what you are carrying, where the helicopter will land, how long it waits and whether you are flying back. Everything else we can work out for you. If you are still unsure how the whole process fits together, our guide to how helicopter charter works in the UK explains each stage.

You do not need to know the technical answers. Many clients start with "we need to get four people from Birmingham to a hotel in the Cotswolds on a Friday morning" and we build the plan from there. The more you can tell us, the fewer questions we have to ask and the faster the quote arrives.

The eight details, one by one

1. The route

Give us the start and end points as precisely as you can: a postcode, a hotel, a racecourse, an airfield or just a town. If the journey has more than two stops, list them in order. Multi-stop days are a strength of helicopter travel, and our same-day business trips page shows how they work.

2. The date and the time you need to arrive

Tell us when you must be there, not just when you would like to leave. We work backwards from your arrival time and build in a sensible margin. If the date is flexible, say so.

3. The number of passengers

The count decides the aircraft. Our fleet covers parties from five to eight, and the fleet page shows each helicopter and its seats.

4. Passenger weights

Weights are required for every booking. A helicopter has a maximum take-off weight, and the combined weight of people, bags and fuel must stay within it. We treat weights as private information, and an honest figure matters more than a flattering one. Our guide to passenger and luggage weight explains why.

5. Luggage

Tell us the number of bags and roughly how big. Soft bags fit more easily into a helicopter hold than hard cases. Golf clubs, camera equipment and anything unusual should be mentioned at this stage.

6. Landing sites

If you have a site in mind, such as an estate, hotel lawn, office car park or racecourse, give us the address. Landing at private sites is subject to landing permission and site suitability, and we will check both. If you have no site in mind, we suggest the nearest suitable airfield or heliport from our directory of UK heliports and airfields.

7. Waiting time

A helicopter can wait while you hold your meeting, or fly away and return to collect you. Which is better depends on how long you will be. Tell us your expected finish time.

8. The return plan

Do you want to fly back in the same helicopter, make your own way home, or continue elsewhere? A same-day return is the most common request, but one-way trips are normal too.

What happens after you send the details?

We check the aircraft, crew, landing sites and permissions, then send you a fully inclusive quote for the flight you described. We do not publish prices on this site because they depend on the exact route, the aircraft and the landing arrangements. For general guidance on how charter pricing works, Helicopter Hire Prices explains the factors involved.

The quote tells you the aircraft, the flight plan in plain terms, what is included and the date until which it holds. Our article on what is in a fully inclusive helicopter quote walks through each line. When you accept, we confirm the permissions and send a short brief with arrival times.

How much notice do we need?

More notice gives more choice, but short-notice flights are possible. For major events, such as racing, motorsport and big football fixtures, helicopters and landing slots book up well ahead, so we recommend asking as soon as you know the date. For a business day out and back between two airfields, a few days is often enough, and sometimes less.

If your date is close, call us. The line is open 24 hours, and we can tell you quickly whether the date is realistic. If you are planning around a sporting fixture, our corporate days out pages list the events we cover.

Common mistakes that slow a quote down

• Giving only a town name for a private site. We need the exact address to check suitability.
• Guessing weights. Round figures that are too low can force an aircraft change later.
• Forgetting luggage. A golf bag or a hard case changes how we load the aircraft.
• Not mentioning a fixed deadline. A meeting at 10:00 is a different plan from "morning".
• Assuming the landing site is automatic. Hotels, houses and estates need permission, and we ask for it on your behalf.

None of these is a problem if you tell us early. Our UK helicopter charter hub and the routes index show typical times, so you can sense-check the plan before you send it.

Ready to ask?

Use the quote form on our contact page and include the eight details. If you would rather talk, call us: the line is open 24 hours. Either way we reply with a clear, fully inclusive quote and an honest view of what is and is not possible on your date.

If you have a general question first, our helicopter charter questions answered guide covers the ones we hear most often.