Ballooning in the UK is well regulated, and you should be able to book flights with confidence nationwide with many reputable companies.

HOWEVER...

THERE ARE COMPANIES WHO CLAIM TO HAVE LOCAL LAUNCHSITES NATIONWIDE, SOME OF THESE SITES ARE PROVEN TO BE MYTHICAL! THEY OFFER GREAT DEALS ON THEIR ENTICING WEBSITES. IN REALITY THEY ARE TRYING TO MAXIMISE SALES AND WORRY ABOUT THE LOGISTICS LATER. YOUR FLIGHT COULD BE CANCELLED ON A PERFECT FLYING DAY OR MOVED TO ANOTHER LOCATION MANY MILES AWAY AT SHORT NOTICE, TO SUIT THEM..

BUY LOCAL, FLY LOCAL ! BOOKING WITH CHAMPAGNE FLIGHTS GIVES YOU THE PEACE OF MIND THAT YOU WILL GET EXACTLY WHAT YOU HAVE PAID FOR. WE HAVE 23 YEARS OF LOCAL KNOWLEDGE, WE ARE PILOTS WHO LIVE AND FLY LOCALLY. OUR MANY YEARS OF LOCAL EXPERIENCE WILL GIVE YOU AN ENTERTAINING FLIGHT, SMOOTH RECOVERY AND SWIFT RETURN JOURNEY BACK TO YOUR CAR.

SOME BALLOONING COMPANIES OPERATE BALLOONS WITH MONSTER BASKETS CARRYING 16 OR EVEN 20 PASSENGERS. IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE THAT IF ONLY 12 PASSENGERS ARE BOOKED IN FOR A FLIGHT, THEY WILL CANCEL ON A BEAUTIFUL SUMMERS DAY, OR ASK YOU TO RELOCATE FOR A FLIGHT MANY MILES AWAY FROM YOUR CHOSEN LAUNCHSITE.

CHAMPAGNE FLIGHTS USE ONLY LOCAL LAUNCHSITES, AND FLYING OUR SMALLER BALLOONS WITH JUST 5 0R 8 PASSENGERS, WE NEVER CANCEL FLIGHTS FOR LOGISTICAL REASONS. WE SPECIALISE IN FLYING SINGLES, COUPLES AND SMALL GROUPS, IT'S FRIENDLY, IT'S FUN AND WE'LL GUARANTEE A VERY SPECIAL AND MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE.

SO BEFORE YOU REACH FOR YOUR CREDIT CARD MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING FOR YOUR MONEY. YOU MAY SAVE A FEW POUNDS, BUT WILL YOU GET WHAT YOU'VE PAID FOR?

A CAUTIONARY TALE:

We recently flew a special birthday flight organised for a mother by her daughter and family. They had originally booked with another company based 70 miles away but with the intention of flying in our area.

The launch site for the flight was to be a field next to a local pub, only the pub did not exist! After many complaints and unanswered telephone calls they were offered a flight 50 miles away, which was declined in favour of a refund, only the refund was never made and after months of trying to get their money back they gave up. We eventually flew the family and tried in vain to get a refund on their behalf, sadly we were also unsuccessful.

PLEASE THINK BEFORE YOU BOOK !