How do we calculate the amount of child support?
Once you and the other parent have agreed where the children will live and for how much of the time, you can begin to work out a fair amount of child support. Depending on the parenting arrangement, it will be important to know what one or both parents earn in a year.
How do we calculate annual income?
To figure out child support you will have to know what the paying parent earns in a year—before the government taxes were taken off. This is “gross annual income.” The paying parent’s annual income can be figured out by:
Using the amount on line 150 on your income tax return (or notice of assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency), and then minus any union dues from that amount, or
Looking at your pay stubs for a full year and adding up what you were paid each month (before all the taxes were taken off), or
Contacting a
to help you (especially if your job situation is complicated).
How do we calculate child support when the children live mostly with one parent?
The parent who has the children most of the time will receive child support. The parent who doesn’t have the children most of the time is the paying parent.
Once you know how much the paying parent earns in a year, the easiest way to work out the basic amount of child support is to use the online calculator at the .
To find out monthly child support payments using the calculator, follow these steps:
Enter the annual income before taxes of the paying parent (which you figured out above).
Enter the number of children involved.
Select the province where the paying parent lives.
Click on the “Lookup” button.
The monthly amount is displayed immediately in brown text.
The online calculator follows the , which were created by the federal government so that parents know what is fair according to the law. The guidelines are based on what an average parent at each income level would usually spend on their children, if the parents were still together. However, this is only the basic amount of child support. Parents who have separated also have to , which are known as special and extraordinary expenses.
Note: The current child support amounts were introduced December 31, 2011. If you need to figure out how much child support is owed from between May 1, 2006 and December 31, 2011, use the
to calculate that amount.
For help with your situation, see a
or . Their services are free. Phone to make an appointment.
If you are a parent on income assistance, talk to someone at the , who will arrange child support for you.
How do we calculate child support when parenting is shared?
A shared parenting arrangement is when the children live about the same amount of time with each of their parents over the course of a year. That means at least 40% of the time with each parent. If you agree that each of you has the children for about the same amount of time, the paying parent is usually the one who makes the most money. Just because the paying parent has the children for 40% or more of the time does not mean they should pay less in child support.
To figure out the amount of child support for a shared parenting arrangement, you start by putting the gross annual income of each parent into the , which is an online calculator. If you aren’t sure how to figure out “annual gross income,” see
above. Once you find out the child support monthly payments (as if each of you were the “paying parent”), then you split the difference between those two amounts. The difference in the two amounts is what the higher income earner has to pay to the other parent. Here’s an example of how to do it:
Example: Maria and Sam have two children for an equal amount of time. They want the living conditions in each of their homes to be comfortable for the children, so they worked out child support in a way that provides this.
Maria earns $30,000 a year, which she entered into the online child support calculator, as well as the number of children and province she lives in. She is supposed to pay Sam $463 per month for the time the children spend with him. Sam earns $20,000 and according the calculator, he would have to pay Maria $323 per month for the time the children are in her care. They take the amounts the calculator said they should pay and split the difference: $463 - $323 = $140. Maria will pay Sam $140 per month in child support and Sam does not pay child support.
Parents who have separated also have to , which are known as special and extraordinary expenses.
For help with your situation, see a
or . Their services are free. Phone to make an appointment.
How do we calculate child support when parenting is split?
A split parenting arrangement is when there are two or more children and each parent provides primary care for one or more of the children, which means:
One or more children live with one parent most of the time (more than 60% of the time in the year), and
One or more children live with the other parent most of the time (more than 60% of the time in the year).
To calculate child support in the case of a split parenting arrangement, the first step is for each parent to use the
as if they each had to pay child support. They would enter their annual income (see ), and the number of children who live with the other parent. The paying parent will be whoever has to pay more according to the child support calculator. However, the amount that parent has to pay is the difference between the two amounts they got for each parent. Here’s an example of how to do it:
Example: John and Helen have three children. When they separated, they agreed that two of the children would live with John most of the time, and the other child would live with Helen most of the time. Using the Child Support Online Lookup, they find out how much child support each of them would have to pay if they were the paying parent. John enters his annual salary, and enters 1 child (the child not living with him). Helen enters her salary and 2 children (the number of children not living with her). The calculator says John should pay Helen $400 per month for the child in her care, and Helen should pay John $250 per month for the children in his care. But because John has to pay more, he is the paying parent. To get the actual amount of child support he should pay Helen, they split the difference in the two amounts: $400 - $250 = $150. John has to pay Helen $150 per month in child support.
Parents who have separated also have to , which are known as special and extraordinary expenses.
For help with your situation, see a
or . Their services are free. Phone to make an appointment.
How do we calculate other types of expenses for the children?
Before you agree on a final amount of child support, consider all of the other costs of raising your child or children. These are called special and extraordinary expenses. These types of expenses are not included in the basic child support amounts that you get if you use the online calculator. They should also be included in your child support agreement.
Special and extraordinary expenses are defined as:
Necessary — because they are in a children’s best interests, and
Reasonable — because they take into consideration how much the parents earn and what the family's spending patterns were before the separation.
Special and extraordinary expenses include the following:
Child-care expenses that a parent with whom the children live faces as a result of the parent's job, illness, disability or educational requirements for employment.
The portion of a parent's medical and dental insurance premiums that provides coverage for the children.
The children’s health-care needs over and above that covered by insurance (for example, orthodontics, counselling, medication, eye care and other items) that exceed $100 per year.
The children’s extraordinary expenses for extracurricular activities.
The children’s extraordinary expenses for primary and secondary education or other educational programs.
The children’s expenses for post-secondary education.
You and the other parent are free to decide which expenses are reasonable and necessary. Once you do that, you can decide how much each of you will contribute to them. As a general rule, you would share the cost in proportion to your incomes, but you may agree to another arrangement.
To share expenses in proportion to your incomes means each of you pay a portion of the cost — a percentage amount — equal to what you earn. For example, if both parents have the same income, they would each pay for one-half (50%) of the cost of the activity. Here’s an example of how to do the calculation if you don’t earn the same amount:
Example: Peter and Candice agree that they will share the cost of their son’s soccer. Peter has an income of $20,000 and Candice has an income of $30,000, which makes their combined income $50,000. Of the $50,000, Peter earns 40% of the total and Candice earns 60%. This means Peter should pay 40% of the cost of the soccer and Candice should pay the remaining 60% of the cost. So, if a year of soccer for their son is $200, then Peter would pay $80 and Candice would pay $120 toward the cost.
Keep in mind that special and extraordinary expenses have to be reasonable based on the parents’ financial situation and the children’s needs. A
may also be able to help you determine special or extraordinary expenses.
What should we do once we agree on an amount?
Once you and the other parent agree on an amount of child support, including special and extraordinary expenses you should:
Write up the details of your agreement,
Ask a Family Justice Counsellor to review it (if you have any doubts),
Each sign it — with two different witnesses watching each of you sign,
Ask the witnesses to sign the document, and
Put it in a safe place or ask the staff at the court registry to “file” it. (Provincial Court has no filing fees.)
You don’t have to file your child support agreement at the court. So long as your agreement follows the Child Support Guidelines, it is a valid document. You are only required to file your agreement in court if:
You want to enroll in the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program, or
The paying parent hasn’t been paying the child support amount you agreed to and you need to go to court to get a child support order.
You and the other parent should continue to talk about child support at least once a year. If there are any changes in either parent’s income, you should discuss whether the current child support amounts you agreed to are still covering the costs of raising the children.Why I Didn’t Do Chemo
Like I’ve said before, I am not a doctor or a scientist.
I am a self-educated chemo-free cancer survivor and I often have people contact me who want to know more. So I am going to explain in the simplest terms what I have come to understand and believe to be true about chemotherapy and why I did not do it.
Tell me if this story sounds familiar:
Someone you know finds out they have cancer in a specific part of their body. They have surgery, multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. During treatment the cancer shrinks and disappears. The doctors tell them they can’t find any cancer in their body. They are “NED” (No Evidence of Disease). Everyone is so relieved and celebrating
Some time goes by and they have more tests only to find out that the cancer has returned.
But this time it’s all over: it’s in their liver, their lungs, their brain, their blood, etc.
They go through more rounds of chemo and radiation but the doctors just can’t stop the cancer. Every time you see them they look worse and worse. Eventually after a difficult battle ranging from a few months to a few years they die.
So what happened?
This is what happened:
Chemotherapy is toxic poison.
It works by attacking rapidly dividing cells in your body which affects your hair, nails, skin, your digestive system, and your blood. This process makes you very sick and can cause permanent damage to various parts of your body including your brain, liver, hearing, and reproductive organs.
Chemotherapy attacks rapidly reproducing cells, which includes some types of cancer cells, but it also attacks your white blood cells, a major player in your immune system.
Note: Your immune system is what keeps you alive.
We all have pre-cancerous cells in our bodies that are eliminated by the natural processes of our immune system.
If you have cancer in your body, your immune system is fighting it, albeit not very well, but it is fighting it.
If the cancer is growing, that means your immune system could be overwhelmed or suppressed, and not functioning as well as it should. But having cancer doesn’t mean your immune system is doing nothing.
If you take chemotherapy and it doesn’t kill
you will find yourself in a very vulnerable position with a decimated immune system. You will have little defenses left to prevent any remaining cancer cells from reproducing.
Here’s the scary part.
If you still have cancerous cells in your body, they will proceed to take over like wild fire.
I’ve seen it happen over and over with friends and family tha and chances are, you have too.
Sometimes chemo will stop one kind of cancer, but then the patient will develop an entirely different form of cancer. Again, this happened because their immune system was destroyed and their internal defenses were down.
Their body became a place where cancerous cells could flourish.
Chemotherapy is carcinogenic, that means it causes cancer.
In fact it’s so toxic that nurses have to protect their skin from exposure when administering it to patients. These chemicals that will eat through your skin, but they have no problem putting it in your veins.
This may also sound familiar:
I ran into a friend of the family who had undergone chemotherapy recently.
Let’s just call this person “Pat”.
Please try not to picture Pat from SNL.
Of course now that’s exactly who you’re picturing.
Whatever, here’s the story. I saw Pat several months before the chemo started. I didn’t see Pat again until after nearly a year of chemo. When I did, I was shocked. Pat looked ten to fifteen years older.
Pat went from “middle aged” to “elderly” in less than a year.
It was heart breaking.
The transformation in Pat’s face alone was unbelievable. Pat’ Pat’s skin was l and Pat’s hair had grown back thin and lifeless. Pat is still alive and as I write this I don’t know the condition of Pat’s health.
But one thing I do know and witnessed firsthand: The ravaging aftereffects of chemotherapy are real.
(Addendum: Pat passed away a few months after I wrote this post.)
When the doctors told me I would have to have chemotherapy I accepted it, but I didn’t feel good about it.
It just didn’t sit well with me and I didn’t have peace about it.
Then I began to study the effects that chemotherapy would have on my body and immune system, which explained my instinctive resistance.
I remember thinking to myself, there’s got to be another way…
This was my thought process:
-My body is designed to heal itself.
-Something inside me is malfunctioning and affecting my immune system, allowing cancer to grow.
-Chemotherapy is poison that will hurt my body and destroy my immune system.
-I don’t want to hurt my body and destroy my immune system.
I want to build it up.
-Cancer is not the Cause of a sick body, it is the Effect of a sick body.
-I’ve got to find therapies that strengthen my body and my immune system, so it can heal itself.
And that’s exactly what I did.
and did every natural, alternative, and holistic therapy I could find.
If all else failed, chemo would be my last resort.
“An investigation by the Department of Radiation Oncology, Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Australia, into the contribution of chemotherapy to 5-year survival in 22 major adult malignancies, showed startling results: The overall contribution of curative and adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy to 5-year survival in adults was estimated to be 2.3% in Australia and 2.1% in the USA.” [Royal North Shore Hospital Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) ):294.]
The research covered data from the Cancer Registry in Australia and the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results in the USA for the year 1998. The current 5-year relative adult survival rate for cancer in Australia is over 60%, and no less than that in the USA. By comparison, a mere 2.3% contribution of chemotherapy to cancer survival does not justify the massive expense involved and the tremendous suffering patients experience because of severe, toxic side effects resulting from this treatment. With a meager success rate of 2.3%, selling chemotherapy as a medical treatment (instead of a scam), is one of the greatest fraudulent acts ever committed. The average chemotherapy earns the medical establishment a whopping $300,000 to $1,000,000 each year, and has so far earned those who promote this pseudo-medication (poison) over 1 trillion dollars. It’s no surprise that the medical establishment tries to keep this scam alive for as long as possible.”
-Andreas Moritz, Natural News
Disclaimers Abound
I have shared my story and convictions with many people diagnosed with cancer.
I’ve listened to them agree with me and say to me “You’re right.
I know deep down you’re right.”
And I’ve watched them choose to do chemotherapy anyway.
Some of them survived (miracle), most of them have not.
The hardest part for me is wondering whether or not I could have said something else that would have made the difference.
Those experiences added more fuel to my fire, which is why I’m doing this now.
Sometimes when we’re in difficult situations we just want someone to tell us what to do.
I sure did.
More than anything.
But in this case, I can’t.
And neither can anyone else.
Whether or not you take chemotherapy is a decision only you can make.
And it’s a damn hard one.
If you have cancer or are undergoing chemotherapy now, what you just read might be terrifying. You may be feeling more confused than ever.
I was exactly where you are, back in 2004. This is the time where you need to Pray.
Ask God to reveal himself to you.
Ask Him lead you in the direction you should go.
That’s exactly what I did.
The God of the Universe who created you and loves you, has a plan for your life.
He answered my prayers and He will answer yours.
I want to encourage you to do your own research outside of what the doctors are telling you, in order to make an informed decision.
Take responsibility for your own health.
This blog should not be the only thing you read.
This book was profoundly helpful in my decision-making process:
by George Malkmus.
Additional Recommended Reading:
Your body is designed to heal itself.
Your immune system keeps you well.
Chemo kills your immune system.
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& 2015 Chris Beat Cancer. All Rights Reserved.frequently asked questions
If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for here, please
we’ll be glad to help.
About the Balloon Flight
Clothing and Cameras
The Balloon
Safety and Insurance
Weather and Cancellations
Vouchers & Packages
Gift Extras
the flight
how long is the hot air balloon flight?
A hot air balloon ride with us lasts for around an hour, depending on prevailing
weather conditions and suitability of landing sites, but you should allow at least four
hours for the whole experience.
where do you fly from?
We have over 100 balloon launch sites in England, Scotland and Wales. Please see
our locations section for full details.
when do you fly?
We schedule hot air balloon rides morning and evening, seven days a week during
the UK ballooning season which is March to October. This does vary in some areas and in
late October some flights will take place during the day due to limited day light hours.
why don’t you generally fly during the day?
During the day, the sun heats the ground which in turn heats the air above
causing thermals or columns of rising air. These thermals cause updrafts and downdrafts
which affect a pilot’s ability to safely control the altitude of a hot air balloon.
Lower temperatures in late October mean these conditions are not as common which allows
day flights to take place.
what time do I need to be at the launch site?
These are some approximate meeting times. You will be given the exact meeting
time when you call the flight confirmation line.
Time of Year
Start April to mid April
Mid April to mid May
Mid May to end May
June and July
Start August to mid August
Mid August to end August
Start September to mid September
Mid September to end September
PLEASE NOTE: These are only approximate times which can vary by an hour each way and depend on weather conditions and regional variations. Call the flight line on your booking confirmation for your exact
how high will we go?
Sometimes up as high as 5,000 feet - although this depends on airspace and it
does vary from area to area and time of the year flown. Even at a few hundred feet the
views are incredible and over 1,000 you can start to see for miles!
how far will we fly?
Hot air balloons can’t be steered in the normal sense so they travel on the
wind with skilled pilot’s controlling the altitude by heating the air inside the
balloon. How far you’ll fly depends on the wind speed. It also depends on how long it
takes the pilot to find a suitable landing spot. You could fly a relatively short distance
or as far as 20 miles.
where will we land?
Hot air balloons can’t be steered so they travel on the wind and you never
know where exactly you’re going to land. The pilot will start looking for a suitable
landing site after around 45 minutes. The retrieval crew will track the balloon on the
ground and aim to arrive shortly after landing.
what’s the landing like?
Flying in a balloon is a very serene experience while in the air, but it is an
adventure activity in the great outdoors and sometimes on landing the basket can tip
and/or drag along before coming to rest. This is how balloons have been landing for over
200 years and is perfectly normal. The balloon and basket are designed for your comfort
and safety throughout the flight. During landing you will be in the safe, seated landing
position within the basket as instructed by your pilot. The landing is an exciting part of
the experience and in many cases people say it is their favourite part of the flight.
will the balloon fly over my house?
We’d love to be able to promise this but, obviously, as hot air balloons
cannot be steered, it’s a bit tricky. If you take off from a launch site in your home
town or county and the wind is on your side, it is possible you’ll see your home.
But, to avoid disappointment, please don’t expect it.
Can people come with me to watch?
Spectators are welcome but please let them know that there may not be toilets or
other facilities at the launch site. We would not recommend that spectators try to follow
the balloon by road for safety reasons. Passengers will be transported back to the launch
site after the flight, around 3 to 4 hours after the initial meeting time.
is the passenger retrieval service from our home address?
No, you will need to make your way to you launch site before the flight and our
balloon crew will transport you back there after the flight. You will then need to make
your own way home.
and Cameraswhat should I wear?
We recommend clothes suitable for a walk in the country depending on the time of
year and on the specific day you are flying. Generally warm, comfortable layers are a good
idea, plus a cap or other hat for the warmth from the burners. Depending on conditions,
you may be walking in wet, muddy fields so sensible shoes or trainers are essential.
Usually passengers are asked to help with the inflation and deflation of the balloon which
most people really enjoy. This is much appreciated because it helps to make the process
much quicker for everyone. So we also recommend you wear clothes which you don't mind
getting a little dirty. No designer wear, flip-flops or high heels please as we are unable
to accept responsibility for any damage to clothing and anyone who is dressed
inappropriately may not be allowed to fly.
can I bring a camera?
Yes, you can bring a camera, binoculars or camcorder as the balloon makes an
excellent platform for photography. They must not be in metal cases and they are carried
at your own risk. Most of our balloons have special pouches to stow cameras on landing.
Some of our pilots in certain areas offer an in-flight photo service and if this is
available they will explain this to you on the day.
Balloonhow big is the hot air balloon?
Our hot air balloons are very large and, once inflated, tower at over 100ft tall
or four storeys high. They take between 250,000 and 400,000 Cubic Feet of air to fill.
how many passengers are there in the balloon?
Our balloons have large baskets which carry either: 10, 12 or in most cases 16
passengers at a time. The balloon basket is split into compartments with between two and
four people in each, so you have your own space and can enjoy an intimate experience with
your guest.
can anyone fly in a hot air balloon?
In order to ensure the safety and enjoyment of everyone who flies, passengers must be satisfied they are physically able to take part in the experience. This means that they can climb in and out over the sides of the basket (which is about 42 inches or 1.1m high), stand unassisted for an hour and adopt the bended knee seated landing position. Passengers must also be able to fully understand and follow all instructions given by the pilot and react quickly to them in the unlikely event of an emergency. Under Civil Aviation Law the balloon pilot has a duty of care for all passengers and, ultimately, it is their decision if someone is able to safely participate on the day. Please see the sections on age & weight restrictions, medical conditions, pregnancy and disability below.
is there an age or weight restriction?
Children must be aged seven or over and at least 4ft 6in (1.4m) tall. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult. We know that our passengers come in all shapes and sizes, but due to weight and space restrictions of hot air balloons and baskets, anyone who is over 20 stone will be required to pay a supplement. This may also be the case for anyone who is over 18 stone and under 6ft tall. You can call our customer service team on
to discuss this before booking.
what if I'm pregnant?
Unfortunately, for safety reasons, we are unable to fly women who are pregnant. However, if you become pregnant when you already have a voucher, we will extend the validity until after you've had the baby. All you need to do is contact us and provide us a copy of your MAT B1 form which you will receive from your midwife.
what if I have a medical condition?
All passengers should be sure they do not have any pre-existing medical conditions which could be affected by the ballooning experience or could prevent them from safely taking part and should seek professional medical advice if unsure. You must not fly if you are suffering from any significant medical condition or if you have recently undergone major surgery. We require you to tell us about any medical or physical condition that could be considered to affect your safety or the safety of others. We may request a certificate of fitness to fly from a doctor or specialist.
can I fly if I have a disability?
We make every effort to ensure people with disabilities have the opportunity to participate in balloon flights with us wherever it is possible and safe to do so. As everyone?s particular situation is different and some disabilities present greater challenges than others in the unique context of ballooning, we require you to tell us about any disability before purchasing a flight voucher or booking a flight. This is so we consider any necessary arrangements to accommodate you, if we can safely do so, and to ensure we fully attend to our duty of care for all passengers? safety. We can provide information about disabled facilities at specific launch sites on request. Unfortunately, for safety reasons, we are unable to fly anyone who requires a wheelchair.
can I fly the balloon?
No, our pilots are all qualified and highly experienced and we think it's best to
leave the actual flying up to them. However, they will be happy to answer questions about
how they got into flying balloons and how it all works. See the Meet the Pilots section in
About Us for more information.
and Insuranceis hot air ballooning safe?
Hot air ballooning is an extremely safe activity which is highly regulated in the
UK with strict safety guidelines. We are licensed by the Civil Aviation Authority and all
of our hot air ballooning pilots hold full commercial pilot’s licences. We also use
the latest equipment and have the most modern fleet of balloons operating in the UK having
spent over ?1million since 2005 on balloons and baskets alone.
what about insurance?
Virgin Balloon Flights is insured for public and employers liability up to
?10million so if you fly with us you don’t need to worry about insurance.
& Cancellationswhy would a flight be cancelled?
The weather is our friend because it is what makes every flight unique but,
unfortunately, we cannot control it (no matter how hard we try!). This means sometimes
pilots will cancel flights because the weather conditions are not safe to fly in.
Our pilots are all highly experienced and they decide whether it is flyable. We are not
allowed to question a pilot’s judgment as this could be seen as pressuring them to
fly which could compromise safety.
Our pilots put your safety first at all time. When cancelling a flight, either on the
flight line beforehand or occasionally on site, the pilot will usually try to offer some
explanation as to why. Our pilots make their decision to fly based on the most relevant
and up to date forecast available just before they set their flight line message.
Sometimes the actual conditions may be different to what was forecasted. There are also
different forecasts and they can be interpreted in different ways. So, like all weather
people, we do occasionally make mistakes but unfortunately we can only go by what the
forecaster says and some forecasters are better than others. We can tell you some of the
general reasons why a pilot may cancel a flight:
The weather looked nice and sunny so why was it cancelled?
The wind at ground or gradient level (2,000ft) or the gust speed might have been too strong and outside operational limits.
Rain may have been forecasted in the area. We cannot fly in rain because it means there will be poor visibility and it also makes the balloon heavier to fly. Getting a balloon envelope wet can lead to some damage.
Thunderstorms or CB (Cumuli Nimbus) clouds may have been forecasted. These are dangerous and we would not fly in their vicinity.
If yours was a morning flight, the visibility early in the morning during our flight period could have been poorer than later in the day.
There may have been a wind direction which would have taken the balloon towards something unsuitable, like a large town or restricted airspace.
& I saw another balloon flying in the area so why was my flight cancelled?
Our pilot’s decision whether to fly is not related to what other balloonists
decide. Our pilots consider all the weather factors and make their own decision, always putting your safety first.
The other balloon could have had better shelter at take-off from the wind on that particular wind direction.
It might be a private balloon and they can legally fly in much poorer visibility than balloons on public transport licences like ours. Private balloons are also generally a lot smaller and therefore easier to inflate and land.
what happens if my flight is cancelled?
Don't worry, if your flight is cancelled because of the weather or related
factors, you can just book onto another date. Plus if you have a cancelation near the end
of your voucher validity period we will extend it free of charge at our discretion so you
have another opportunity to fly.
What is the weather refund option?
Our 7 Day Anytime Plus (7DayPlus) vouchers have our
weather refund option which means they are refundable if you are
very unlucky with the ‘great’ British weather. Most people prefer to keep trying
until they fly, but with these vouchers you have the following options:
Weather RefundIf you have a 7-Day Anytime Plus (7DayPlus) voucher and experience seven or more weather cancellations, we will give you a refund once you have returned the original vouchers to us, less a ?10 admin fee per voucher.
After three cancellations with your 7 Day Anytime Plus voucher, you can choose to take an early opt-out without taking up your flight and we will refund two thirds (66.66%) of what you paid. Refunds can only be paid to the original purchaser and merchandise must be returned in saleable condition.
Please note that refunds are only available with the 7 Day Anytime Plus voucher ? all other vouchers are non-refundable.
Experience gift cardAlternatively, in both of the above cases, you can exchange your
vouchers for a Virgin Experience Days Gift Card for the value due which can be used
against 500+ experiences - from spa sessions to driving days.Advantages of a Gift
we can exchange these with the gift recipient rather than the original purchaser
which ensures they still get a great gift experience
no merchandise needs to be returned
and there is no admin fee.Full details are available in our voucher terms &
conditions.
what are Back-up Sites?
Sometimes a flight will be moved to a back-up site because the forecast
conditions are not flyable at the original launch site, because the wind direction from
there is not suitable (i.e. going towards a large town, an airport or out to sea) or
because the site is otherwise unavailable or unsafe to fly from. Back-up sites are
alternative locations which give flights improved chances of going ahead and your pilot
will advise you of this on your flight line. If this happens you will need to attend the
flight at the back-up launch site at your own cost or your voucher will become invalid and
you will be required to buy a new voucher to fly. Please ensure that you have all maps,
directions and transport arrangements in place to get to all of the potential launch sites
on the day of your flight.
how do I find out if my flight is going ahead?Once you have a voucher and book onto a specific flight, you will
receive a booking confirmation. This will include your dedicated flight line phone number
which the pilot will update to let you know if the flight is going ahead, if it is being
moved to a back-up site and any other important information. If it is a morning flight you
will call the night before and if it is an evening flight you will call in the afternoon
on the day.
FLIGHT TIMETIME TO CALL FLIGHT LINE
AM & DAY Flightsfrom 11pm the night
before your flight
PM Flights (September to March)from 12 noon on the day of your flight
PM Flights (April to August)from 2pm on the day of your flightwhat if I
want to cancel or change my flight?You can cancel off a flight up to seven days before
online at virginballoonflights.co.uk and up to three working days before by post or email.
After these times you will need to attend the flight unless there are extenuating
circumstances.
Vouchers & Packageswhat is the difference between our vouchers and packages?
Everyone who flies with Virgin Balloon Flights receives the same fantastic 3 to 4 hour
experience. Our flight vouchers vary in terms of flexibility i.e. when you want to be able
to fly, morning or evening, weekday or weekend, weather refund option, and exclusive merchandise or additional gift products.
is the DVD in my gift pack of my flight?No, the DVD is a short pre-flight
film which shows you what to a balloon flight is like through the eyes of people who have
already enjoyed it. It also builds the anticipation for someone if it’s a gift.
What if I have brought a third party product from Virgin Balloon Flights?If you have purchased an Afternoon Tea or Pamper Flight package product, these are sold by Virgin Balloon Flights but managed and distributed by Virgin Experience Days.When an Afternoon Tea or Pamper package has been purchased, Virgin Balloon Flights immediately notify Virgin Experience Days who will then send out the respective Afternoon Tea or Pamper Voucher.Any queries regarding Afternoon Tea or Pamper experiences should be directed to Virgin Experience Days on 4.For Virgin Experience days terms and conditions please visit
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