The Ticket:

(This is a traduction for your convenience. The original french version “Conditions Générales de Ventes” is prevailing and is the only legal basis) Tickets and gift vouchers are non-refundable (except for groups of more than 9 people) but can be transferred to another passenger during their period of validity. They are not nominative. They are valid for 24 months (48 months if the validity extension has been taken, flight ticket only) from the date of purchase (date of dispatch from our offices). For tickets nearing the end of their validity and if the planned flight is cancelled by BALLONS du LEMAN for weather or other reasons, the ticket’s validity period will be extended free of charge by 4 months from the date of the cancelled flight. It is possible, at any time during the ticket’s validity period, to extend its validity for a further 12 months by paying the ticket extension fee.

In order to make the flight, the passenger must reserve a place on board a balloon with BALLONS du LEMAN. This reservation will be made after payment of the ticket(s). In the case of a group (more than 9 people), reservations can be made once the deposit has been paid. The passenger (or person responsible for a group) will contact BALLONS du LEMAN to arrange a booking date.

Flight confirmation will be made by telephone as follows:

For late afternoon or evening flights, the passenger must contact BALLONS du LEMAN by telephone between 1:00 pm and 2:30 pm on the day the flight is scheduled.
For morning flights, passengers must call BALLONS du LEMAN the day before their flight, between 7.00 pm and 8.30 pm.

If weather conditions are favorable, we’ll confirm the time and place of the meeting. En cas d’annulation, due aux conditions météorologiques ou autre, il relève de la responsabilité du passager de réserver une autre date. Nos billets incluent : les prestations propres liées au type de billet. Les packages sont proposés et définis sur notre site. Les temps de vols des packages ne peuvent être défini.

Method of payment :

Any group of less than 9 people will be defined as a sum of individual tickets. Individual tickets (groups of less than 9 people) must be paid for in full at the time of purchase. The customer may pay by cash, credit card or deposit slip. Our tickets and other services can be purchased online (internet), by telephone or in person.

For groups (9 people or more), payment can be made in instalments, with a deposit equivalent to 40% of the total amount and the balance to be paid at least 15 days before the flight.

The final number of guests or participants determined 15 days before the flight will be invoiced in full. By purchasing a flight ticket, our customers accept our general terms and conditions of sale.

Our general terms and conditions of sale also constitute the contract between the purchaser and BALLONS du LEMAN. By purchasing a ticket, the customer also accepts our limitation of liability. These conditions are contracted by the purchaser (privately or commercially) but the ticket may be passed on or offered to someone else. We therefore consider that the owner of the ticket accepts our conditions of sale.

Flight conditions:

As the flight is entirely subject to the weather, we cannot guarantee any circuit or route. The average duration of a flight is one hour (two hours for an adventure flight). The pilot reserves the right to modify the duration, departure point, rendezvous time and any other aspect of the flight. Missions are carried out under VFR (visual flight rules). BALLONS du LEMAN is approved by the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) for public passenger transport under authorization number: BAL BB 151.

Boarding and Reservation :

No one is allowed to board one of our hot-air balloons without a valid flight ticket (the relevant invoice must be paid in advance by the passenger or a third party). As a passenger air carrier, BALLONS du LEMAN is subject to the conditions stipulated in the Warsaw Convention. The pilots of BALLONS du LEMAN are the sole masters on board and as such have authority over all persons on board. They have the right to refuse boarding or to disembark any passenger or any part of the load which may present a danger to the safety, health or good order of the aircraft. In order to make their flight, ticketed passengers must reserve their place on board a balloon with BALLONS du LEMAN. To reserve a seat, call or e-mail BALLONS du LEMAN. A passenger can only book one date at a time. In the event of cancellation, it is the passenger’s responsibility to book another date. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Individual reservation deferral :

Reservations may be postponed by notifying BALLONS du LEMAN at MINIMUM forty-eight (48) hours, two (2) days, before the scheduled flight date. No postponement can be made by the passenger after this deadline. In case of postponement after this deadline, the ticket will be considered as used. If the passenger is absent on the day of the flight, the ticket will be considered null and void. It is important to understand that if you do not respect the above-mentioned delay, you will lose your ticket. No refund will be made.

Reservations deferred for groups:

By group, we mean more than 12 people or more than one balloon.
If the date is postponed between 8 and 15 days before the flight, an additional 20% of the total cost of the service will be charged as compensation. Between 4 and 7 days, this amount rises to 30% of the total service. Less than 72 hours before the flight, the 50% deposit is definitively acquired by BALLONS du LEMAN.
N.B: this clause does not apply if weather conditions are not conducive to flying on the date initially scheduled. Only the pilots’ opinion will be taken into account.
In the event of a refund, a deduction will be made for administrative costs.

Cancellation of reservations for groups/companies:

By group, we mean more than 12 people or more than one balloon.
A cancellation is a booking that is no longer required and will not be carried forward.
The deposit will be fully refunded in the event of cancellation up to 30 days before the flight. If cancellation occurs between 15 and 30 days before the flight, only 50% will be refunded. The deposit is forfeited to BALLONS du LEMAN if the cancellation is made within 15 days of the flight. In the event of a refund, an administrative charge will be applied.

Flight cancellation :

Ballooning is totally dependent on the weather. Only our pilot is authorized to make the decision to take off. BALLONS du LEMAN reserves the right to cancel a flight due to bad weather conditions at any time up to the moment of take-off, for reasons of insufficient safety or if there is not a minimum number of passengers present. In all cases, BALLONS du LEMAN will not be liable for any costs incurred by customers in the event of cancellation.

Flight information :

It is the passenger’s responsibility to contact us. For late afternoon or evening flights, the passenger must contact BALLONS du LEMAN by telephone between 1:30 and 2:30 pm. For morning flights, the passenger must call BALLONS du LEMAN the day before the flight date, between 7:30 and 8:30 pm. If weather conditions are favorable, the meeting time and place will then be confirmed. In the event of bad weather, the flight will be rescheduled at your request.

Taxes and insurance :

Each passenger must have his/her own flight ticket issued by BALLONS du LEMAN. The ticket constitutes the right of passage when passengers board the hot-air balloons. Third-party liability insurance is included in the ticket price. VAT is also included in the price of the flight ticket. BALLONS du LEMAN reserves the right to cancel a flight at any time due to bad weather conditions, insufficient safety, lack of registration for flights or for any other reason. Such cancellation may occur at any time prior to take-off, in which case BALLONS du LEMAN may not be held responsible for any expenses incurred by the customer (travel, accommodation, food, etc.). However, tickets will remain valid during their period of validity.

Subcontracting :

Under certain conditions and in certain cases, our flights may be operated by one or more subcontractors accredited by BALLONS du LEMAN.

Limitation of liability :

The ticket holder acknowledges that he/she has taken all necessary measures to inform himself/herself of the risks involved in a hot-air balloon flight. The passenger considers said risks to be reasonable and acceptable considering his/her physical condition and state of health. The ticket holder assumes all responsibility for the risks and hazards of ballooning. NB: Baskets are not equipped with seats. Before the flight, a pre-flight briefing will be given to passengers (before take-off). This briefing will include the safety measures to be observed during the various phases of the flight. Each passenger will be asked to read and sign his or her flight ticket, confirming that he or she will comply with safety instructions at all times. We do not accept children under 1m20. All minors must be accompanied by an adult. It is your responsibility to inform us of the exact age of your child. We regret that we cannot accept pregnant women or anyone under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The ticket holder authorizes BALLONS du LEMAN to use images of the flight in which he/she has participated in the form of a photo or video recording. Carriage under this ticket is subject to Swiss aviation regulations. BALLONS du LEMAN holds a commercial flight permit issued by the Federal Office of Civil Aviation. Notice of limitation of liability for baggage or personal effects: neither BALLONS du LEMAN nor our insurance company covers valuables, fragile objects or baggage that may be broken, lost or stolen before, during or after the flight.

Litigation :

Any dispute, contestation, failure to settle or difficulty of any kind relating to our services will be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of the canton of Vaud, with the sole exception of cases subject to the rules of public order jurisdiction.