Policies

Passenger Limitations

For the safety of all our passengers we enforce the following flight restrictions:

All passengers must be 6 years of age or older. Age 6-18 requires parent or guardian to fly.

Maximum weight per passenger cannot exceed 280lbs / 127 Kilograms / 20 stone.

Passengers may be asked to be weighed for accuracy at check-in.

It is strongly recommended that someone in the party be able to communicate in English.

Passengers with the following conditions cannot fly:

Expectant Mothers.

Back, Neck, Knee, Hip, Joint, Bone, Osteoporosis or Similar Physical issues within 2 years.

Inability to walk unassisted or stand for one hour unassisted.

Canes / Walkers / Wheel chairs / Scooters not permitted.

Recent Surgeries or Other Conditions that may be aggravated during flight and landing.

We want everybody to be able to fly, but to do so safely. If there is anything you think we should know, or you are unsure of prior to your flight date, please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss.

Flight Requirements

All flights are weather dependent.

The Pilot in Command may cancel the flight, or deny a flight for any passenger for any reason and they are the final authority on all flight and passenger related decisions.

All Private flights require a minimum of 2 passengers to fly

All non private flights require a mimumum of 4 passengers to fly. As a result, you will be with other guests on all non private flights

All passengers are required to read and sign our passenger release prior to flight. Click here to review our passenger release document.

Accessibility and service animals

Unfortunately none of our aircraft are considered handicapped accessible. They are unable to accommodate wheel chairs and do not have doors to allow for access other than climbing over the sidewall of the basket. There is also no way for the aircraft to be modified to be made handicapped accessible. Additionally, we love animals and want them to be safe and protected. This unfortunately means that we do not allow service animals onboard or around the aircraft. Hot Air Balloon burners are loud and will scare many animals. It is simply not safe or prudent to allow a service animal in or around the aircraft.

Flight Certificate Delivery

All flight certificates are emailed within 24 hours of order receipt. If you are unable to receive and/or print the flight certificates via email, please call us and we will mail the certificates via US Postal service. When US Postal Service delivery is requested, we will ship them within 48 hours of order receipt.

Scheduling Flight Certificates given as gifts

Simply present the flight certificates and other paperwork to whomever you intend to give the ride, and have them contact us to schedule, or they may schedule on our website using the codes on the flight vouchers. Since we will not know to whom they have been given, we will not contact you to schedule. It is your responsibility to make sure the recipient contacts us to schedule their ride. Please ask the recipient to have a calendar handy when calling so we can pick a mutually agreeable time. If we are unable to fly the first opportunity for any reason, they can contact us to reschedule at their convenience.  Flight Certificates issued by us do not expire unless they are forfeited or were donated by us for a charitable donation.  Any charitable donation certificates will expire 1 year after the issue if no expiration date is on the certificate.

 Meeting Information

Please plan on meeting at the time on your reservation. For morning flights, we ask that you call us the evening before your flight to check-in by 6:00 PM. For afternoon flights, we ask that you call us by noon the day of your flight. (314) 402-8010. We will be able to give you any last minute changes to your meet time (if any) when you call.

We will meet in the Walmart Parking Lot at the west end of the parking lot away from the main entrance. The address is 2700 Ridge Point Drive, High Ridge Missouri 63049. Click here for a google map to the location.

No-Show Policy

A "No-show" is anyone who fails to show up for a flight after scheduling a flight. No-shows have a substantial impact on our business. As a result of no-shows we either flew an aircraft only partially full, or we didn't fly at all. Either way we incurred the same expense to fly whether we were able to fly you or not, therefore a no-show will result in a forfeiture of your flight fee, certificate, voucher or deposit and we will consider our obligation for that flight to be fulfilled. No refund will be possible since we incurred the cost of the flight in your absence. Please make sure to allow sufficient time for arrival at the meeting location, and call us if you are running late. If you are using a third party certificate of any type to pay for your flight, that voucher will be redeemed and considered used and you will not be entitled to a refund from that third party agency.  Should you manage to get a refund from them, we will charge the card you provided us at scheduling for your flight fee. There are no exceptions to this policy under any circumstances.

Weather Cancellation Policy

Weather is always a concern and does force cancellations and rescheduling of flights. If it clearly isn't going to be safe to fly on your date and time, the flight status line will announce this as soon as the decision is made before the flight.  Please call us the next business day to reschedule your adventure. If the flight is on, we will provide specific meeting times and locations for the morning's adventure.  If the weather forecast isn't clear for the next morning, we will place the flight on a weather hold and ask everyone to call about 1 hour before the morning's expected meeting time to get an updated forecast.  At that time we will let you know for sure if the flight is on. If we must cancel your flight due to weather, simply call us to reschedule your flight.  If you are unable to reschedule, and you paid us directly for your flight, please call us for your options.

Cancellation Policy

If you cancel at least 48 hours prior to your scheduled flight, there is no penalty and you may reschedule. If you cancel with less than the required notice, or fail to show up the morning of your flight, we will charge the full amount to the card on file as a cancellation fee, or your flight certificate, voucher or prepayment will be considered forfeit and you will not be allowed to reschedule that reservation. No credit will be given in any way for cancelling with less than the required notice or for no-shows.

Refund Policy

All flight certificates and prepaid flights purchased directly from Balloons Over the Rainbow are fully refundable within one (1) year from the date of purchase as long as either no flight has been scheduled, or you cancel your first scheduled flight at least 48 hours prior to flight time. All refunds will be issued to the original purchaser in the original purchase method (credit card purchases will be refunded via the same credit card) if possible. If not, a refund will be issued via company check. No refunds will be issued to no-shows, those that show up intoxicated, or anyone whose flight certificate, flight, or voucher has been forfeited for any reason. No refund will be granted after one (1) year from sale. Even if the certificate is not refundable, as long as it hasn't been forfeited or used, it can still be used.  There are no exceptions to this policy.

If you are eligible for a refund, we will process the request within 7-10 business days.  If your flight was purchased through any third party, you will have to discuss any refund request with them.  We are not able to provide refunds for any third parties for any reason.

Payment Options

We are pleased to accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover, American Express, and cash. We do not accept checks as a form of payment. 

Cookie Policy

Effective Date: May 24, 2018

This Cookies Policy describes the different types of cookies and similar technologies that may be applied by Balloons Over The Rainbow. 

We may change this Cookies Policy at any time in order to reflect, for example, changes to the cookies we use or for other operational, legal or regulatory reasons. If you have questions regarding this Cookies Policy should be sent by email or by writing to us using the contact details set out at the end of this policy.

What is a Cookie? 

Cookies are a standard feature of websites that allow us to store small amounts of data on your computer about your visit to a Site. Cookies help us to learn which areas of a Site are useful and which areas need improvement. Cookies also improve your experience by, for example, remembering your preferences.

You can choose whether to accept cookies by changing the settings on your browser. However, if you disable this function, your experience on the site may be diminished and some features will not work as intended depending upon which cookies are disabled.

Why do we use Cookies?  

Our Sites uses both 1st party cookies (which are set by the Site being visited) and 3rd party cookies (which are set by a server located outside the domain of a Site). We use 1st party and 3rd party cookies for several reasons. Some cookies are required for technical reasons in order for the Sites to operate, and we refer to these as "strictly necessary" cookies. Some cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our Sites, and we refer to these as "Performance" cookies. Some cookies enable us to provide enhanced functionality and personalization on the Sites and we refer to these as "Functional" cookies. Finally, some cookies enable us and our partners to serve targeted advertisements and we refer to these as "Targeting" cookies.

What Cookies Do We Use? 

Below we list the different types of cookies that may be used on the Sites. To the extent any Personal Information is collected through cookies, the Privacy Policy applies and compliments this Cookies Policy. Balloons Over The Rainbow uses Google Tag Manager to manage its cookies.

Strictly Necessary Cookies.

These cookies enable you to navigate the Sites and to use their services and features. These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.

Performance Cookies.

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our Sites. They help us to know which pages are popular and see how visitors move around the Sites. If you do not allow these cookies, we will be less able to optimize the Sites' performance. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and anonymous.

Functional Cookies.

These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies some services may not function properly. These cookies do not directly store personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. 

Targeting Cookies.

These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant advertisements on other sites. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising. These cookies do not directly store personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. 

Web Beacons

Cookies are not the only way to recognize or track visitors to a website.  We may use other, similar technologies from time to time, like web beacons (sometimes called "tracking pixels" or "clear gifs").  These are tiny graphics files that contain a unique identifier that enable us to recognize when someone has visited our Sites or opened an e-mail that we have sent them. This allows us, for example, to monitor the traffic patterns of users from one page within our Sites to another, to deliver or communicate with cookies, to understand whether you have come to our Sites from an online advertisement displayed on a third-party website, to improve site performance, and to measure the success of e-mail marketing campaigns.  In many instances, these technologies are reliant on cookies to function properly, and so declining cookies will impair their functioning.

Social Media Features

Our Sites may use social media features, such as the Facebook 'like' button ("Social Media Features"). These features may collect your IP address and which page you are visiting on our Sites, and may set a cookie to enable the feature to function properly. You may be given the option by such Social Media Features to post information about your activities on our Sites to a profile page of yours that is provided by a third party social media network in order to share with others within your network. Social Media Features are either hosted by a third party or hosted directly on our Sites. Your interactions with these features are governed by the privacy policy of the company providing the relevant Social Media Features.

Targeted Online and Mobile Advertising

Balloons Over The Rainbow has engaged one or more third party service providers to track and analyze both individualized usage and volume statistical information from interactions with our Sites. Third party service providers may also serve cookies on your computer or mobile device to serve advertising through our Sites and provide other personalization services in accordance with this Cookie Policy. These companies may collect and use information about your visits to our Sites and other websites in order to provide relevant advertisements about goods and services that may interest you. They may also employ technology that is used to measure and track the effectiveness of advertisements. This can be accomplished by the use of cookies or web beacons to collect information about your visits to our Sites and other sites in order to provide relevant advertisements about goods and services of potential interest to you. The information collected through this process does not enable us or them to identify your name, contact details or other personal information that directly identifies you unless you choose to provide these. 

How Do I Manage Cookies?

In addition to the options provided above, you have the right to refuse or accept cookies from the Sites at any time by activating settings on your browser.  Information about the procedure to follow in order to enable or disable cookies can be found on your Internet browser provider's website via your help screen.  You may wish to refer to http://www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies/index.html for information on commonly used browsers.  Please be aware that if cookies are disabled, not all features of the Sites may operate as intended.

You can adjust your cookie preferences by adjusting your browser so that it notifies you when cookies are sent to it or you can refuse cookies altogether.  The Help function within your browser should explain how to do this.  Alternatively, you may visit www.aboutcookies.org or www.allaboutcookies.org to obtain detailed information on how to prevent cookies from being set on your particular browser.

If you want to clear all cookies left behind by the websites you have visited, here are links where you can download three programs that clean out tracking cookies:

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http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad-aware_se_personal.php
http://www.spybot.info/en/download/index.html
http://www.webroot.com/consumer/products/spysweeper/

Contact

If you would like to request access to personal information about you, request a correction to information about you or have questions about our privacy policy, please contact us at:

Balloons Over The Rainbow

5640 W Eagles Valley Dr, House Springs, MO 63051. (314) 402-8010

Please Read Before you Buy

You will hear all kinds of crazy things when you start shopping for a balloon ride. Some of the things we hear that are shared with potential guests are just completely wrong, some are bold faced lies, and some of the stuff is just downright comical. Our view has always been that part of our responsibility is to educate anyone who is looking for a balloon ride, and help them make an educated and informed decision on who to fly with, even if they don't in the end choose us.

Here are the facts:

Fact: All balloon ride companies are required to have F.A.A. certified commercial pilots in order to fly passengers for hire, It's the law.

Fact: All balloons are inspected annually or every 100 hours, whichever comes first to the exact same safety and maintenance standards as a brand new aircraft, regardless of the age of the aircraft, It's the law.

Some things to watch out for:

1. Make sure the company you are speaking with actually owns and operates their own balloons and isn't just a certificate reseller. There are MANY scams out there on the internet that will sell you a flight certificate they never intend to honor just to get your money. We have always owned and operated our own fleet of balloons and do not honor any 3rd party flight certificates.
2. Assuming they own their own aircraft as mentioned in item 1, and if you are buying a flight certificate, always ask if it is refundable, transferable, and if it has an expiration date! Our flight certificates do not expire, and are refundable within one (1) year from the date of purchase as long as either no flight has been scheduled, or you cancel your first scheduled flight at least 48 hours prior to flight time.
3. What are their policies for rescheduling and cancellations due to weather? Mother nature never listens, we all know that. We DO NOT charge in advance for reservations. If we are canceled due to weather, you can either reschedule or incur no charges at all. Our check-in and no-show policies do apply though, so read through those.