airial balloon company

The Airial Balloon Company responded to my review of a balloon ride, and their response was full of made up stories. It was as I originally reported, folks. So, let the truth be known. They just can't bring themselves to apologize. Sad.

Thanks so much! We loved having your husband on board and it was certainly nice to see you again. We'll be looking for your rooftop Santa balloon in December!

I gave a morning trip to my husband for Valentine's Day. He was so thrilled to get to help fill and launch the balloon. Our pilot was a wealth of info and made the flight so much fun. And the breakfast was amazing. We still proudly wear our sweatshirts and tell everybody about how much fun balloon rides are. Everybody should have a flight on their bucket list and make sure it is an item that gets fulfilled.

We went on a morning flight. It was gorgeous as there were a few whispy clouds below us. The views of the Snohomish Valley were really great! The employees at the balloon company make everyone feel welcome upon arrival and throughout the whole flight experience. After our ride we returned to the balloon company's gazebo where we were served a champagne toast and a very nice brunch. Being afraid of heights I was a little nervous about taking this adventure, but it was never scary and I am so glad I went. I would highly recommend ballooning with Airial!

The cancellation policy is clearly stated on the brochure that was included with your gift certificate. It is also stated on your flight confirmation and instructions that you received when you scheduled your flight.

Wonderful pilot "Tom" took my friend and I and 6 others on an amazing Balloon ride, and what a Great Company to work with. The sunset was amazing on this day! Highly recommend this to everyone who seeks a little adventure in their lives!

Thank you so much! We're glad you enjoyed your flight and hope you'll come back to see us again.

This ride was to celebrate my birthday. Incredible gift. We were encouraged to help get the balloon ready for the flight and to assist with the take down which simply added so much to the experience. Our pilot was very experienced, great attention to detail, and so informative about the surrounding area plus the history of ballooning. The chase crew chief was very friendly. The office staff made everything come together. We highly recommend this company.

Thank you so much! We're glad you enjoyed your flight and appreciate your comments!

Thanks, Kathy! We enjoyed having you onboard and hope you'll be able to join us again!

Thanks, Andi! I loved having you and Andy on board and hope to fly with you again!Shannan

Thank you so much! We're glad that you enjoyed your time with us and hope you can join us again! Shannan (your pilot)

As an employee on duty on the day you flew, I’m offering what I witnessed before, during, and after your flight. First of all, it seems that you’d been whale watching earlier in the day and I remember that you tried to cancel your flight within a few hours of flight time, a clear violation of the posted 48 hour cancellation notice policy. Secondly, you state that the captain ASKED, not demanded or required, if anyone would help move the basket. You and your friend, as the senior citizens you mention, obviously volunteered to assist. It’s unfair that you’re trying to make this sound like you were forced into doing something that you didn’t want to do. Thirdly, your balloon was on a farm road – by all accounts an excellent place to land which takes precision, skill, and experience. You launched from a farm, which was obviously okay with you, and you landed in a farm field, which for some reason was not okay with you. Fourth, it was nightfall after you landed because you’d requested a sunset flight.As a witness to your behavior after the flight, I do remember you coming into our office asking for a full refund because you'd been slightly delayed after landing. I personally apologized to you, so you DID receive an apology. The owner spoke with you, too, and offered you your choice of souvenir items, including clothing and jewelry, to try to appease you but the only thing you wanted or would accept were two free flights. You drank plenty of our champagne, at our Italian dinner, and fully took advantage of all we had to offer, and then wanted your money back. You were not treated disrespectfully – you just did not get your way.Shannan Sorensen, General Manager & Commercial Pilot (not yours)

I had an amazing time on my hot air balloon ride with Airial Balloon Company. I went with two people for a friend's birthday and we all loved it! The staff was very kind and polite, both when booking our flight and on flight day. The pilots and crew were very skilled and informative, they made the ride very fun and made us feel very safe. The Snohomish Valley is gorgeous and seeing it from a hot air balloon was breathtaking. The dinner that they provide after the flight was very good. Hopefully you will be lucky enough to try their homemade lasagna! They even had a complimentary and adorable birthday cake for my friend! I highly recommend this company, the staff was wonderful and accomodating and made my friend's birthday very special.

We’re happy to hear that you ultimately enjoyed your flight, but please accept our sincere apology for your customer service concerns. We realize that, of the people who do fly in a hot air balloon, most do it only once, and we truly want it to be a pleasurable experience for them from their first call in to the time they drive out of our parking area after their flight. The person you spoke with was obviously new and inexperienced, as:1. those on standby are never obligated to fly unless they are both offered the space and accept it.2. we have a 48-hour cancellation policy and if you indeed called before the 48-hour period, there should have been no question that you could cancel your current reservation and reschedule for another date.3. gift certificates are refundable within seven days of purchase.After you checked in for your flight, you were welcome to wait either at the seating area on our deck, or in the gazebo, on the swing, or at the picnic tables in our lawn area. The majority of our passengers wait in these areas and this is where the pilots have their initial contact with our customers. We have since spoken with both the pilots and the office staff about informing flight passengers about why they may be waiting to be transported to the launch site (usually the pilots are concentrating on the speed and direction of pilot balloons to determine appropriate launch and landing sites), and there are currently fewer incidences of the passengers not knowing why they are waiting.Please accept our apologies if the office staff was short with you. From the way you describe your experience, it seems likely that it was one of the high school girls hired as additional summer help. On that same note, if you requested a birthday cake, you shouldn't have had to ask for it. Again, we attribute the error to inadequate training of part-time, temporary summer help.We sincerely thank you for your feedback. Your comments have helped us improve our customer service. We strive to make each of our passengers feel welcome at our facility and enjoy their hot air balloon flight. We’re glad that you enjoyed yours and thank you for flying with us.