Flight sharing is the sharing of the costs of non-commercial general aviation aircraft flights between a licensed pilot and their passengers.
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Flight sharing websites
With the rise of the Internet, numerous websites have appeared to coordinate the meeting of private pilots with willing passengers for particular flights.
United States
Flight sharing is legal in the United States, under the terms of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). However, the FARs include a few caveats. Per regulation 61.113(c), a private pilot is prevented from making a profit off such a flight:
(c) A private pilot may not pay less than the pro rata share of the operating expenses of a flight with passengers, provided the expenses involve only fuel, oil, airport expenditures, or rental fees.The rules also state that the pilot and passengers must share a "common purpose" in the flight.
The FAA has not made a specific determination regarding the legality of flight sharing websites. One such website, Airpooler.com, requested that the FAA review the situation and make a determination, and encouraged its pilot members to await the findings before making arrangements for further flights through their service.
In Summer 2014, the FAA shut down two flight-sharing platforms. FlyteNow appealed to a federal court. The case is set for a hearing September 25th 2015.
European Union
In the European Union, flight sharing is authorized for light aircraft by the article 6 § 4 bis a) of the law n° 965/2012 enacted on October, 5th 2012. Several flight sharing startups were created in Europe, and especially in France, including Coavmi and Wingly.