Public vs Private Trips
When you create a Book Seat trip request, you choose who can find and join it. This setting — called visibility — controls whether your trip appears in search results or remains invite-only.
Public trips
A Public trip is visible to everyone on the platform.
- Your trip appears in search results on the Book Seat tab
- Any traveler can discover your trip, view the route and dates, and request to join
- As the trip owner, you review and approve join requests
- Public trips fill seats faster because they benefit from the platform's full reach
- A shareable link is available so you can share your trip directly with friends or post it anywhere
Public is the best choice when your goal is to fill seats quickly and reduce the per-seat cost for everyone — including yourself.
Private trips
A Private trip is invisible to the general platform.
- Your trip does not appear in any search results
- No one can discover your trip without being specifically invited by you
- Only people who receive your invitation can see and join the trip
- This gives you complete control over who is on the flight
Private is the right choice when you have a specific group in mind, when discretion matters, or when you are coordinating travel for colleagues, family, or a closed community.
A Private Book Seat trip still goes through the pooling process — it just limits who can participate. Invited travelers still need to reserve seats before the trip reaches operators.
Changing visibility
You can change your trip between Public and Private at any time while it is in Draft or Pooling status.
Once your trip has been sent to operators (Request Sent and beyond), visibility is locked and cannot be changed.
Book Jet trips are always Private
If you are using Book Jet, visibility does not apply. Book Jet trips are always Private.
This is by design: a full aircraft charter is a personal, exclusive booking. It is never appropriate to display a Book Jet trip in public search results, as no other travelers can join or split the cost anyway.
How visibility affects your pooling strategy
| Goal | Recommended visibility |
|---|---|
| Fill seats as fast as possible | Public |
| Invite a specific group only | Private |
| Share with your network but not strangers | Private + share your invite link |
| Maximum cost reduction through more travelers | Public |
| Discreet business or personal travel | Private |
Summary
| Public | Private | |
|---|---|---|
| Appears in search | Yes | No |
| Anyone can request to join | Yes | No |
| Requires invitation | No | Yes |
| Shareable link | Yes | Yes (invite only) |
| Available for Book Seat | Yes | Yes |
| Available for Book Jet | No | Always (automatic) |
| Can be changed | In Draft or Pooling | In Draft or Pooling |