Affiliate Disclosure — Airline Crew Discount

What is an affiliate link?

An affiliate link is a tracking URL that tells the merchant “this booking came from Airline Crew Discount”. If you book or buy through that link, the merchant pays us a small commission as a referral fee — typically a few percent of the transaction. The same product, the same price, the same merchant — the only thing that changes is that we get credit for sending you there.

Affiliate links are how independent publishers like us stay free to read. We do not run on-page advertising banners, we do not sell your data, and we do not charge crew for membership. Affiliate commissions are how the lights stay on.

Amazon Associates disclosure

We participate in the Amazon Associates programmes for the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, and Canada. The link you click will normally take you to the Amazon storefront for your country.

Affiliate networks we work with

An affiliate network is an intermediary that signs us up to many merchants under one account. The networks below each represent dozens or hundreds of brands; when you click a link to (for example) a luggage brand, hotel chain, or insurance provider, you may be tracked through one of these networks.

Direct partnerships

In addition to networks, we work directly with the following brands through their own affiliate or partner programmes:

Other commercial relationships

From time to time we also work with other affiliate networks and direct partners that are not listed above — for example, when we test a new product or join a programme for a one-off review. Any commercial relationship that affects content is disclosed inside the article itself, in plain language, before any affiliate link appears. If you spot a link on the site that you think we have not disclosed, please tell us — we will fix it.

How we choose what to recommend

The fact that we earn commission does not change what we recommend. We follow four rules — taken from our editorial policy:

• Crew-tested first. Captain AL personally tests every product or service we recommend, or has it tested by a trusted crew contact before publication.
• Better deal must exist. If a non-affiliate option offers crew a better price or experience, we link to that instead — even though we earn nothing.
• No pay-to-play rankings. Higher commission does not buy a higher position on a list. We rank by what is best for crew, full stop.
• Pulled when it stops working. If a partner withdraws an offer, raises prices, or fails crew, the article is updated or removed.

Your price never goes up

Affiliate commissions are paid by the merchant out of their own marketing budget. The price you pay through an affiliate link on this site is identical to the price you would pay if you visited the merchant directly. In some cases — particularly hotels and insurance — the affiliate link gives you access to better rates because the merchant runs partner-only deals.

Sponsored content vs affiliate content

There is a difference between an affiliate link and sponsored content:

• Affiliate content — the article is written independently by Captain AL. The merchant pays a small commission per sale generated, but has no influence over what is written. The vast majority of commercial content on this site is affiliate content.
• Sponsored content — the merchant pays a fixed fee for placement and may have input into the article. Sponsored articles are clearly labelled “Sponsored” or “Paid partnership” at the top of the page. Sponsored content always meets the same editorial standards as our independent content; we never publish sponsored content for a product Captain AL would not recommend on its merits.

Cookies and tracking

Affiliate links rely on cookies set by the merchant or affiliate network to attribute the booking. These cookies are subject to your consent under our privacy policy. Declining tracking cookies will not stop you from using the affiliate link or booking the product — it simply means we may not receive credit for the referral.

Questions about a specific link?

If you would like to know whether a particular link or product on the site is an affiliate, who the partner is, or how the commission works, ask Captain AL directly. We are happy to answer.

Legal basis for this disclosure

Airline Crew Discount maintains this disclosure to comply with:

• United States — Federal Trade Commission Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255).
• European Union — Unfair Commercial Practices Directive 2005/29/EC and the Digital Services Act regarding advertising transparency.
• United Kingdom — Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and Advertising Standards Authority CAP Code §3.
• Netherlands — Reclame Code Sociale Media & Influencer Marketing (RSM) and Wet oneerlijke handelspraktijken.
• Amazon Associates Operating Agreement — §5 disclosure language reproduced verbatim above.

If you are an enforcement authority or a fellow publisher with a question about our compliance approach, please get in touch.