Scheduling Rules

Overview

One of the most common sources of friction in flying clubs is the feeling that a small number of members are monopolizing the aircraft. A pilot who books five consecutive weekends back-to-back squeezes out everyone else who was hoping to fly that aircraft. Without any guardrails, busy members with flexible schedules can dominate the scheduler, which breeds resentment and, eventually, member attrition.

Scheduling rules give you a simple, automated way to ensure fair access. Rather than relying on the honor system or requiring a scheduler to manually police reservations, Centerline enforces limits at the moment a member tries to book. The system declines reservations that would exceed the configured limits and explains why — no human intervention required, no awkward conversations needed. The rules apply consistently to everyone, which members generally appreciate even if they occasionally find themselves bumping up against a limit.

Setting sensible rules also protects the aircraft. Short, frequent reservations are often better for engine health than marathon trip reservations that sit on the calendar and get cancelled at the last minute. A maximum reservation length encourages members to plan realistically rather than hold the aircraft "just in case."

Required Role

You must have the Account Owner role to configure scheduling rules.

Accessing Rules

Click Setup in the navigation bar, then select the Rules tab. Scheduling rules appear in the Scheduling card on the left side of the page.

Available Rules

Maximum Reservations per Member

Sets the maximum number of active (future, non-cancelled) reservations a single member can hold at any one time across all aircraft in your organization.

Example: If set to 3, a member who already has three upcoming reservations will not be able to make a fourth until one of those reservations completes or is cancelled.

This is the most commonly used rule. A limit of 2–5 works well for most clubs depending on their size and how far in advance members typically book.

Important: Backup reservations count toward this limit. A member with two active reservations and one backup reservation has three reservations against their limit.

Maximum Total Hours per Member

Sets the maximum number of hours a member can have reserved (in total, across all future reservations) at any given time.

Example: If set to 20, a member cannot have more than 20 hours of upcoming flight time reserved. This prevents a member from booking one 6-hour reservation, two 5-hour reservations, and several shorter ones that together lock up a large block of aircraft time.

This rule complements the reservation count limit. A member who makes very long individual reservations might stay under a count limit while still monopolizing the aircraft — the hours limit catches that.

Maximum Reservation Length

Sets the maximum duration (in hours) for any single reservation. A member cannot create a reservation longer than this limit.

Example: If set to 8, no single reservation can exceed 8 hours. This doesn't prevent a member from booking multiple consecutive shorter reservations (a different scheduling philosophy), but it does prevent a single 72-hour block from appearing on the calendar.

This rule can also be set per-aircraft in the aircraft settings, which lets you apply different limits to different aircraft. For example, you might allow longer reservations on a cross-country-capable aircraft while keeping a tight limit on your local trainer.

Leaving Fields Blank

Any rule field you leave blank has no restriction for that dimension. It is perfectly valid to set only a maximum reservation length without any reservation count or hours limit, or to set only the hours limit. Configure only the rules that address real problems in your club.

How Rules Are Applied

• Rules are checked at the moment a member submits a new reservation.
• If a rule would be violated, the reservation is declined with a clear explanation of which limit was reached.
• Members with the Account Owner or Booking role can override limits — they are exempt from the reservation rules when making reservations on behalf of others or managing the club calendar.
• The rules apply to standard reservations and backup reservations equally.
• Cancelled reservations are removed from a member's count immediately, freeing up capacity for a new booking.

Tips

• Start permissive (or with no limits) and tighten rules only if you observe monopolization problems. It is easier to add restrictions than to explain to members why you're loosening rules you just set.
• Consider seasonal variation. A limit of 3 reservations may be appropriate during summer when demand is high but unnecessarily restrictive during the quiet winter months. You can adjust rules at any time.
• Communicate rule changes to members in advance. A message through your club newsletter or the Announcements feature gives members time to adjust their habits rather than being surprised by a declined booking.
• The maximum reservation length is a good first rule to set for any club. Even a generous limit of 12 or 24 hours prevents the most egregious hoarding while barely affecting most members.
• If you have aircraft with different typical use profiles (a local trainer vs. a long-range touring aircraft), consider setting per-aircraft length limits in the aircraft settings rather than a blanket organization-wide limit.