Customer: Add your requesting customer, internal entity, insurance company, approving manager or other that suits your internal need. This will be visible on the Quote PDF
Status: Select a status. This can be used for internal reporting
Quote Number: If needed add your internal reference number.
STEP 2: Import offers
At the bottom of the page, select the offers that you would like to import and click Import
In the pop-up select OK
STEP 3: Edit Quote information
To edit the itinerary or to add a message with additional information for a specific quote, click the Pen-symbol for the Quote you would like to edit
If needed adjust the Itinerary, such as date of departure ...
... and under Notes and Itineraries add a message in the PDF message box. Hit Save
STEP 4: Download or send the Quotes via email
Click Email to email the quotes to the recipient or Click Download to download the quotes
STEP 5: Schedule the Trip
For reporting reasons or to continue working with the trip in the Scheduled Trips page, click Schedule for the aircraft that you have decided to go for.
Pooling is when two or more patients share the same aircraft. This could be a more severe accident, such as a car crash, where several patients need to be transported from position A to B. It can also be two separate cases that do not have the exact same evacuation routing, e.g., [Patient 1] needs to go from location A to B, while [Patient 2] needs to go from C to D. Even if the route isn't the exactt same, it might be similar and there can be a possibility of combining these two cases to the same flight. This is the kind of pooling we're referring to in this article.
What are the benefits of pooling?
Pooling multiple patients allows for substantial cost savings, as you only need to book a single aircraft instead of two.
Using the Pooling map to identify pooling opportunities
The pooling map can be found under Trips→Buying.
Combining two existing cases
In this example, we can see that we have one trip Palma de Mallorca→Gothenburg, Sweden, and a second trip from Nice, France →Gothenburg, Sweden. As we can see from the map, the trips are very similar to each other, and there's a possibility of combining them into one trip instead of two.
The next step would be to go to Search → Air Ambulance and search for a Multi-leg trip (a flight with multiple stops). Combining the trips together, we would fly Palma → Nice → Gothenburg.
In the search result page, select a few providers just as you would normally do. Fill out the Patient Request Form for Patient 1 (Palma → Gothenburg). Then click Add New Patient to create an additional Patient Request Form for Patient 2 (Nice → Gothenburg). Once everything is completed, send the request.
Combining a new case with existing cases
When receiving a new mission, it is good practice to check the pooling map to see if the new case can be combined with an existing case. Let's say we get a mission for a patient in Venice, Italy, who needs to fly to London, UK. Before we start sending requests to the air ambulance providers, we should go to Trips → Buying to check the pooling map for pooling opportunities.
Looking at our existing cases on the pooling map, we can spot a pooling opportunity with the trip between Salzburg, Austria and Brussels, Belgium:
We could potentially go from Venice→Salzburg→Brussels→London
Now we go back to Search → Air Ambulance to search for a multi-leg trip for Venice→Salzburg→Brussels→London.
In the search result page, select a few providers just as you would normally do. Fill out the Patient Request Form for Patient 1 (Venice → London). Then click Add New Patient to create an additional Patient Request Form for Patient 2 Salzburg → Belgium). Once everything is completed, send the request.
As the name suggests, empty leg flights occur when an aircraft flies without passengers. This happens when the aircraft needs to reposition for its next scheduled flight. After dropping off passengers and needing to return to a base or move to another location for a subsequent booking, these jets fly without passengers. Since the cost of this repositioning flight has already been paid in the previous booking, you can purchase it at a significantly lower price than usual. This is why it's highly recommended to always check for potential empty legs when booking air ambulances.
Air ambulance operators can list their available empty legs on Avinode. These are visible and can be requested by you in two different locations within the system.
Empty legs in the Air Ambulance search result
In the Air Ambulance search result, you can select Empty Legs to see if there are any matching empty legs for your itinerary.
In this example, we searched for a flight from LOWS (Salzburg) to LFPB (Paris) on the 25th (indicated by the green line on the map). The search algorithm identified one possible empty leg, from Munich to Paris on the 24th, indicated by the blue line on the map. Although it isn't an exact match for the date or departure location, this is often not an issue because operators can be flexible with routes and sometimes dates. Go ahead and select the checkmark to add it to the flights you would like to request.
Empty legs in the Empty legs page
You can also look for suitable empty legs on our separate Empty Leg page under Search → Empty Legs. The main difference between browsing empty legs here and using the Air Ambulance search is that it offers more flexibility with both itinerary and date. For example, you can view all empty legs departing from Europe without needing to specify a particular itinerary. Alternatively, you can find all empty legs leaving from New York by entering "New York" in the From field and leaving the other fields blank. To request an empty leg, simply click the play button on the right.
This video provides additional information about the Empty Leg search.
One way – A flight from one location to another without any additional legs
Multi-leg – Used when the flight includes multiple stops, such as picking up or dropping off patients along the route. Example: Start in Palma de Mallorca (LEPA), stop in Barcelona (LEBL) to pick up another patient, and continue to the final destination in London (EGKB).
In the From field, type the city where the patient is located and choose the nearest airport. You can use the map to help find the closest one.
In the To field, enter the destination.
Select the departure date and the number of patients (PAX) traveling.
Click Search to view available flight options.
2.Select providers for your mission
Filter by your Partnerships to find aircraft suitable for this mission.
Max PAX shows the aircraft's maximum passenger capacity. Note that this number could be lower when stretchers and medical equipment are included.
Flight time refers to the duration it takes to fly the patient from the pick-up point to the drop-off location. In this case, how long it takes to fly from LFPV (Paris) to EGKB (London).
The results are sorted by Positioning time, meaning the time it takes for the aircraft to fly from their current location to the patient's location. This allows you to easily select the aircraft closest to the patient, saves time for urgent trips and often lowers costs because the aircraft needs to position a shorter distance.
Check the Seller Office's location. The nearer it is to the patient's final destination, the more cost-effective it tends to be.
Always remember to review the Empty Leg tab to discover the most cost-effective flight options.Learn morehere.
Click on the aircraft to expand and view additional details, such as images and the aircraft's layout. This provides an estimate of the number of patients and companions that can travel on this aircraft.
Click on the Seller name in the search results to view more details about the operator, including contact information, their full fleet, and response statistics.
Click the checkmarks on the right side to select the aircraft you would like to request. Then click Prepare request.
3.Finalize request details
Complete the form, and make sure not to include any sensitive data. Now you're ready to send the request!
4.Navigate to Trips Buying
Once the operators starts responding, you will be able to view it under Trips→ Buying.