FAQ (Frequently asked questions)

Find answers to the most frequently asked questions here.

If you already have your tickets please check our passenger guide first.

Do you have any doubts or can't find the answer to your question?

Our team welcomes you by telephone on 0 4 50 55 50 60 every day from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., or via the contact form.

Why choose Alpes Montgolfière?
Where do we fly?
What if I get dizzy?
When is it possible to fly in a hot air balloon?
What time is my flight?
How should I dress?
What is the maximum altitude we climb to?
What physical abilities are required to get on board?
Can children fly?
Where will the hot air balloon land?
How long is my ticket valid?
What are the ideal conditions for a flight?

• We are an airline registered with civil aviation (reference AIRSHOW - FR.DEC.387)
• Our team is certainly the most experienced in France with permanent pilots each having more than 2000 hours of flight time.
• We fly in a small basket with a maximum capacity of 7 passengers.
• Our flight sector is the closest to the Mont Blanc massif
• Our flexible organization allows us to adapt to customer demand and we do our utmost to find you a flight date during your stay in the Alps (depending on the weather of course)
• We fly all year round except November, allowing you to fly in any season.

We are proud to offer you the most spectacular flying sector in the French Alps.

Our take-off base is located in Praz sur Arly (74) near Megève.

You will mainly fly over the Val d'Arly at an altitude between 2500 and 3500m, allowing you to have an incredible view of the Mont-Blanc massif, the Aravis, the Southern Alps, the Bauges massif, the Chartreuse, etc.

Vertigo is technically impossible on board because we are not connected to the ground. Our pilots have taken on board tens of thousands of passengers and none, even those subject to vertigo in everyday life, have had vertigo in our nacelles.

We fly all year round except for November. From experience, this is the quietest month in terms of activity, with gloomy weather, and therefore soggy meadows before the snow sets in. This month allows our team to take a well-deserved vacation and to carry out maintenance on the aeronautical and rolling stock.

We only fly in the morning and therefore depending on the season your meeting time will be between 7:30 and 9:30. And this is for aerological reasons! In the middle of the day the sun warms the ground, thermal ascendants are created making the air mass turbulent, making the hot air balloon flight dangerous.

You will receive the exact time of the appointment by SMS when confirming your flight between 48 and 24 hours before it.

You should know that it is not colder up there than on the ground, dress as if you are going hiking. Our balloons sometimes land in wild meadows with wet grass.

The ideal outfit:

• Closed shoes (sneakers, hiking shoes, etc.)
• Pants (legs covered)
• Bring a jacket/coat depending on the temperature
• Cap and sunglasses if you feel the need

The following are prohibited:

Heels, open shoes, flip-flops, thongs,

The following are not recommended:

Shorts, dresses.

Depending on the weather conditions of the day, our balloons can climb between 2500 and 3500m. Enough to have an incredible view of the entire Alps.

Pregnant women are not accepted in our balloons. If you are expecting a happy event, contact our customer service who will extend the validity of your ticket so that you can enjoy your flight with complete peace of mind after your pregnancy.

You do not need to be a great athlete. A good physical condition is enough. You must be able to stand for an hour, and get in and out of the basket by your own means. If you have any doubts about your physical condition, we invite you to consult your doctor.

Children are accepted from 7 years old, accompanied by an adult up to 14 years old.

Hot air ballooning is an adventure from start to finish where nothing is written in advance. We fly with the winds where the art of piloting consists of playing with the winds to steer a non-steerable balloon. The direction is therefore random and changes every day. We strive to respect the work of farmers and therefore depending on the season we can land on a path clear of obstacles so as not to crush the grass of the meadows.

Unless otherwise stated, our tickets are valid for 24 months from the date of issue. Our tickets are non-refundable (except for conditions specified in art 13 of our T&Cs. If you have not made your flight during this period, but have made at least 6 attempts. Your tickets are extended free of charge for an additional 12 months. Otherwise, you can extend it with a supplement of €50/person.

We advise you not to wait until the last days of validity of your flight ticket to book your date.

Our activity depends directly on the weather. Weather is not an exact science, especially in the mountains with many local phenomena that are hard to predict (Foehn, north wind, orographic fog, etc.). We work directly with the meteorologists of Chamonix as well as with the Météo-France service dedicated to aviation.

Trust us, with 10,000 hours of mountain flying experience accumulated over the last 40 years, our pilots know when it is wise to cancel a flight. Our decision is all the more difficult because some people travel from far away to participate in this fabulous adventure and we do not want to make them come for nothing.

And remember that every cancelled flight is a loss of revenue for us, we only act to ensure your safety. And despite all the weather tools and all our experience, in rare cases we have to cancel the flight on the take-off field. Again, the weather is not a crystal ball and safety comes first.