Privacy, Contributions, Donations & Refund Policy

Updated on:  October 30, 2026
 
Introduction

Affordable Skies is committed to protecting the personal information of our members, donors, supporters, and website visitors. We believe that transparency and trust are essential to our mission of strengthening the voice of the traveling public.
This policy explains what information we collect, how we use and protect it, how we communicate with you, and how memberships, donations, and refunds are handled.

Affordable Skies operates through two separate nonprofit organizations:
 

• Affordable Skies Coalition, a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization focused on consumer advocacy and aviation policy.

• Affordable Skies Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization focused on traveler education, research, and related charitable activities.

This policy applies to information collected through www.affordableskies.org and related membership activities, donations, surveys, events, communications, and online services operated by either organization.
When this policy refers to "Affordable Skies," "we," or "our," it means the Coalition, the Foundation, or both, depending on which organization provides the service or receives the information.

For privacy questions, please contact community@affordableskies.org.

Part I - Privacy and Protection of Personal Information

1. What information do we collect? We collect information that helps us provide services, communicate with supporters, conduct research, and carry out our nonprofit missions.

Depending on how you interact with us, this information may include:
 

• Your name, email address, mailing address, and telephone number.

• Membership registration details and communication preferences.

• Donation information, payment amounts, and transaction records.

• Event registrations and participation information.

• Survey responses, opinions, and voluntarily submitted travel experiences.

• Messages, questions, and other information you provide when contacting us.

• Account credentials or other information needed to manage online accounts.
   

Our website and service providers may also collect technical information, including IP addresses, browser types, device information, referring websites, and information about how visitors use our website.

We may receive publicly available contact information in connection with outreach activities.

We encourage visitors to share only the information necessary for their interaction with Affordable Skies.

2. How do we use your information?

We use personal information to support our nonprofit activities and provide the services you request.

These purposes include:
 

• Managing memberships and supporter accounts.

• Processing donations and maintaining financial records.

• Providing newsletters, educational materials, and aviation updates.

• Organizing events, discussions, surveys, and other activities.

• Conducting research into traveler experiences and aviation issues.

• Responding to questions, requests, and concerns.

• Informing our educational programs, research, and advocacy priorities.

• Improving website performance, accessibility, and security.

• Preventing fraud and meeting applicable legal, tax, and accounting obligations.
   

We may also use information to communicate about opportunities to support our work, subject to applicable laws and your communication preferences.

3. How do we protect survey responses and traveler experiences?

Affordable Skies conducts surveys, polls, and other research to better understand the needs, experiences, and concerns of air travelers.

Participation is voluntary.

Survey findings may be analyzed, summarized, published, or shared with policymakers, aviation industry representatives, researchers, journalists, and the public.

Whenever practical, we present survey results in summarized or de-identified form rather than identifying individual participants.
We will not knowingly publish a participant's name, contact information, or directly identifying details alongside an individual survey response without appropriate permission, unless required by law.

When sharing individual travel experiences or quotations, we take reasonable steps to protect participants' identities. We may request additional permission when a story contains details that could identify the person involved.

Important: Removing a person's name does not always make a travel experience anonymous. Participants should avoid including sensitive information, such as financial account numbers, identification documents, medical details, or other private information, unless specifically requested through an appropriate process.

Affordable Skies may use survey findings to inform organizational positions and educational activities. Participation does not guarantee that an individual response will result in a particular policy recommendation or organizational action.

4. Do we share your information?

Affordable Skies does not sell or rent personal information.

We may share information in limited circumstances, including:
 

• Service providers: Organizations that help operate our website, process payments, distribute emails, administer surveys, manage events, or provide technical services. These include Zeffy for membership administration beginning October 30, 2026, and PayPal for continuing paid membership subscriptions originally established through Wix Pricing Plans. Information needed to administer memberships and process payments is handled by these providers under their respective privacy policies.

• Between the Coalition and Foundation: When information sharing is appropriate for a disclosed activity, necessary for shared administrative operations, or authorized by the individual.

• With your permission: When you authorize us to share a testimonial, travel experience, contact information, or other personal information.

• Legal requirements: When disclosure is required by applicable law, a valid legal process, or necessary to protect rights and safety.

• Research and public reporting: When information is presented in summarized or appropriately de-identified form.

Service providers should receive only the information reasonably necessary to perform their services.

We do not provide identifiable membership lists or individual survey responses to airline partners or financial supporters merely because they support Affordable Skies.

We do not share text-message opt-in information, including mobile phone numbers and consent records, with third parties for their own marketing or promotional purposes.

5. How do we protect donor privacy?

We respect the privacy of individuals and organizations that financially support Affordable Skies.
Donor information may include names, contact details, contribution amounts, transaction histories, and acknowledgment preferences.
We use this information to process contributions, maintain financial records, provide receipts, communicate with supporters, and comply with applicable laws.

We do not sell or rent donor lists.

Donors may request that their names not appear in public donor acknowledgments or recognition materials. We will honor reasonable requests for public anonymity, subject to applicable legal and reporting requirements.

Donor information may be disclosed to authorized payment processors, accounting professionals, auditors, legal advisers, and other service providers when necessary for legitimate organizational purposes.

Financial contributions do not give donors control over Affordable Skies' research findings, educational conclusions, or advocacy positions.

6. Do we use cookies and website analytics?

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to support website functions, understand visitor activity, improve performance, and evaluate communications.

These technologies may collect information such as browser type, device characteristics, pages visited, and general usage patterns.

Some cookies are necessary for website operation. Others may support analytics or marketing activities.

You can generally manage or block cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect website features.

Where applicable law requires additional notice or consent for particular tracking technologies, we will provide the appropriate choices.

7. How long do we keep information?

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, including membership administration, research, communications, accounting, recordkeeping, security, and legal compliance.
Different types of information may have different retention periods.

For example, financial records may need to be retained longer than routine website inquiries.

When information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to delete it, anonymize it, or otherwise limit its use, subject to legal requirements and technical limitations such as backup systems.

8. How do we keep information secure?

Affordable Skies uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, misuse, loss, and disclosure.

These safeguards may include access restrictions, account protections, secure service providers, and procedures for handling organizational information.

Only individuals with an appropriate organizational reason should have access to personal information.

No website, electronic communication, or information storage system can be guaranteed completely secure.

If you believe information you provided to Affordable Skies has been compromised, please contact us promptly.

9. What privacy choices do you have?

You may contact Affordable Skies to:
 

• Request access to personal information we maintain about you.

• Ask us to correct inaccurate information.

• Request deletion of personal information, subject to applicable legal and recordkeeping requirements.

• Update your contact information or communication preferences.

• Unsubscribe from optional email communications.

• Withdraw consent for text messages.

• Ask questions about how your information is collected, used, or shared.
   

Requests may be sent to community@affordableskies.org.

We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests. We will review requests in accordance with applicable law and explain when information must be retained for legitimate legal or operational reasons.

Residents of certain states may have additional privacy rights under applicable law.

10. Do we collect information from children?

Affordable Skies does not knowingly solicit personal information from children under 13 without appropriate parental consent.

Our general membership, donation, and communications services are intended for adults unless otherwise stated.

If we learn that personal information has been collected from a child in circumstances requiring parental consent that was not obtained, we will take appropriate steps to address the information.

Parents or guardians may contact community@affordableskies.org with concerns.

11. Do we respond to browser privacy signals?

Some browsers provide privacy signals, including Do Not Track settings and other mechanisms expressing a preference about online tracking.

We will handle legally recognized privacy signals as required by applicable law.

Other browser signals may not be supported by every website feature or service provider.

Part II - Communications and Membership

12. Email communications

Affordable Skies may send emails related to membership, donations, events, surveys, educational resources, advocacy activities, and organizational updates.

We may also send fundraising appeals and invitations to participate in Affordable Skies programs, in accordance with applicable law and your communication preferences.

You may unsubscribe from optional promotional communications using the unsubscribe link in an email or by contacting community@affordableskies.org.

Certain administrative messages, such as payment confirmations, account notices, or other necessary service communications, may still be sent when appropriate.

We do not sell or rent email addresses.

13. Text messaging

If you choose to receive text messages from Affordable Skies, you may receive communications such as organizational updates, event reminders, advocacy alerts, or fundraising messages, depending on the program to which you subscribed.

By opting in, you confirm that you are authorized to use the mobile telephone number provided.

Message frequency may vary. Message and data rates may apply.

You may reply STOP to unsubscribe or HELP for assistance where those commands are supported by the messaging program.
You may also contact community@affordableskies.org for assistance.

Consent to receive optional marketing text messages is not required as a condition of making a donation or obtaining services that do not depend on those messages.

Affordable Skies does not sell, rent, or share text-message opt-in information with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

Mobile carriers are not responsible for delayed or undelivered messages.

14. Memberships

Affordable Skies may offer free memberships and optional paid membership levels that help support its activities.

Membership benefits, fees, renewal terms, and other conditions are described when a person enrolls.

Paid memberships are offered on an annual basis. Automatic renewal applies when selected or authorized at enrollment, under the applicable membership terms.

Beginning October 30, 2026, Affordable Skies uses Zeffy as its membership platform and no longer uses Wix Pricing Plans for membership enrollment. Existing paid membership subscriptions established through Wix Pricing Plans and paid through PayPal will continue through PayPal unless canceled. Members with these continuing PayPal subscriptions do not need to purchase a new Zeffy membership to keep their existing subscription active. Members are responsible for reviewing the applicable membership details before enrolling.

15. Automatic renewals and cancellations

For memberships with automatic renewal, the renewal amount and billing frequency should be disclosed during enrollment.

Zeffy memberships: To manage a membership or stop automatic renewal for a membership purchased through Zeffy, sign in at www.zeffy.com/login using the email address associated with the membership. Open the relevant membership payment under My transactions and select Cancel Renewal to stop future renewal charges. Members may also email community@affordableskies.org to request cancellation or a change in membership status.

A cancellation stops future renewal charges. Unless otherwise stated in the applicable membership terms, membership benefits continue through the end of the current paid period.

Canceling a membership does not automatically refund a previously completed payment.

Existing PayPal subscriptions: Members whose paid memberships were originally established through Wix Pricing Plans and are billed through PayPal must cancel the recurring payment through their PayPal account or email community@affordableskies.org to request cancellation. The move to Zeffy does not automatically cancel these PayPal subscriptions. Managing a Zeffy account does not cancel a separate PayPal subscription. For assistance with either platform, or to request a change in membership status, email community@affordableskies.org and include the name and email address associated with the membership. Unsubscribing from email communications does not cancel a paid membership or stop automatic renewal.community@affordableskies.org

Any changes to membership pricing or renewal terms will be handled in accordance with applicable law and the terms communicated to affected members.

Part III - Contributions, Donations and Refunds

16. Donations and contributions

Affordable Skies welcomes financial support from individuals, businesses, foundations, and other organizations that share our commitment to improving the air travel experience.

Affordable Skies Foundation supports charitable activities, including traveler education and research.

Affordable Skies Coalition supports social welfare activities, including consumer advocacy and aviation policy engagement.

The organization receiving a contribution should be identified during the donation process and on the corresponding receipt or acknowledgment.
Contributions are used in accordance with applicable law, donor restrictions accepted by the receiving organization, and the organization's nonprofit purposes.

17. Are donations tax-deductible?

Affordable Skies Foundation is recognized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity. Contributions to the Foundation may be deductible for federal income tax purposes to the extent permitted by law.

Affordable Skies Coalition is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. Contributions to the Coalition generally are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.

Membership fees or payments that provide goods or services may have different tax treatment from charitable contributions.
Affordable Skies does not provide individual tax advice. Donors should consult a qualified tax professional regarding their circumstances.

18. Donation acknowledgments

Affordable Skies may provide payment confirmations, donation receipts, and other acknowledgments appropriate to the contribution and the receiving organization.

Donors should retain these records for their personal and tax purposes.

Where required, acknowledgments will identify the receiving organization and provide the information necessary for applicable charitable contribution substantiation rules.

19. Refund policy

Donations and contributions are generally considered final.

However, Affordable Skies will review refund requests involving:
 

• Duplicate payments.

• Accidental or erroneous charges.

• Unauthorized transactions.

• Other circumstances requiring a refund under applicable law.
   

Refund requests should be sent to community@affordableskies.org with sufficient information to identify the transaction.

Approved refunds will generally be returned to the original payment method when possible.

Refunds of paid membership fees will be handled according to the membership terms presented at enrollment and applicable law.

Nothing in this policy limits any refund or cancellation rights provided by law.

20. Financial independence

Affordable Skies may receive contributions, sponsorships, grants, and other financial support from individuals and organizations, including aviation industry participants.

Financial support does not entitle a donor or sponsor to determine Affordable Skies' research conclusions, educational findings, or policy positions.

Partnerships and sponsorships must remain consistent with the purposes and obligations of the organization receiving the support.

Part IV - General Information

21. Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to airlines, government agencies, educational resources, partner organizations, and other external websites.

Affordable Skies is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of websites operated by unrelated third parties.

We encourage visitors to review the privacy policies of those websites before providing personal information.

22. Changes to this policy

Affordable Skies may update this policy to reflect changes in organizational activities, technology, legal requirements, or privacy practices.

The most recent revision date will appear at the beginning of the policy.

When appropriate or legally required, we may provide additional notice of significant changes.

We encourage visitors to review this policy periodically.

23. Contact information

If you have questions about this policy, your membership, a contribution, or how your personal information is handled, please contact:
Affordable Skies

Website: www.affordableskies.org
Email: community@affordableskies.org

Please identify whether your inquiry concerns Affordable Skies Coalition, Affordable Skies Foundation, or both, if known.

© 2026 Affordable Skies. All rights reserved.
Affordable Skies Coalition and Affordable Skies Foundation are separate nonprofit organizations operating under their respective tax-exempt purposes.