Seats, Subscriptions, and Paid Members
Summary
Your FlightSense subscription is billed per seat. A seat is a member slot that grants premium features to whoever occupies it—students, instructors, or staff. When you add members, you decide whether each one occupies a paid seat or joins as a guest. Understanding this distinction up front saves confusion later when a member can't access a premium feature or when your seat counter is off.
Who this is for
- Owners and Admins — the only roles that can view or modify billing
- Chief Instructors — can assign roles but cannot change the subscription itself
Before you begin
- Know your current seat count. It's displayed next to the Add Member button in the Members view (e.g., "8 of 10 seats used (2 remaining)").
- Have a payment method on file. The subscription is managed through Stripe.
- Decide your policy: does your school cover every student's subscription, or do you want some students to pay their own way as guests?
Steps
1. Check your current seat usage
Open the Members view. Next to the Add Member button, a counter shows how many seats are used and how many remain (e.g., "8 of 10 seats used (2 remaining)"). Every member with Occupies paid seat toggled on counts as one seat used.
2. Add a member as a paid seat
Click Add Member, enter their FlightSense ID, choose their role(s), and leave Occupies paid seat toggled on. Save. They immediately count against your seat limit and receive premium access.
3. Add a member as a guest
In the same dialog, toggle Occupies paid seat off before saving. Guest members:
- Do not count against your seat limit
- Do not receive premium features through your subscription
- Can still appear in records, reports, and your Members list
- Can be moved to a paid seat later by editing the member
Guest members are useful for:
- Students who pay their own FlightSense subscription
- Historical records of past students who have moved on
- Visiting check instructors or external pilots who don't need premium access
4. Convert a guest to a paid seat (or vice versa)
Open the member's details, click Edit Member, toggle the Occupies paid seat switch, and save. Seat counts update immediately.
If converting to paid would exceed your limit, the save will fail with a seat-limit warning. Upgrade your subscription first.
5. Upgrade your subscription
When you need more seats, click Billing Portal in the sidebar. This opens the Stripe-hosted subscription management portal. Follow the prompts to add seats. Changes are prorated through Stripe.
6. Remove a member to free a seat
If a student graduates or an instructor leaves, remove them from the Members view (or convert them to a guest if you want to keep their record). The seat frees immediately.
What happens next
- Seat counts update in real time on the Members view.
- New paid members see premium features unlocked the next time they open the app.
- Converted guests lose premium access immediately on their next app refresh.
- Billing changes (upgrade / downgrade) are reflected in Stripe and on your next invoice.
Common issues
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| "You've reached your seat limit. Please upgrade your plan or remove a member." | Trying to add a paid member beyond your plan's capacity | Open the Billing Portal from the sidebar and add seats, or remove/convert an inactive member. |
| Add Member button shows "Seat limit reached" tooltip and is disabled | Same as above | Same solution. Consider whether the new member can start as a guest. |
| Student says they're locked out of premium features | They were added as a guest | Edit the member and toggle Occupies paid seat on. |
| Seat counter shows more seats used than members I recognize | Includes guests with the toggle accidentally on, or historical members | Review the Members list and audit each row's Occupies Paid Seat column. |
| Billing link is disabled or hidden | Role doesn't include billing permission | Only Owners and Admins can access billing. Chief Instructors and Assistant Chiefs cannot. |
| Billing portal won't load | Stripe integration needs re-authentication | Try an incognito window; if it persists, contact FlightSense support. |
How this works
Seats vs. members
Every member is a person in your organization, regardless of paid status. Seats are a billing concept — they measure how many members have premium access through your subscription.
You can have 50 members and only 20 seats used if 30 of them are guests. Reports, records, and history include all 50.
What premium access covers
Members occupying a paid seat get the same full-featured FlightSense experience your subscription covers:
- Unlimited Amelia (AI chat) messages
- Full Training Insights and analytics
- Course Progress and Check Results
- Everything flagged with a star icon in the mobile app
Guest members fall back to the free-tier experience: limited Amelia usage and some premium features paywalled.
Who should be a guest?
- Pay it yourself students — a student who has their own personal FlightSense subscription (paid individually). Add them as a guest so your school isn't double-paying.
- Visiting check instructors — someone doing a one-off stage check who doesn't need ongoing access.
- Historical records — a past student you want to keep in records without consuming a seat.
Billing and permissions
The Billing Portal is available only to Owners and Admins. If you're a Chief Instructor and need to adjust the subscription, ask an Admin or Owner to do it.
What happens when seats go down
Downgrading seats (removing them via the billing portal) when you have more paid members than the new cap is blocked by the billing flow. FlightSense will prompt you to convert or remove members first so you aren't left in an invalid state.