Changes to Airfix Flying Hours

[Weaver]

This might be old news to some people, but because I've got three unused Airfix Flying Hours Passports, I've just noticed that the terms have changed several times in the last few years, so beware if you've got an old passport and always check the website for the latest T&Cs.

The webpage for Flying Hours is here: https://support.airfix.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360017083939-Airfix-Club-Flying-Hours
(You have to be logged on and a Club member to see it).


Number of Tokens Needed.

This has gone up significantly at some point since 2015. However, Series 9 kits are now included.

Old Scheme:
12 tokens - Series 1 or 2 kit
24 tokens - Series 3 or 4 kit
36 tokens - Series 5 or 6 kit
48 tokens - Series 7 or 8 kit

Current Scheme:
16 tokens - Series 1 or 2 kit
30 tokens - Series 3 or 4 kit
40 tokens - Series 5 or 6 kit
60 tokens - Series 7, 8 or 9 kit


Postage Costs:

The cheque you have to include to cover postage.

Pre 2015: £2.95
On a current passport sent to me only a few weeks ago: £4.98
On the website today: £5.95


Lastly, and this is pure speculation on my part, I wouldn't be surprised if they discontinue the Flying Hours scheme in the next few years and replace it with some variation on their Hobby Points scheme, which is all digital and essentially does the same thing, i.e. reward you for buying Airfix kits. At the moment it only applies to purchases though their website, but you could easily imagine a system where Flying Hours tokens are replaced by a discount code on the box which gets you more Hobby Points but which you can only upload through the Club Members Area of the website.

It might, therefore, be a good idea to use any Flying Hours tokens you've got whilst you still can.

[Weaver]

The plot thickens...

I just rang them up to check what to use as a "membership number" because the passport asks for one but they havn't given me one. It turns out that your e-mail address is now your membership number. The self-print passports are slightly different and ask for e-mail address.

While I was on I pointed out the discrepancy in the postage charges, and she confirmed that it's £3.95, not £4.98 as per the passport or £5.95 as per the website! She double-checked this with the lady who does the Flying Hours and yep, definitely £3.95.

That's not the first error I've spotted on their website: somebody needs to have a word with their web managers.

[Steel Penguin]

hmmm  thats not the best thing to be hearing, relatively simple mistakes that should be caught by proof reading.
i admit i have a pile  ( not too big admittedly) of flying hours and have considered joining the club to use them, but something has always come up, and now that the op Herrick 1:48 vehicles are no longer there im rather torn....

[Nick]

I donated my small pile of Flying Hours to Models For Heroes a few years ago. They said they will eventually send in a bulk order to donate to veterans who use the hobby as a stress relief.

[zenrat]

...Postage Costs:

The cheque you have to include to cover postage...

The what?   

[Weaver]

...Postage Costs:

The cheque you have to include to cover postage...

The what?   

You can pay it by card but that involves giving them a phone number and them ringing you up at a time that suites them. Seemed like too much bother, so I blew the dust off the cheque book for the first time in about three years...