Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides

Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides Response to Complaint ID [redacted] ( [redacted] ) Mr [redacted] purchased his flight from us May 16, which was scheduled for June when he planned to proposeAt the time of booking his flight he was cautioned that the possibility of rescheduling always exists, and that everything about hot air ballooning is weather dependentHe was also informed that if we were unable to fly that day, the flight would be rescheduled and that no refunds are availableHe accepted these Terms at the time he purchased the flight He rescheduled his flight on June, for August His June flight was cancelled because of a forecast low ceiling and mistThe ceiling was forecast to be - feet, which makes it impossible for hot air balloons to operate; we would not be able to meet FAA Visual Flight Rules, would be flying in the clouds, where neither passengers nor the pilot would be able to see anything, and low flying aircraft wouldn't be able to see the balloonSafety is always our top priority, something we will never compromiseMy conversation with Mr [redacted] following the cancellation consisted mostly of his accusations about us being a scam, not ever flying, owning no balloons, and threats about what he was going to doI was not rude, and tried to explain why we were unable to flyApparently, our years in the hot air balloon ride business, and FAA regulations meant very little to him, but I believe he was so disappointed he just didn't want to hear itWe understand that a few passengers let their disappointment become anger at usWe are always courteous; we just can't control the weather, and after letting disappointed passengers vent, usually they begin to understand that, and appreciate our safety concernsI thought he did understand, and he did reschedule the flight We have not had a "storefront" office for many yearsIt was pointless, and there was really no need for anyone to come to itThe addresses given on the website are meeting places for flights, which is what most people want to knowThe completely weather dependent nature of hot air ballooning means that the launch locations can differ for every flight, based upon wind speed and direction, and the meeting place has to be within a reasonable distance to the launch locationWe always try to meet in a place that is easy to find, and where there are hour facilities, like bathroomsThe address the Revdex.com has is our mailing addressI am not sure to what URL Mr [redacted] refers, but we do have more than one websiteThe past couple of years have been absolutely miserable for hot air ballooning in Texas, and across most of the countryLocal meteorologists and news reports in Texas have frequently mentioned the "historically epic weather" and "unprecedented weather conditions"We have experienced unending rain, subsequent flooding (which may leave the pilot with nowhere to land, and creates very saturated ground conditions, making landing potentially dangerous), and higher winds than usual because of the low lying jets caused by weather systems coming and goingAmong the requirements for safe hot air ballooning are the following: minimum of a foot ceiling; winds at MPH or less (up to about feet above ground level, based upon launch location); no rain, fog, mist; no thunderstorms in the vicinity; no temperatures over 902F, depending upon humidity; and a variety of other parametersOver the past year, we have had more weather cancellations than in any three-year period in our historyThere are no "climate change deniers" in our business! In order to better serve our passengers, and give them a wider choice of flight dates, we have extended all expiration dates by six months, without the monthly booking requirement to avoid an extension fee once the expiration date has passedWe also call previously cancelled passengers when there is space available on flights that we believe will goObviously, this has to be on short notice, so we keep a list of passengers that have requested to be on itWe are posting on our Facebook page when there are flights with space available, and the weather is forecast to be safe to flyIn the past week, the weather gods have smiled upon us, and we have flown more than passengersIt is our prayer that this will continueHowever, we can neither control the weather, nor predict it any better than meteorologists

Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides Response to Complaint ID [redacted] ( [redacted] ) [redacted] purchased her flight (for two) from TravelzooOn January 16, she booked her flight online for February When she did that, she certified she accepted our Terms, and had read the FAQsThe subsequent bookings and status notifications are attached, and demonstrate her compliance, and familiarity, with the TermsAll times on the documents are Eastern Time, since that is the time zone from which they are generated, I believe Central Time appears on the documents the passengers receivePlease note that the Pre-Flight Notice (cancellation) for May clearly states that only sunrise flights will be scheduled starting June, and that her E-Ticket for June is for a sunrise flightWhen she received the Pre-Flight Notice that June was a go, she called at 8:PM (CT) to tell me they would not be able to make it because of workOur cancellation policy for any changes in the booking is hours in advanceI explained this to her, and she said that she had not read either the Pre-Flight Notice of May, or her E-Ticket During our discussionI said that unless I could find a replacement for her on the flight, we would have to consider her flown, and that I would try very hard to find someone to take that spaceWe have a long "short notice" list, and I fully expected I would be able to do thatI have not spoken with her today, so she isn't aware whether I was successful in that attempt or notGenerally, when a situation like this arises, while we do consider those passengers flown, we put them on the short notice list, and call when we have space available on a flight we believe will be a goWe truly want our passengers to receive the ride for which they paid, but when someone has been a "no show" we are reluctant to schedule another flight ahead of time since history suggests that if they have done it once they are far more likely to do it again, putting us once more in a scramble to fill the spaceEvery balloon has a maximum launch weight and a minimum landing weightWe must be in between those two numbers for safety reasons, and last minute cancellations can, and have, prevented us from doing a flight in perfect weatherWe have put crew members aboard just to have enough weight for landing, which can leave us short on ground crew at landing, so we really don't like to do thatSafety is always our top priority, and will never be compromisedMrsDuncan mentioned the terrible reviews onlineShe is absolutely correct; at least on yelp.com there are negative reviews, most of which are due to unflyable weather conditionsTwo were written by a competitorOne has booked only three times in two yearsAnother states that summer flights were not available (we can fly only at sunrise in the summer), I believe she meant that they didn't want to get up early in the morningWhen we were in Albuquerque, we brought in a pilot to do the scheduled flights in Texas; unfortunately he became very ill, had surgery, and was unable to flyThere simply wasn't anyone else available who had the necessary qualifications to fly large balloonsThe comment about not confirming a time makes no sense; I have no idea what was meant by that All bookings are confirmed when they are madeI am unable to identify 'Tom N."; if he was booked for the sunrise flight in Houston on March, that was flownIf he was on the sunset flight which had to be cancelled at the launch site due to unforecast adverse weather conditions, he knows why that happened, and, from his comment, paid no attention to the pilot's explanationWe detest having to cancel on the flight line - everyone is there, excited and ready to go, as are we, and our equipment and crewHowever, if the pilot's judgment is that it is unsafe to fly, we do not flyCameron Hbooked his Christmas gift flight for the first time in March 2015, using a voucher with an expiration date of April 15, and has continued to reschedule with no extension feeNo one is "no longer allowed to book"The amount paid for a flight whether is it a voucher of some kind (Groupon, Living Social, Travelzoo, etc.), or purchased directly from us, or a Gift Certificate, is always applicable to the retail price of a flight, after the promotional expiration date (unless they have met the requirements to avoid the expiration, by booking at least once a month)I am unable to identify reviewer Elizabeth- it must have been scheduled under another nameThe complaints about the weather are justified, but are something about which we can do nothing.The past couple of years have been absolutely miserable for hot air ballooning in Texas, and across most of the countryLocal meteorologists and news reports in Texas have frequently mentioned the "historically epic weather" and "unprecedented weather conditions"We have experienced unending rain, subsequent flooding (which may leave the pilot with nowhere to land, and creates very saturated ground conditions, making landing potentially dangerous), and higher winds than usual because of the low lying jets caused by weather systems coming and goingAmong the requirements for safe hot air ballooning are the following: minimum of a foot ceiling; winds at MPH or less (up to about feet above ground level, based upon launch location); no rain, fog, mist; no thunderstorms in the vicinity; no temperatures over 90° F, depending upon humidity; and a variety of other parametersOver the past year, we have had more weather cancellations than in any three-year period in our historyThere are no "climate change deniers" in our businessl In order to better serve our passengers, and give them a wider choice of flight dates, we have extended all expiration dates by six months, without the monthly booking requirement to avoid an extension fee once the expiration date has passedWe also call previously cancelled passengers when there is space available on flights that we believe will goObviously, this has to be on short notice, so we keep a list of passengers that have requested to be on itWe are posting on our Facebook page when there are flights with space available, and the weather is forecast to be safe to flyIn the past week, the weather gods have smiled upon us, and we have flown more than passengersIt is our prayer that this will continueHowever, we can neither control the weather, nor predict it any better than meteorologists

Hot air balloon rides are always weather dependent, and we are glad our prospective customers recognize that The past year has been unusual for the number of cancellations, because the weather has been "historically epic" (as the weather reporters refer to it) The trip to New Mexico was certainly not a leisure trip (we were flying during the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, as requested), and it wasn't until we learned of the emergency surgery that we had to cancel the flights It was with a very heavy heart that those flights were cancelled, recognizing the inconvenience and disappointment that causedIt does take patience and persistence to go for a hot air balloon ride, as do all completely weather dependent outdoor activities No responsible hot air balloon ride business will ever jeopardize the passengers' safety by flying in conditions which are unsafe Safety is our absolute priority The written no refund policy is clear, and must be accepted by all passengers before purchasing a flight: Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides Refund Policy: The possibility of a flight cancellation always existsHeart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides incurs significant expenses in scheduling a flight, or balloon charterShould a flight be canceled for any reason, including weather, pilot judgment, or other circumstances beyond our control, many of those costs (associated with payroll, and the time and cost involved in scheduling) will be incurred again, at no additional cost to youTherefore, Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides does not, and will not, give refunds.Of course, since this passenger's situation is so unusual, we will be issuing a refund, and are just waiting for him to notify us of his new address to do so

Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides Response to Complaint ID *** (*** ***) Mr*** purchased his flight from us May 16, which was scheduled for June when he planned to proposeAt the time of booking his flight he was cautioned that the possibility of rescheduling always
exists, and that everything about hot air ballooning is weather dependentHe was also informed that if we were unable to fly that day, the flight would be rescheduled and that no refunds are availableHe accepted these Terms at the time he purchased the flight He rescheduled his flight on June, for August His June flight was cancelled because of a forecast low ceiling and mistThe ceiling was forecast to be - feet, which makes it impossible for hot air balloons to operate; we would not be able to meet FAA Visual Flight Rules, would be flying in the clouds, where neither passengers nor the pilot would be able to see anything, and low flying aircraft wouldn't be able to see the balloonSafety is always our top priority, something we will never compromiseMy conversation with Mr*** following the cancellation consisted mostly of his accusations about us being a scam, not ever flying, owning no balloons, and threats about what he was going to doI was not rude, and tried to explain why we were unable to flyApparently, our years in the hot air balloon ride business, and FAA regulations meant very little to him, but I believe he was so disappointed he just didn't want to hear itWe understand that a few passengers let their disappointment become anger at usWe are always courteous; we just can't control the weather, and after letting disappointed passengers vent, usually they begin to understand that, and appreciate our safety concernsI thought he did understand, and he did reschedule the flight We have not had a "storefront" office for many yearsIt was pointless, and there was really no need for anyone to come to itThe addresses given on the website are meeting places for flights, which is what most people want to knowThe completely weather dependent nature of hot air ballooning means that the launch locations can differ for every flight, based upon wind speed and direction, and the meeting place has to be within a reasonable distance to the launch locationWe always try to meet in a place that is easy to find, and where there are hour facilities, like bathroomsThe address the Revdex.com has is our mailing addressI am not sure to what URL Mr*** refers, but we do have more than one websiteThe past couple of years have been absolutely miserable for hot air ballooning in Texas, and across most of the countryLocal meteorologists and news reports in Texas have frequently mentioned the "historically epic weather" and "unprecedented weather conditions"We have experienced unending rain, subsequent flooding (which may leave the pilot with nowhere to land, and creates very saturated ground conditions, making landing potentially dangerous), and higher winds than usual because of the low lying jets caused by weather systems coming and goingAmong the requirements for safe hot air ballooning are the following: minimum of a foot ceiling; winds at MPH or less (up to about feet above ground level, based upon launch location); no rain, fog, mist; no thunderstorms in the vicinity; no temperatures over 902F, depending upon humidity; and a variety of other parametersOver the past year, we have had more weather cancellations than in any three-year period in our historyThere are no "climate change deniers" in our business! In order to better serve our passengers, and give them a wider choice of flight dates, we have extended all expiration dates by six months, without the monthly booking requirement to avoid an extension fee once the expiration date has passedWe also call previously cancelled passengers when there is space available on flights that we believe will goObviously, this has to be on short notice, so we keep a list of passengers that have requested to be on itWe are posting on our Facebook page when there are flights with space available, and the weather is forecast to be safe to flyIn the past week, the weather gods have smiled upon us, and we have flown more than passengersIt is our prayer that this will continueHowever, we can neither control the weather, nor predict it any better than meteorologists

Revdex.com:Hi,"> I have resolved my complaint with the balloon company, they gave me a full refundThe complaint number is #*** Thank y'all so much for your help!
*** ***

I would never recommend this company to anyone!! I have scheduled two flights and they have cancelled twiceI explained to the lady on the phone that I purchased this as a gift for my son and his girlfriend and she has to keep asking for the day off as she only works evenings and goes to school in the morning She cannot keep taking time off only to have the flight cancelledThey only let you know the day before or the day of the flight if it is cancelled or not I would like a full refund of my money I don't think they should not offer a refund if they cannot offer the service that I paid for

Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides Response to Complaint ID [redacted] purchased her flight (for two) from Travelzoo. On 28 January 16, she booked her flight online for 14 February 16. When she did that, she certified she accepted our Terms, and had read the FAQs. The...

subsequent bookings and status notifications are attached, and demonstrate her compliance, and familiarity, with the Terms. All times on the documents are Eastern Time, since that is the time zone from which they are generated, I believe Central Time appears on the documents the passengers receive. Please note that the Pre-Flight Notice (cancellation) for 29 May 16 clearly states that only sunrise flights will be scheduled starting 1 June, and that her E-Ticket for 30 June is for a sunrise flight. When she received the Pre-Flight Notice that 30 June was a go, she called at 8:30 PM (CT) to tell me they would not be able to make it because of work. Our cancellation policy for any changes in the booking is 72 hours in advance. I explained this to her, and she said that she had not read either the Pre-Flight Notice of 29 May, or her E-Ticket During our discussion. I said that unless I could find a replacement for her on the flight, we would have to consider her flown, and that I would try very hard to find someone to take that space. We have a long "short notice" list, and I fully expected I would be able to do that. I have not spoken with her today, so she isn't aware whether I was successful in that attempt or not. Generally, when a situation like this arises, while we do consider those passengers flown, we put them on the short notice list, and call when we have space available on a flight we believe will be a go. We truly want our passengers to receive the ride for which they paid, but when someone has been a "no show" we are reluctant to schedule another flight ahead of time since history suggests that if they have done it once they are far more likely to do it again, putting us once more in a scramble to fill the space. Every balloon has a maximum launch weight and a minimum landing weight. We must be in between those two numbers for safety reasons, and last minute cancellations can, and have, prevented us from doing a flight in perfect weather. We have put crew members aboard just to have enough weight for landing, which can leave us short on ground crew at landing, so we really don't like to do that. Safety is always our top priority, and will never be compromised. Mrs. Duncan mentioned the terrible reviews online. She is absolutely correct; at least on yelp.com there are 10 negative reviews, most of which are due to unflyable weather conditions. Two were written by a competitor. One has booked only three times in two years. Another states that summer flights were not available (we can fly only at sunrise in the summer), I believe she meant that they didn't want to get up early in the morning. When we were in Albuquerque, we brought in a pilot to do the scheduled flights in Texas; unfortunately he became very ill, had surgery, and was unable to fly. There simply wasn't anyone else available who had the necessary qualifications to fly large balloons. The comment about not confirming a time makes no sense; I have no idea what was meant by that All bookings are confirmed when they are made. I am unable to identify 'Tom N."; if he was booked for the sunrise flight in Houston on 26 March, that was flown. If he was on the sunset flight which had to be cancelled at the launch site due to unforecast adverse weather conditions, he knows why that happened, and, from his comment, paid no attention to the pilot's explanation. We detest having to cancel on the flight line - everyone is there, excited and ready to go, as are we, and our equipment and crew. However, if the pilot's judgment is that it is unsafe to fly, we do not fly. Cameron H. booked his Christmas gift flight for the first time in March 2015, using a voucher with an expiration date of 30 April 15, and has continued to reschedule with no extension fee. No one is "no longer allowed to book". The amount paid for a flight whether is it a voucher of some kind (Groupon, Living Social, Travelzoo, etc.), or purchased directly from us, or a Gift Certificate, is always applicable to the retail price of a flight, after the promotional expiration date (unless they have met the requirements to avoid the expiration, by booking at least once a month). I am unable to identify reviewer Elizabeth13. - it must have been scheduled under another name. The complaints about the weather are justified, but are something about which we can do nothing.The past couple of years have been absolutely miserable for hot air ballooning in Texas, and across most of the country. Local meteorologists and news reports in Texas have frequently mentioned the "historically epic weather" and "unprecedented weather conditions". We have experienced unending rain, subsequent flooding (which may leave the pilot with nowhere to land, and creates very saturated ground conditions, making landing potentially dangerous), and higher winds than usual because of the low lying jets caused by weather systems coming and going. Among the requirements for safe hot air ballooning are the following: minimum of a 2000 foot ceiling; winds at 7 MPH or less (up to about 500 feet above ground level, based upon launch location); no rain, fog, mist; no thunderstorms in the vicinity; no temperatures over 90° F, depending upon humidity; and a variety of other parameters. Over the past year, we have had more weather cancellations than in any three-year period in our history. There are no "climate change deniers" in our businessl In order to better serve our passengers, and give them a wider choice of flight dates, we have extended all expiration dates by six months, without the monthly booking requirement to avoid an extension fee once the expiration date has passed. We also call previously cancelled passengers when there is space available on flights that we believe will go. Obviously, this has to be on short notice, so we keep a list of passengers that have requested to be on it. We are posting on our Facebook page when there are flights with space available, and the weather is forecast to be safe to fly. In the past week, the weather gods have smiled upon us, and we have flown more than 100 passengers. It is our prayer that this will continue. However, we can neither control the weather, nor predict it any better than meteorologists.

Hot air balloon rides are always weather dependent, and we are glad our prospective customers recognize that.  The past year has been unusual for the number of cancellations, because the weather has been "historically epic" (as the weather reporters refer to it).  The trip to New Mexico...

was certainly not a leisure trip (we were flying during the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, as requested), and it wasn't until we learned of the emergency surgery that we had to cancel the flights.  It was with a very heavy heart that those flights were cancelled, recognizing the inconvenience and disappointment that caused. It does take patience and persistence to go for a hot air balloon ride, as do all completely weather dependent outdoor activities.  No responsible hot air balloon ride business will ever jeopardize the passengers' safety by flying in conditions which are unsafe.  Safety is our absolute priority.  The written no refund policy is clear, and must be accepted by all passengers before purchasing a flight: Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides Refund Policy: The possibility of a flight cancellation always exists. Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides incurs significant expenses in scheduling a flight, or balloon charter. Should a flight be canceled for any reason, including weather, pilot judgment, or other circumstances beyond our control, many of those costs (associated with payroll, and the time and cost involved in scheduling) will be incurred again, at no additional cost to you. Therefore, Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides does not, and will not, give refunds.Of course, since this passenger's situation is so unusual, we will be issuing a refund, and are just waiting for him to notify us of his new address to do so.

Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides
Response to Complaint ID [redacted]
([redacted]) Mr. [redacted] purchased his flight from us 10 May 16, which was scheduled for 17 June 16 when he planned to propose. At the time of booking his flight he...

was cautioned that the possibility of rescheduling always exists, and that everything about hot air ballooning is weather dependent. He was also informed that if we were unable to fly that day, the flight would be rescheduled and that no refunds are available. He accepted these Terms at the time he purchased the flight He rescheduled his flight on 22 June, for 6 August 16. His 17 June flight was cancelled because of a forecast low ceiling and mist. The ceiling was forecast to be 500 - 900 feet, which makes it impossible for hot air balloons to operate; we would not be able to meet FAA Visual Flight Rules, would be flying in the clouds, where neither passengers nor the pilot would be able to see anything, and low flying aircraft wouldn't be able to see the balloon. Safety is always our top priority, something we will never compromise. My conversation with Mr. [redacted] following the cancellation consisted mostly of his accusations about us being a scam, not ever flying, owning no balloons, and threats about what he was going to do. I was not rude, and tried to explain why we were unable to fly. Apparently, our 28 years in the hot air balloon ride business, and FAA regulations meant very little to him, but I believe he was so disappointed he just didn't want to hear it. We understand that a few passengers let their disappointment become anger ... at us. We are always courteous; we just can't control the weather, and after letting disappointed passengers vent, usually they begin to understand that, and appreciate our safety concerns. I thought he did understand, and he did reschedule the flight We have not had a "storefront" office for many years. It was pointless, and there was really no need for anyone to come to it. The addresses given on the website are meeting places for flights, which is what most people want to know. The completely weather dependent nature of hot air ballooning means that the launch locations can differ for every flight, based upon wind speed and direction, and the meeting place has to be within a reasonable distance to the launch location. We always try to meet in a place that is easy to find, and where there are 24 hour facilities, like bathrooms. The address the Revdex.com has is our mailing address. I am not sure to what URL Mr. [redacted] refers, but we do have more than one website. The past couple of years have been absolutely miserable for hot air ballooning in Texas, and across most of the country. Local meteorologists and news reports in Texas have frequently mentioned the "historically epic weather" and "unprecedented weather conditions". We have experienced unending rain, subsequent flooding (which may leave the pilot with nowhere to land, and creates very saturated ground conditions, making landing potentially dangerous), and higher winds than usual because of the low lying jets caused by weather systems coming and going. Among the requirements for safe hot air ballooning are the following: minimum of a 2000 foot ceiling; winds at 7 MPH or less (up to about 500 feet above ground level, based upon launch location); no rain, fog, mist; no thunderstorms in the vicinity; no temperatures over 902F, depending upon humidity; and a variety of other parameters. Over the past year, we have had more weather cancellations than in any three-year period in our history. There are no "climate change deniers" in our business! In order to better serve our passengers, and give them a wider choice of flight dates, we have extended all expiration dates by six months, without the monthly booking requirement to avoid an extension fee once the expiration date has passed. We also call previously cancelled passengers when there is space available on flights that we believe will go. Obviously, this has to be on short notice, so we keep a list of passengers that have requested to be on it. We are posting on our Facebook page when there are flights with space available, and the weather is forecast to be safe to fly. In the past week, the weather gods have smiled upon us, and we have flown more than 100 passengers. It is our prayer that this will continue. However, we can neither control the weather, nor predict it any better than meteorologists.

Everything having to do with hot air ballooning is dependent upon, dictated by, or controlled by weather conditions.  It is not unusual to have to schedule a flight several times in this area before the weather cooperates.  For that...

reason, we often call passengers who have been previously cancelled, and offer them the opportunity to fly when it is obvious the weather will be safe for hot air ballooning, and space is available.   The sunset flight time for December 7th was predicted to be great for flying.  It was a longer than usual, beautiful flight, and covered more distance than most because of an unpredicted increase in wind speed at altitude.  [redacted], the pilot, realized he could drop down below a bluff and slow the aircraft down before landing, which he did and was able to travel about 200 yards letting the balloon slow down before landing.  It was also important not to cross over the Tollway.  It was a perfectly normal upright landing, and not at all rough.  Safety is our absolute top priority.  Passengers receive two safety briefings, during which the two standard landing positions are explained, and practiced in the basket to ensure that everyone knows exactly what to do.  We do this twice because passengers often aren’t really paying attention to what they are told, and it is very important.  The basket is often deliberately turned on its side during deflation, making it easier for passengers to get out, particularly in windy conditions.  [redacted], like all pilots, was paying very close attention to what was being overflown, and had spotted a house he felt was probably the landowner’s.  Sites meeting the necessary criteria for a safe landing are always being evaluated during a flight.  He told the passengers he would walk to the house (about a mile away) to get directions on how to access the landing site.  Unfortunately, no one was home.    After talking with the chase crew the decision was made to join them rather than walk back to the aircraft, then walk back out to assist the crew in finding access to the property, feeling that since he had seen the area from the air he would be able to expedite the recovery, and it was getting dark due to the lengthy flight time.    The landing time was 5:22; I received a call from a passenger at 6:56 reporting their situation, and immediately contacted the crew.  They were having a very difficult time, having received incorrect directions from someone who lived in the area, and still hadn’t found a way to reach the landing site.  [redacted] had also realized he had left the iPad with the passenger manifest in the aircraft, and did not have any passenger phone numbers available to him.  I immediately returned the passenger’s call to let them know the crew was on the way but having great difficulty finding a way in to the landing site.  The exact location was known, but how to get in wasn’t.  I spoke with passengers 5 times during the next hour.   The San Marcos police gave excellent advice – to stay in the basket.  It’s much easier to find the basket, of which the exact location was known, than people wandering around in the dark.  It wasn’t finding the landing site that was the problem – we knew exactly where it was, it was finding a way in to it.   Fortunately, there was only a 3º drop in temperature from the time of launch until the passengers were retrieved.  It is my belief that the passengers followed the instructions to dress appropriately for the weather, and thus should not have been uncomfortable.   Finally, when it seemed to impossible to collect the passengers any other way, we were able to position the vehicles on the highway where they could see the headlights, and start toward them. They used cell phones and the fully charged iPad to light their way until we reached them, with a stool and tarps, and were able to assist them over barbed wire fences.  We also had the police assist in controlling traffic so that loading the van would be a safe process.  It’s true that the driver did start out in the wrong direction, by that time everyone was very confused, and I’m not even sure that it was possible to join the highway going in the proper direction at the location where the passengers were loaded.