Hmm. Re: pleasure flying -
"(bb) the proportion which such contribution bears to the total direct costs of the flight shall not exceed the proportion which the number of persons carried on the flight (excluding the pilot) bears to the number of persons carried on the flight (including the pilot);"
Which I think, in English, as FFF descibed means if you're the pilot and you've two passengers, they can technically only pay 2/3 of the flight cost. Directly. Whether you also get them to pay your bar tab for the next week is entirely up to you.
In the real world as long as you are not being paid for your flying services on top of the aircraft cost I don't think you're liable to be nobbled. If two friends wish you to fly them from A to B I don't think the men in dark glasses are going to collar you if said two friends cough up for the entire hire cost in used fivers. As long as the reimbursement doesn't exceed the "break even" you can't be considered to be profiting from the venture.
What you're asking though is whether on a business trip (solo?) you could claim back your costs like you could with car hire.
I think really this is a matter for company policy - you get from A to B by whatever means is economically viable, be it car, airline or private flight. It's on company time and they will reimburse your costs but they are not *paying* you to fly, they're merely covering the cost of your relocation, by whatever means.
At the end of the day the DVLA don't consider you to be accepting financial reward for your driving (against the terms of your license) when you drive a hire car from London to Liverpool.
Last edited by SpinSpinSugar; 12th April 2002 at 15:10.