Member obligations.
Membership is a two-way commitment. The obligations below apply at every tier; higher tiers add specific evidence and review expectations described in the standards framework.
- Uphold the GCBA Code of Professional Conduct in all charter brokerage activities.
- Maintain accurate directory profile information and notify GCBA of material changes.
- Cooperate with reasonable review, consultation and complaints processes.
- Disclose material conflicts of interest.
- Refrain from representing GCBA membership as an aircraft safety rating or government approval.
What members undertake, and how the Association holds them to it.
Conduct comes first
Every obligation on this page follows from a single, prior commitment: to operate consistently with the Code of Professional Conduct. Members accept the Code on joining and are expected to apply it in every charter engagement, not selectively. Where a member's conduct falls short, the Association's response is proportionate: correction, remediation, suspension or withdrawal, depending on severity and the record of cooperation.
“A member's obligations to a client, an operator and the Association do not compete with each other. They describe the same commitment from three points of view.”
Accuracy of the public record
Directory profiles are part of the Association's public work. Members maintain the accuracy of their profile — legal name, principal place of business, role, disclosed relationships — and notify the Association of material changes within a reasonable period. Accuracy is a continuing obligation, not a one-off submission at application.
Members do not present GCBA membership as an aircraft operating certificate, a safety rating, an insurance endorsement or a government approval. Where a client or counterparty appears to misunderstand what membership signifies, members are expected to clarify rather than to trade on the confusion.
Cooperation with review and complaints
Members cooperate with reasonable review, consultation and complaints processes. Cooperation means providing the information the Association needs to reach a decision, within stated timeframes and in the form requested; it does not require the member to waive legal privilege or breach confidentiality obligations to clients or operators.
The Association applies its complaints process consistently across tiers. A higher fee does not shift the burden of cooperation; a lower fee does not remove it.
Conflicts and disclosure
Members disclose material conflicts of interest — including relationships with operators, referral arrangements, financial interests in ancillary services and personal relationships with GCBA Board or Advisory Board members — so that clients, counterparties and the Association can assess conduct in context. The Independence and Conflicts page describes how disclosures are handled.
Tier-specific expectations
Higher membership tiers add specific evidence and review expectations. A Professional Member is expected to have engagement documents, verification records and post-flight files that align with the framework's core standards; a Certified Member is expected to demonstrate that alignment across every applicable standard. Corporate Partners are expected to describe their services accurately and to avoid trading on ambiguity between their role and that of a broker.
The paired member benefits page describes what each tier receives; this page describes what each tier undertakes in return.
Consequences of falling short
Where a member no longer meets the eligibility criteria, fails to cooperate with a review, or acts in a way that is inconsistent with the Code, the Association applies the procedure documented on the complaints page. Outcomes range from correction to withdrawal of membership. Decisions are recorded and, where appropriate, disclosed on the directory profile so that the public record remains truthful.