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By the end of this guide, you will have composed and managed in-platform messages, communicated with crew about specific trips, messaged charter clients through the customer portal, and configured notification preferences.
The Operations module must be enabled for your workspace. You also need the appropriate operations permissions. Contact your workspace administrator if you cannot access these features.
Any authenticated workspace member can send and receive messages. Customer portal messaging requires the portal to be enabled for the client’s account.

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Prerequisites

  • You must be a member of the workspace with an active account.
  • For customer portal messaging, the client must have portal access enabled (see Manage Customer Portal).
Open the Mail item in the sidebar navigation. The messaging page has three panels: a Navigation panel on the left with folders (Inbox, Sent, Drafts, Starred, Trash) and a Compose button, a Message List in the center, and a Message Detail panel on the right showing the selected conversation.

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Compose a new message

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Step 1: Open the compose dialog
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Click the Compose button in the navigation panel.
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Step 2: Fill in message details
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Fill in the To field (start typing to search workspace members or portal-enabled clients), a Subject line, and the Message body.
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Step 3: Attach documents
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Click the attachment icon below the message field to attach files. Supported file types include PDF, images (JPG, PNG), Word documents, and spreadsheets. Maximum file size is 10 MB per attachment, with up to 5 attachments per message.
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Drag and drop files directly onto the compose dialog to attach them. The upload progress indicator shows each file’s status.
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Step 4: Send or save as draft
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  • Click Send to deliver the message immediately. Recipients receive an in-platform notification (and optionally an email notification based on their preferences).
  • Click Discard to close without saving.
  • Close the dialog without sending to auto-save the message as a draft in the Drafts folder.

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    Read and reply to messages

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    Step 1: Select a message
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    Click any message in the list to open it in the detail panel. The message displays full content, sender information, timestamp, and attachments. Unread messages show a bold subject line and blue dot indicator; opening a message marks it as read.
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    Step 2: View the conversation thread
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    If the message is part of a thread, the detail panel shows the complete conversation history in chronological order with sender name, avatar, timestamp, and content for each reply.
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    Step 3: Reply to the message
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    At the bottom of the detail panel, type your reply and click Send. The To and Subject are inherited from the thread. The reply is appended and all participants receive a notification.

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    Message crew about specific trips

    You can send trip-related messages directly from the trip detail page, which automatically links the message to that trip for reference.
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    Step 1: Open the trip detail page
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    Navigate to Ops > All Trips and select the trip. On the trip detail page, click the Message Crew button in the header actions area.
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    Step 2: Compose the trip-linked message
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    The compose dialog opens with the following pre-filled:
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  • To — All crew members assigned to the trip (PIC, SIC, flight attendant). You can add or remove recipients.
  • Subject — Pre-populated with the trip number and route (e.g., “TRP-2026-0142: KTEB - KPBI”). Editable.
  • Trip Link — A badge showing the linked trip number appears below the subject. This link is visible to all recipients and allows them to navigate directly to the trip detail page.
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    Step 3: Send the message
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    Add your message content (e.g., updated departure time, FBO instructions, weather briefing notes, or catering changes) and click Send.
    Trip-linked messages appear both in the recipient’s Inbox and on the trip’s Timeline tab. This creates a complete communication audit trail alongside status changes, crew assignments, and flight log entries.

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    Customer portal messaging

    Charter clients and owners with portal access can exchange messages with your operations team through the same messaging system. Portal messaging works bidirectionally. Portal users compose messages from their portal dashboard, which appear in your workspace Inbox with a Portal label. To message a client, select a portal-enabled recipient in the To field. Messages can be linked to specific trips for context. Portal messages display a Portal badge in the message list, the client’s name and organization, and a clickable trip number badge when linked to a trip.
    Portal messages are visible to the client. Ensure all communication is appropriate for external recipients. For internal-only discussions about a client’s trip, message your team members directly without including the client in the recipient list.

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    Manage messages

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    Star important messages

    Click the star icon on any message in the list or detail view to mark it as starred. Starred messages appear in the Starred folder for quick access. Click the star again to unstar.

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    Delete messages

    Select a message and click Delete (trash icon) in the detail panel toolbar. The message moves to the Trash folder. Messages in Trash are permanently deleted after 30 days. To restore a message from Trash, open the Trash folder, select the message, and click Move to Inbox.

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    Search messages

    Use the search field at the top of the message list to search by:
    • Sender or recipient name.
    • Subject line keywords.
    • Message body content.
    • Trip number (for trip-linked messages).
    Results update in real time as you type.

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    Read receipts

    The messaging system tracks when recipients open your messages:
    • In the message detail view, a Read by section below the message content shows each recipient’s name and the time they opened the message.
    • Unread recipients show a “Not yet read” status.
    • Read receipts are enabled by default and cannot be disabled by recipients.
    For time-sensitive trip communications (departure changes, weather diversions), check read receipts to confirm that all crew members have seen the update. Follow up with unread recipients via phone if necessary.

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    Notification preferences

    Each user controls how they are notified about new messages. Navigate to Account > Notifications to toggle email notifications (immediate or daily digest) and push notifications. In-platform badge counts are always on. For details on all notification channels, see Notification Channels.

    Create a Trip

    Create trips that you can link to messages for crew communication.

    Manage Crew

    Set up crew profiles so they appear as message recipients.

    Manage Customer Portal

    Enable portal access for clients to use portal messaging.

    Notification Channels

    How PlaneConnection delivers notifications across email, push, and SMS.
    Last modified on April 11, 2026