> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.planeconnection.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Portal Overview

> Understand what the customer and charter portal is, how clients access it, and what they can do inside it.

The PlaneConnection Customer Portal gives your charter clients and aircraft owners a branded, self-service interface where they can request trips, manage passengers, review invoices, and communicate with your team -- without needing access to your internal operations platform.

This tutorial introduces the portal's purpose, how clients access it, and what features are available to them.

<Info>
  **Who should read this?** Operations managers, account owners, and dispatchers who interact with
  charter clients. This tutorial is also useful for anyone setting up the portal for the first time.
</Info>

## What the portal is

The Customer Portal is a separate, client-facing application that runs alongside your main PlaneConnection workspace. It provides:

* **Trip management** -- clients can request new trips, view upcoming and past trips, and track trip status in real time.
* **Quote review** -- clients receive and review trip quotes with full cost breakdowns.
* **Passenger management** -- clients maintain their own passenger directory with names, contact details, and travel documents.
* **Invoice access** -- clients view and download invoices for completed trips.
* **Messaging** -- a threaded messaging system for direct communication with your operations team.
* **Profile management** -- clients update their own contact information and preferences.

The portal uses your workspace's branding (logo, colors) so it feels like an extension of your company rather than a third-party tool.

## How clients access the portal

Clients access the portal through a dedicated URL unique to your workspace:

```
https://app.planeconnection.com/{your-workspace}/portal
```

Authentication uses **magic links** -- clients enter their email address, receive a one-time login link, and click it to sign in. There are no passwords to manage.

<Tip>
  Magic link authentication reduces friction for clients who may only interact with your portal a
  few times per year. They never need to remember a password.
</Tip>

## Portal user roles

The portal supports three client-facing roles:

| Role               | Description                                                                                     |
| ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Owner**          | Aircraft owner or shareholder. Can view all trips, invoices, and passengers for their aircraft. |
| **Charter Client** | A client who books charter flights. Can request trips, manage passengers, and view invoices.    |
| **Customer**       | An FBO customer with access to the customer portal for FBO services.                            |

These roles are separate from your internal staff roles. Portal users cannot see safety data, dispatch boards, crew information, or any other internal operations data.

## What clients see

When a client signs in to the portal, they see a dashboard with:

* **Upcoming trips** -- a list of confirmed and in-progress trips with route, date, aircraft type, and status.
* **Recent messages** -- the latest messages from your operations team.
* **Quick actions** -- buttons to request a new trip, add a passenger, or view invoices.

### Trip requests

Clients can submit new trip requests directly from the portal. A trip request includes:

* Departure and arrival airports
* Preferred dates and times
* Number of passengers
* Special requests (catering, ground transportation, specific aircraft preferences)

Trip requests appear in your operations team's queue as pending requests. Your team reviews, quotes, and confirms them through the main platform.

### Passenger directory

Clients maintain their own passenger list with:

* Full name and contact information
* Date of birth
* Travel document details (passport number, expiration date, nationality)
* Known traveler numbers (TSA PreCheck, Global Entry)

This information is automatically attached to trip requests, saving your operations team from collecting it manually.

### Invoices

Clients can view all invoices associated with their trips, including:

* Invoice number and date
* Trip details (route, date, aircraft)
* Line-item cost breakdown
* Payment status (pending, paid, overdue)
* PDF download

### Messages

The messaging feature provides threaded conversations between the client and your operations team. Messages support text and are organized by trip or as general conversations.

## How the portal connects to operations

Everything a client does in the portal flows into your main PlaneConnection workspace:

| Portal Action    | Operations Result                                            |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| New trip request | Appears in **Trips > Requests** for dispatcher review        |
| Passenger added  | Available in the passenger directory for assignment to trips |
| Message sent     | Appears in the operations messaging inbox                    |
| Invoice viewed   | View event logged in the audit trail                         |

Your team never needs to grant portal users access to the main platform. The portal acts as a controlled window into your operations.

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Set Up the Customer Portal" href="/en/how-to/portal/set-up-customer-portal">
    Configure the portal for your workspace.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Send a Portal Invite" href="/en/how-to/portal/send-portal-invite">
    Invite your first client to the portal.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Portal Features Reference" href="/en/reference/portal-features">
    Complete feature list for portal users.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Manage Charter Requests" href="/en/how-to/portal/manage-charter-requests">
    Handle trip requests from portal clients.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>