Bailey Balloons

What Bailey Balloons does

Bailey Balloons, trading legally as Aerosaurus Balloons, was a privately held UK hot air balloon tour agency founded circa 1995 and headquartered in the Bristol / South West England region. For nearly 28 years it operated passenger hot air balloon rides from handpicked launch sites across Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, and Cornwall, flying passengers aged seven to one hundred at 500 to 3,000 feet during dawn and dusk windows and concluding flights with chilled Prosecco celebrations. Its core product was a scenic aerial experience for individual leisure customers, with secondary revenue streams from corporate team-building events, weddings, aerial advertising, charity and fundraising flights, and themed special-occasion packages (Mother's Day, Valentine's, Christmas). Flight voucher sales were routed through a separate Virgin Balloon Flights portal and the operations were regulated by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

The business model was direct-to-consumer: flights were booked and paid for online through the company's website (ballooning.co.uk) with TripAdvisor acting as a primary reputation channel and a blog supporting seasonal content marketing. Pricing was not publicly disclosed on the corporate site. The operation ran with 1-10 employees, was founder-owned and operated by Clive and Jo, and had no institutional investors, parent company, or subsidiaries. In January 2023, after almost 28 years of independent operations, the owners retired and transferred the South West passenger ballooning operation to Virgin Balloon Flights, which had operated in the same launch sites for roughly 30 years; the Aerosaurus website continues to exist but redirects bookings to Virgin Balloon Flights, with Aerosaurus Balloons effectively functioning as an inactive or vestigial entity from an operational revenue standpoint.

Name

Bailey Balloons

Legal name

Aerosaurus Balloons

Website

https://baileyballoons.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bailey Balloons (legally Aerosaurus Balloons) was a privately held Bristol-based UK hot air balloon tour agency operating scenic passenger flights across South West England for nearly 28 years until January 2023, when its owners retired and Virgin Balloon Flights took over operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hot Air Balloon Passenger Flights

NAICS

Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation (481219)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Paragliding, Skydiving & Airborne Adventure Sports (THAJABAJ)

Keywords

• Hot air balloon rides
• Scenic balloon flights
• Corporate balloon events
• Wedding balloon services
• Aerial advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Aerosaurus Balloons (trading as Bailey Balloons) provided passenger hot air balloon flight experiences departing from handpicked launch sites across Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, and Cornwall, flown at dawn and dusk at altitudes of 500–3000 feet. The offering spanned leisure rides, corporate and team-building flights, wedding balloon ceremonies, aerial advertising, charity fundraising flights, and gift vouchers, concluding each flight with a chilled Prosecco toast.

Product overview

Aerosaurus Balloons operates as a hot air balloon ride company offering scenic passenger flights across the South West of England. The core offering is the hot air balloon ride experience, with add-on modules for corporate events, weddings, aerial advertising, and special occasion flights. Following the January 2023 transition, Virgin Balloon Flights now manages the passenger ride operations while Aerosaurus Balloons branding and website remain active. The product portfolio includes: core Hot Air Balloon Rides, Corporate Balloon Flights, Balloon Flight Weddings, Aerial Advertising, Balloon Flight Vouchers, Charity/Fundraising Flights, and Special Occasion Flights (Mother's Day, Valentine's, Christmas).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hot Air Balloon Rides Scenic passenger hot air balloon flights departing from handpicked locations across Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire, offering views at heights of 500–3000 feet during dawn and dusk sessions, with a chilled Prosecco celebration upon landing. Intended for individual leisure flyers, couples, and groups aged 7 to 100.
• Corporate Balloon Flights Private and group balloon flight experiences tailored for corporate clients, team-building events, and business occasions in the South West of England.
• Balloon Flight Weddings Specialised hot air balloon services for wedding celebrations, including aerial ceremonies and photography opportunities for couples.
• Aerial Advertising Aerial banner advertising services using hot air balloons for promotional purposes, available to brands and agencies.
• Charity and Fundraising Flights Balloon flight packages designed for charitable events and fundraising activities, available to UK-based charities and nonprofit organisations.
• Special Occasion Flights (Mother's Day, Valentine's, Christmas) Themed balloon flight experiences for special occasions including Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, and Christmas, positioned as gift experiences for individuals and couples.
• Balloon Flight Vouchers Gift vouchers for hot air balloon flights, sold through the Virgin Balloon Flights portal following the transition of passenger ride operations in January 2023.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Virgin Balloon FlightscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023As of January 2023, Virgin Balloon Flights took over Aerosaurus Balloons' ballooning operations in the South West of England. This transition occurred after owners Clive and Jo retired after almost 28 years in the passenger hot air balloon business. Virgin Balloon Flights now handles all passenger rides from the same launch sites, offering the same standard of balloon rides to existing and future customers.
• Civil Aviation AuthoritycoreOthersRegulatory body overseeing civil aviation in the UK. Displayed on website as part of safety and compliance credentials.
• Balloons over BritainminorOthersNational ballooning industry association. Aerosaurus Balloons was affiliated with this organisation.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Cameron Balloons: Bristol-based manufacturer of hot air balloons and operator of passenger rides with global reach. Comparable through overlapping product offering (balloon rides), shared Bristol heritage, and position as a long-established UK industry incumbent with broader commercial scale.
• Lindstrand Balloons: UK-based manufacturer and operator of hot air balloons founded by renowned aeronautical engineer Per Lindstrand. Comparable through aerial balloon ride activity, deep UK heritage, and broader portfolio spanning manufacture, ride operations, and special-shape balloons.

Others

• Bristol International Balloon Fiesta: Annual mass hot air balloon event held in Bristol, the home city of Bailey Balloons. Thematically related as a ballooning destination event that draws the same enthusiast and tourist audiences and serves the broader UK ballooning ecosystem in which Bailey operated.
• Balloons over Britain: UK national ballooning industry association with which Aerosaurus Balloons was affiliated and whose badge was displayed on the company website. An adjacent ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor, reflecting the industry infrastructure the company participated in.

Direct peers

• Virgin Balloon Flights: The UK's largest hot air balloon passenger operator, which explicitly acquired Aerosaurus Balloons' South West operations in January 2023. Operates near-identical scenic passenger balloon flights across the UK and is the natural direct comparison given the divestiture relationship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/baileyballoons

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bailey Balloons