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Improve your response rate and response time

Your Response Rate and Avgerage Time to Respond help users understand how quickly—and how consistently—you reply to inquiries across Skyfarer.

This applies to all categories on Skyfarer, including (but not limited to):

  • Flight instruction (CFI, CFII, checkride prep)
  • Flight schools
  • Pilot contract jobs
  • Aircraft services & maintenance
  • Aircraft for sale
  • Pilot gear & marketplace listings
  • Other aviation-related services

Response Rate matters most. It signals to pilots, buyers, and customers that you are active and reliable.
Avg. Time to Respond gives users an idea of how quickly they can expect to hear back.

In this article
  • How Response Rate is calculated
  • How Avg. Time to Respond is calculated
  • Where to find your Response Rate and Avg. Time to Respond
  • How to improve your Response Rate and Avg. Time to Respond
  • Important notes and edge cases
How Response Rate is calculated

Skyfarer measures Response Rate per inquiry thread (transaction)—not per individual message.

An inquiry thread counts as responded if you reply at least once within that thread.

Response Rate =
(# of inquiry threads you replied to at least once) ÷ (total # of inquiry threads you received)

Example

If you had 4 inquiry threads:

  • Replied to 3 threads ✅
  • Never replied to 1 thread ❌

Response Rate = 3 / 4 = 75%

This logic applies whether the inquiry was about:

  • Booking a lesson
  • Hiring a ferry pilot
  • Purchasing pilot gear
  • Asking about aircraft availability
  • Requesting maintenance services

Display threshold

To keep the metric meaningful, Skyfarer only displays Response Rate once you’ve received at least 3 inquiry threads.

If you’ve received fewer than 3 inquiries, the metric is intentionally hidden.

How Avg. Time to Respond is calculated

Your Avg. Time to Respond is the average amount of time it takes you to reply when a user is waiting for a response.

Skyfarer uses a “reply-pending” approach:

  • A waiting period begins when a user sends a message and no reply is pending
  • Additional messages from that user remain in the same waiting period
  • Your first reply ends that waiting period
  • The next user message starts a new waiting period

This reflects real-world conversations where someone may send multiple messages before you respond once.

Example

  • User (10:00): “Is this aircraft still available?”
  • User (10:20): “Can you share logbook details?”
  • You (1:00): “Yes, here are the details.”

Avg. Time to Respond for that waiting period = 3 hours

Where to find your Response Rate and Avg. Time to Respond

Users may see these metrics:

  • On your profile card
  • On your listing page

If you don’t see them yet, it usually means:

  • You haven’t received any inquiries yet, or
  • You’ve received fewer than 3 inquiry threads (so Response Rate is hidden)
Improve your Response Rate and Avg. Time to Respond

To improve both metrics:

  • Reply to new inquiries as soon as reasonably possible
  • Even a short acknowledgment (“Received — will follow up shortly”) counts as a response
  • If you’re unavailable, send a quick update so users aren’t left waiting
  • Set clear expectations in your profile about availability

Consistent responsiveness builds trust—whether someone is booking training, requesting a service, or inquiring about a listing.

Important Notes

You don’t need to send the last message

Response Rate is based on whether you replied at least once to the inquiry thread.
You don’t need to respond to every follow-up message to maintain your Response Rate.

Only on-platform messages count

Only messages sent through Skyfarer’s messaging system are included.
Texts, calls, or emails outside the platform are not counted.

Why the 3-inquiry threshold exists

Some providers may receive just 1–2 inquiries early on. Showing a “0%” too quickly can be misleading. The threshold ensures the metric reflects meaningful activity.