Membership is an arrangement with the International Air Rail Organisation, an unincorporated membership organisation, Suite 3, Charter House, 26 Claremont Road, Surbiton KT6 4QZ. Contact: patrick.hicks@iaro.com, +44 (0)7770 636613. Memberships bought on this website are sold and invoiced for IARO by Oakhill Media Limited, registered in England and Wales, company number 04331700, registered office Suite 7 Meridian House, 62 Station Road, North Chingford, London E4 7BA, VAT number GB907202260. Card payments and invoices are in its name.
Who can join
IARO has two membership categories. The category describes the member’s role in the sector. It does not change access or the fee, which follow the band below.
- Air-Rail Member — organisations with direct responsibility for owning, funding, commissioning, regulating or operating an airport rail service or an active airport-rail project. This includes airports, rail operators, infrastructure managers, transport authorities and formally constituted project bodies. Airlines are Air-Rail Members only when they are directly involved in an integrated air-rail product or partnership.
- Associate Member — organisations that advise, design, build or supply the sector, including consultancies, engineering firms, manufacturers, technology providers, professional advisers, universities and research organisations. Individual membership is an Associate membership for a named person.
Air-Rail and Associate Members currently receive the same access and pay the same rate according to organisation size. The category identifies each member’s role in the sector. The Secretariat assigns the category after you join; applicants do not choose it.
Organisation membership covers employees of that legal entity, including overseas branches of the same company. It does not automatically cover a wider corporate group. Small-organisation membership is for organisations of four people or fewer. An academic institution pays the same rate as a small organisation, whatever its size. Individual membership, including an individual academic, is for a named person and is an Associate membership. The Secretariat issues named logins. Organisation membership does not automatically create a separate login for every eligible employee; extra named accounts are issued on request. Membership starts when the fee is paid: at once when you pay by card on this website, or when the invoice is paid if you ask for one. Choose the band that fits the member. If the Secretariat finds that a different band applies, it will contact you, and will refund the difference or ask you to pay it; it may end a membership taken out on the wrong basis and refund the fee.
Term and the 2026–27 offer
A membership taken out on or after 4 September 2026 and before 1 January 2027 runs to 31 December 2027. That is the “pay for 2027, the rest of 2026 is included” offer. After that, membership is for the calendar year unless the invoice says otherwise; from 1 October, joining covers the rest of that year and the whole of the next. Renewals are invited before expiry, and members can renew from their account page from 1 October. To cancel a renewal, tell the Secretariat in writing before the new term starts.
Fees, currencies and VAT
Published rates are Individual (one named person, including an individual academic) £195; Small organisation (up to four people) £395; Academic institution (an academic institution) £395; Organisation (five or more people) £795. Prices are in pounds sterling (GBP). You can also pay in euros (EUR) or US dollars (USD); the application form shows the amounts. Members in the UK pay in pounds. UK VAT at 20% is added where UK VAT rules require it. Cross-border VAT can depend on the customer. The invoice is the confirmation of treatment. The application form shows the total, including any VAT, before you pay. An invoice is due as stated on it.
From 1 January 2027, the annual rates are £245 for an individual, including an individual academic, £595 for a small organisation or an academic institution, and £1,200 for an organisation of five or more people, for both Air-Rail and Associate membership. Those rates apply to new memberships and renewals paid from 1 January 2027. A member who renews for 2027 by 31 December 2026 pays the 2026 fee. Memberships accepted under the September–December 2026 offer keep the 2026 fee (£195, £395 or £795) and access through 31 December 2027, with no additional payment due because of this rate change. To secure the offer, pay by card, or ask for an invoice, before 1 January 2027; an invoice issued under the offer keeps its terms if it is paid by its due date.
What you receive
Once paid, Air-Rail and Associate Members receive the same access: the member website (planned and cargo records, member notes, the report library), the searchable Express archive, introductions arranged by the Secretariat, and an included conference place. One conference place is included per membership. Register separately; places are subject to availability. Travel and accommodation are not included. Additional places follow the arrangements for that event. The Express email briefing is also available free to people who subscribe. Organisation membership covers colleagues of that legal entity; it does not automatically create a separate login for every employee unless the Secretariat issues one.
If the Brussels conference is postponed or cancelled, IARO will offer an alternative date or format where it reasonably can. The membership fee is not refunded solely because an event changes. A separate event charge, if any was paid, would be refunded or credited.
Paying, and how membership is provided
Card payments are taken by Stripe, our payment provider, on its own secure page. Stripe is certified to PCI DSS Level 1; your card details go to Stripe and never reach this website or the Secretariat. The charge appears on your card statement as IARO MEMBERSHIP. Invoices are sent by Stripe by email and can be paid online; for a bank transfer, ask us for the details.
Membership is provided online and by email; nothing is posted. When a card payment goes through, member access opens at once and we email a link to choose your password. When an invoice is paid, the same email follows. If it has not arrived within one working day, email the Secretariat.
Membership does not renew automatically, and no card is charged again unless you choose to renew. We email a reminder before your membership ends.
Accounts and confidentiality
Credentials must not be shared outside the member organisation. Member-only reports, notes and planned-project records are confidential to current members and may not be republished.
Cancellation and refunds
If you join as an individual, for yourself rather than for a business, you may cancel within 14 days of joining. Email patrick.hicks@iaro.com, or write to the Secretariat, saying that you wish to cancel and quoting your reference; you do not need to use a form. Your membership starts when you pay only because you ask for that on the application, so if you cancel within the 14 days IARO may keep a proportionate amount for the access you had until you told us. We refund the rest within 14 days of hearing from you.
Organisation membership is a business arrangement. Fees for a started term are not ordinarily refunded, except where the law requires it or the Secretariat agrees.
If you were charged twice, or charged the wrong amount, tell the Secretariat and we will refund the difference. Refunds go back to the card or account you paid from. If something is wrong with a payment, please tell us before disputing it with your bank.
Suspension and ending membership
IARO may suspend or end access if fees are unpaid, if credentials are misused, or if these terms are broken. When membership ends, website access to member-only material ends. Directory listings are removed when no longer current.
Liability, law and complaints
Membership does not make IARO responsible for operational decisions you take on the back of IARO material. Nothing limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud. These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. Complaints: email the Secretariat. You may also have the right to use an appropriate UK dispute service or to complain to the ICO about personal data.
Related pages: Privacy Notice, Website terms, Membership fees.