Great FBO Services You've Seen

[Future_Jet_Centre]

Hey Everyone,

I'm in the research stage of developing an Executive Jet Centre and I was hoping the members here would be willing to help me out. Basically, I've created a list of features/services that I would provide to customers, but before I finalize the plans and present the final design to the investors, I wanted to make sure I haven't missed anything. It would be great if you could share your experiences at other FBOs, both good and bad. I'm looking for things regarding customer service, customer and pilot comfort, decor, etc. Pretty much anything that made you think either "That was great, I'll go back there" or "I'll never step foot in that place again".

As of right now, I'm not planning on providing fuel. From the people I've talked to, its a lot of extra liability and training cost without a big payoff. If you think otherwise, though, feel free to let me know.

Thanks a lot for all of your help. I look forward to hearing your suggestions.

[E-Flyer]

Flightcraft FBO in Eugene

[lilfssister]

E: I think they are looking for SPECIFIC things that made your experience with a particular FBO great, not simply the name of an FBO you liked.

[Dash-Ate]

Did you really have to ask?

http://www.fbohotties.com/

[chipmunk]

Customer service. At least PRETEND you like your job:

I've been to way too many FBOs where the line staff act like the last thing they want to do is move or fuel my plane and the folks working at the front desk gossip on the phone to their friends while I'm waiting to pay my bill (and then take ages to total up my bill which never includes anything more than fuel/ramp/hangar) and leave and sigh and roll their eyes when I ask for something as simple as to be let out airside. These are the often the places with the vending machine coffee... I mean... they can't even give me a free coffee?! I leave with a mental note that the next time I need a fuel stop to try elsewhere.

Then, I've been to many FBOs that have a marshaller to greet me to indicate where I should park, ask when I would like to be fuelled or if I need hangarage, with front desk staff who don't rest until they've efficiently secured hotel rooms/rental or courtesy car and fed me fresh and free coffee and cookies, and basically make me feel like I'm not wasting their time. When I return in the morning I'm always greeted, my information and any special instructions have been passed from last night's crew to this morning's, my bill is ready for me so I can have a quick and efficient departure, the staff aren't texting or calling their friends, and I leave after making a little mental note that the next time I need a fuel stop in this area this will be where it's at!

[pilotbzh]

porn on sat TV in the pilot lougne just like it was at the esso in yam.... fuel came from shell because of contract, but pilot always stayed at the esso, and always fuel at the esso when not on medevac.... give pilot a free wirless internet connection to.... life away from home is hard enought... and pilot are good easy going guys (and most guirls..)

[freakonature]

I have a really really bad feeling about this one. Last week at a Canadian FBO I had my airplane washed and the interior detailed. They loaded my passenger's luggage,made coffee, escorted my passenger's on to the ramp. And I didn't even take fuel. Can you imagine what they would have done if we had of taken a big load of fuel?? We probably should have asked if there was a ramp fee before we closed the door.

[hazatude]

Make sure you hire good frontline people and pay them well. This will make it a happy place with plenty of smiles. Don't scrimp on communications as the line people need to be able to act quickly and have the correct information right away.
Have magazines in the lounge that have nothing to do with flying...fluff and light reading helps the crew relax.

I could go on forever!

[E-Flyer]

E: I think they are looking for SPECIFIC things that made your experience with a particular FBO great, not simply the name of an FBO you liked.

No I was meaning that he should offer the same service like flightcraft fbo, i've seen none that beats them.

Free Drinks/Food
Air Conditionned
Attractive People Behind The Counters
Professional
A Company that is run so well, their clients are a pleasure to sit down with and talk about aviation
you get the picture...

Basically have a good management, everything breaks down from there.

[taylor498]

Pilot's weather briefing rooms... (and not just a computer shoved in the corner) It's nice to be able to see the latest updated weather and have some space to pull out your charts, etc... especially when you're waiting for something to clear. Consider buying one of those IP phones so you can allow long distance calling... it's a huge help to be able to quickly call ahead to your destination or next FBO without having to find a 1-800 number!

I also really liked having the proper showers and crew rest rooms. It's a bit tiring to sit in a tiny cockpit like mine with no A/C on a hot summer day Comfortable recliners are awesome to have in a theatre room or something of that sort. Cold water coolers are must. Fresh fruit or good snacks are a huge bonus as it's very hard to get a nutritious meal in if you're flying a 9 hour day...

Sorry, I'm getting a little carried away, but these are the ideals for me when looking at an FBO. The next time I was planning a trip down south I made an an effort to intentionally stop back at KMFR because of the service I got. (yes I know the FBO's on the other side of the border are in a different league...)
---
So no fuel, eh?... really? I thought that's where you guys made all your money!!

[E-Flyer]

or pay a meteorologist, give him a FSS like office, get him to give pilots a wx brief where pilots can see and learn from the radar screens and all those wonderful technologies

[SerialKiller]

I havent been to too many FBO's, but the best I've been to is the Esso Aviatat in YWG, and the worst by far is the Esso "so-called" Aviatat in YMM. I'm probably not the only one on here that thinks the YMM Esso is the shittiest one in the west.

[flyincanuck]

mouthwash + everything else that's already been mentioned.

[wallypilot]

FlightCraft in KPDX is very good as well. Generally speaking, have frontline people that are keen to give good service. Canadian FBO's in general pale in comparison to US FBO's, especially in places like PHOG and KLAS. In KAPC they give each crew member a bottle of Napa wine when they depart.

Even in the smaller places, like say Duluth, MN, where there aren't as many big $$$ bizjets coming through, and the facilities may not be as good as the above mentioned places, the service is still great, and they do a lav service with a smile. Accordingly, we tip for good service, and we don't tip for average or worse service.

I say pay your people well, give them good training, and provide a work environment where the line crew can enjoy their job. Be selective in hiring, even though it might be tough these days to get good people.

and I agree about the mouthwash in the restrooms....a stack of individually wrapped toothbrushes is nice too....just cheapies....but they do the trick.

my $.02
-wp

[E-Flyer]

yea i forgot PDX as well... although i liked KEUG better they had hotter CSA's

[niss]

Read Sulakos story about the time he met Hazatude.

[xsbank]

Don't forget that good service requires a good tip - if you're driving a jet you shouldn't travel with less than $20s and you should give 'em to the lav dumper and anyone else who gives you GOOD service.

Small planes or private, adjust accordingly, but just giving 'em a smile and a thank you doesn't cut it. I rarely find a reason to tip in Canada....

[Future_Jet_Centre]

Thanks so far everyone. Keep the good ideas coming. I agree with a lot of it (pay+selective hiring=good service=successful) and there are some great new ideas too.

But here's another all important question. Money. Obviously, providing top service in a new facility where you plan to keep pilots, VIPs and CEOs comfortable takes a lot of cash. As pilots, what would you think is reasonable to pay when you go to an Executive FBO such as this? I know the US FBOs are a lot more expensive. Do you think a Canadian FBO could charge similar prices and still get business, or would most companies just go to the cheaper alternative?

Thanks.

[pontius]

Anybody remember Coombs-Gates at Denver Stapleton? We would be met by a smiling young blonde female ramp agent. She would lay down a red carpet in front of the airplane door, collect the trash, order fuel, commissary, taxis, limos, utilising a radio she had with her. When we put the airplane to bed, we had a ride to the Coombs-Gates terminal, where we could avail ourselves of the crew lounge. Regulars were issued with a key card with which we could access the lounges at Denver or Palm Springs. We were also offered the loan of a car-usually a semi-clunker but free-just put some gas in it.
The tower, during the approach,. would often ask which FBO we wanted. On ground freq. we were then told to follow the purple line painted on the taxiway. This line would lead us through the airport and take us to Coombs ramp.
Did I mention that this was thirty years ago?

[Snowgoose]

Here's what I like to see:

Free Coffee, brewed, not instant
Free Canned Drinks including bottled water
Ice
More than 1 high speed internet terminal with the ability to print
Lounge with comfortable seats
Crew lounge with camera or view of entrance to spot clients
More than 1 crew vehicle
Friendly Attentive Staff
Friendly Attentive Staff
Friendly Attentive Staff
Fuel Service in less than 30 minutes.
Ladder, Oil, Chocks, GPU's located in close convenient locations

I have seen shathole airports with ratty fbo's excel on these points and fancy big city fbo's do everything and have miserable staff. Boston Signature stands out in my mind.

As for the Canada thing. Go to the Aero Toy Store in Montreal. Spend 20 minutes there and you will have your answer. Best Canadian FBO that I have visited, hands down. There may be one better but I haven't been there. Skyservice in Toronto does a pretty good job as well.

Tops
Aero Toy Store YUL and Fort Lauderdale
Skyservice Toronto
Most Signature FBO's in the US (except BOS and DET)
Lane Aviation Columbus

Worst
Million Air YKZ
Shell, all of them (haven't used the YWG one, so not sure)
Porter FBO YTZ
Boston Signature
Atlantic Aviation TEB (hit and miss actually)

There's more for the list but that's all I can remember right now

[KAG]

I have spent too many hours in FBO's. The ones that stood out in my mind weren’t the flashiest or the most expensive, although I must admit when you roll into some of those in the richer parts of the USA, it is nice.

A few things that stick out:
Access to a good, quite pilot lounge (SAT TV, a few comfy chairs, bunk beds, microwave).
Access to a crappy car (free) or a shuttle service is a definite plus.
Friendly, professional, helpful staff.
Access to washing materials (hose, bucket, soap, step ladder) to wash your plane.
A good computer, phone, maps of local area on the wall for flight planning purposes.
One FBO in Mississippi we used a lot had a really good lunch spread they put on every Tuesday, brought the local business around for some cheap eats. Pilots like cheap food.


Sometimes it’s the simple things that make a great FBO.

[Pratt X 3]

Lots of hangar space for visiting aircraft. This is Canada, after all, and it gets cold and snows during the winter. Its unbelievable when you show up at a major Canadian airport and there is no hangar space anywhere on the airport.

[square]

Well, we let aircraft park on our ramp though we're not so much an FBO, but some things you should have: a fueller on your ramp, LOTS of different types of tow bars, a frequency in the CFS they can call at when they're inbound, a fax that the relevant companies know of so that when the pax come in you know what they need to know, all the phone numbers for the relevant companies, a LOT of hangar space.. can you fit an extra king air? a hawker? a dash-8? if you can't hangar them they might not be able to use you, because the water in the pipelines will freeze in the winter. And if they don't use you in the winter they'll probably just use someone else all year round. Of course you'll need rampies, that can marshall and organize/plan the parking situation. Coffee and ice are popular too.

[200hr Wonder]

I like to see first off a nice lean place. The cleaner the better. This goes for inside and out as well as the tugs, chocks, line crew etc. Also if it is always clean I think it it sets up the right attitude for the employees.

The employees have to be friendly, well trained and happy to be there. A friendly smile and a good attitude do more than any free stuff. I use the FBO in Thunder Bay at odd hours a lot and even though I am sure the fueler on call would rather be anywhere bit there at 3am they are always friendly and make us feel comfortable.

All the requisite items that would be required to service the plane. GPU, Lav, Ice, Coffee etc.
Setup accounts with local business so that you can get a crew rate on Hotels, Cars, local attractions
Have the names/contact and a report with a good catering contact, etc.

Remember most pilots come from out of town so do not know anything of the local area. I know when I visited Pain Field in WA a few years back the FBO there lent us a crew car and gave a pass to see the Museum of Flight. If you have something like that near by think about how great it is to offer a pilot a free pass to the local attraction while they wait! Remember that there is a lot time to kill in FBOs so make it feel like home.

A hot shower and a place to nap is always welcome. Real towels in the washroom are a nice touch a long with soaps, mouth wash, disposable toothbrushes, deodorants etc. Even if you do not have time for a shower washing up with a nice real face cloth and towel, brushing your teeth, some fresh deodorant etc. can make you feel a whole lot better. I am sure you can get most of this stuff in bulk in the hotel size for deodorants and toothbrushes and for other things like mouth was the econo costco size pumps and the dixie cups are a simple solutions.

Good heat/cooling to cool down in the summer/warm up in the winter. Some umbrellas for the pax in the rain. A few copies of the local news paper/national news paper

A good weather briefing office with a GOOD computer that is virus free and quick. A printer that is well maintained and works with a supply of toner and paper as well as a phone to call the weather guessers.

The free stuff is nice but not required IMHO it all comes down to service. I would seriously consider starting a VERY complete and detailed file on each tail number that comes in. What services did they use? How long did they stay? Capt. Name, Home base, hotel/rental car preferences, catering preferences. It is amazing at how much people enjoy the - Welcome back Mr. So and So, would like us to get you a room at xyz hotel again and so forth.

Keep your line staff busy. If you have a plane over night and they are not busy have them clean the windows, or vacuum it. If the staff is there being paid think about how happy as a pilot you would be if as you are getting out and the line man asked if you would like the bugs removed from your leading edge and the windows washed. You have to pay them anyway so be sure to get the most out of them!

I could go on for hours, I have been on both sides of the service coin! Haz what say you?

[hazatude]

100% agree with all you said.

Where do you plan on setting this FBO up? I would be willing to consult for you...