FBO Pet Hates
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Jungle or Sand!!!!!!
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But that would involve mostly state owned institutions such as the DFS/NATS etc. These are sort of sakrosankt I sometimes think...
Luckily they get put out to pasture pretty early on, so you don't have to deal with certain individuals for too long, just the collective lot.
PPRuNe Handmaiden
Oh yes, NOTAMs that don't come into effect for at least a month.
There are settings on the NOTAM fields that govern the period valid for, please use that.
Having to ask several times for the same thing, such as coffee and catering. While I like being friendly to the FBO (and I think we should be friendly and pleasant) when it gets in the way of getting the job done, that is mildly irritating.
One thing that makes me laugh is calling in on the VHF aprox 30 min prior and asking for various services, only to be met by an eager FBO rep who wants to know what services I require. Err - don't they communicate with each other?
On the other hand, some FBO handlers are absolute gold. Anticipate every thing, bring stuff out in a timely manner, use initiative to get things done. Love them, they're great. (and usually get an email to either their boss if I have their address or to my chief pilot to pass the message on).
There are settings on the NOTAM fields that govern the period valid for, please use that.
Having to ask several times for the same thing, such as coffee and catering. While I like being friendly to the FBO (and I think we should be friendly and pleasant) when it gets in the way of getting the job done, that is mildly irritating.
One thing that makes me laugh is calling in on the VHF aprox 30 min prior and asking for various services, only to be met by an eager FBO rep who wants to know what services I require. Err - don't they communicate with each other?
On the other hand, some FBO handlers are absolute gold. Anticipate every thing, bring stuff out in a timely manner, use initiative to get things done. Love them, they're great. (and usually get an email to either their boss if I have their address or to my chief pilot to pass the message on).
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: UK
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London TMA FBO
We have been operating CL605, EMB135BJ, FAL900EX and like into the London area, from the Gulf Region for last few years.
Luton pricing and service has become seriously bad over the last past few years.
We now use both Biggin Hill & Stansted depending on the clients requests & their final location within London.
We now generally work through our requirements via IATA SGHA at each station to include what I would deem handling charge basics. That as mentioned on here some FBO's charge or use to charge us for.
Does anybody consider Oxford as a practical ALT?
Luton pricing and service has become seriously bad over the last past few years.
We now use both Biggin Hill & Stansted depending on the clients requests & their final location within London.
We now generally work through our requirements via IATA SGHA at each station to include what I would deem handling charge basics. That as mentioned on here some FBO's charge or use to charge us for.
Does anybody consider Oxford as a practical ALT?
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: UK. East Mids.
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FBO Refrigeration.
US east coast destination. Specific requests for some catering ex-LON for both out and back which I arranged to have stored in a refrigerator between flights. We are talking about 2 tupperware containers roughly the size of a ream of A4 paper each.
10 hours, in a fridge that was already there and in use.
$195
And I had to put in in the blinking fridge myself.
And I agree about the lack of communication in regards to the imminent or actual arrival of passengers… Highly annoying.
US east coast destination. Specific requests for some catering ex-LON for both out and back which I arranged to have stored in a refrigerator between flights. We are talking about 2 tupperware containers roughly the size of a ream of A4 paper each.
10 hours, in a fridge that was already there and in use.
$195
And I had to put in in the blinking fridge myself.
And I agree about the lack of communication in regards to the imminent or actual arrival of passengers… Highly annoying.
Holy crap.
Reading this thread make me appreciate North American FBOs so much more.
Even sadder when you realize that some of the big FBO chains here in the US are owned by European companies. Don't they teach proper pricing and customer support skills in Europe?
Reading this thread make me appreciate North American FBOs so much more.
Even sadder when you realize that some of the big FBO chains here in the US are owned by European companies. Don't they teach proper pricing and customer support skills in Europe?
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: USA
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Some are Expensive
Spent over $300 US for 10 lbs of air for an under inflated nose wheel on my 1966 Mooney M20E.
Dulles (KIAD) on a Saturday. Contacted the FBO for assistance, they charged me to call the maintenance company on call. The maintenance guy came out and charged me the "weekend call out rate". There was a charge for just him showing up, let alone the 20 seconds to inflate the tire. The airport commission took a cut as well. Expensive lesson, but no way was I going to risk a full fledged flat nose wheel on taxi, departure or arrival.
Dulles (KIAD) on a Saturday. Contacted the FBO for assistance, they charged me to call the maintenance company on call. The maintenance guy came out and charged me the "weekend call out rate". There was a charge for just him showing up, let alone the 20 seconds to inflate the tire. The airport commission took a cut as well. Expensive lesson, but no way was I going to risk a full fledged flat nose wheel on taxi, departure or arrival.
Last edited by HookEcho; 16th Jul 2015 at 18:30.
