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For those that have ever been offered a discounted wash and wax at an FBO (Fixed Based Operator), be skeptical. FBOs that do this are desperate for your business, which is not a bad thing in itself. However, the person that will be waxing, and even worse, polishing your airplane is the same one fueling it. More often than not, they lack the proper training to treat your paintwork with care. In fact, that person is likely being forced to do this service when things are slow. Do you really want to take a chance of someone burning your paint? More importantly, never let an FBO do bright work on your multi-million dollar aircraft unless they have a dedicated detailing department with a good reputation. I have worked at two FBOs that have offered this service to customers, including a Gulfstream that was a potential based customer.
Flight Options, lovingly referred to as FLOPS to many pilots and crew, has seen its share of hardships. Many current and former employees say that former CEO Michael Scheeringa created a work environment considered to be “toxic.” Issues with pay, broken aircraft, and scheduling were not uncommon, an opinion shared by many disgruntled aviation professionals. The company had a high rate of attrition and financial woes leading to massive furloughing of pilots and other personnel. This resulted in many seeing them as nothing more than a “bottom feeder” unable to compete with the stiffer competition, such as NetJets and FlexJet. “There are far more negative stories being spread throughout the grapevine about this company than positive ones,” says a pilot who will remain anonymous.
FBOs have been fighting each other for business since their inception, and for some their ingenuity has paid off. It’s a competitive business where the smallest conveniences can make all the difference. One way is to bribe reward the pilot, thus encouraging them to influence dispatchers to continue visiting a particular FBO. The majority of FBOs now have some type of reward system in place, usually through their fuel distributor whether it be Avfuel, Chevron, Philips, and so on. The most popular reward system was created by Atlantic Aviation, named “Reward Bucks” or “Atlantic bucks”. Reward Bucks is a program where pilots who enroll in the program are issued a reloadable American Express gift card where money accumulates based on the quantity of fuel purchased. Currently, they are giving $5 for every 100 gallons of Jet-A purchased or $10 per 100 gallons if you say the magic words, “top it off.” The cost for Atlantic Aviation is approximately .12 cents per gallon after American Express’ fee is added.