Planning a Successful 2012 FBO Business Strategy: A Three Part Series

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Part 1: Our FBO Business Outlook for 2012

By John L. Enticknap and Ron R. Jackson, Aviation Business Strategies Group

 Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.                                                                                                                                          —Mark Twain 

Recently we received a call from one of the major business aviation publications asking for our outlook for the FBO business in 2012. As writers, practitioners and consultants to the business aviation community, we are often contacted by the aviation trade press for our views on various industry subjects.

We have our ears and eyes glued to the FBO market, and recently completed one of our FBO Success Seminars for the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), so we have a pretty good pulse on the health of the industry.

Looking into the FBO Crystal Ball for 2012

First of all, in today’s political environment—especially with an election year upon us—it’s hard to get a good read on what’s going to happen in 2012 on a national level that will affect our FBO industry either positively or negatively. If you’ve watched any of the debates, you probably think ‘ol Mark Twain hit the nail on the head. You might as well wet your finger and hold it up in the air to see which way the economic wind is going to blow.

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NBAA Workers' Comp Insurance Program Declares Second 20% Dividend

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NBAA Member Companies participating in the Association's popular Workers' Compensation Insurance Program will receive yet another 20-percent dividend in 2012, due to the outstanding loss ratio of the group, the Association reported. Participants in the program have received nearly $1 million dollars in dividends to date.
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Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport is an Engine for Economic Growth

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Long known as a must-see vacation destination, today, Fort Lauderdale is also the heart of a diverse economic region home to a $13 billion marine and $8.5 billion tourism industries, the state’s largest technology hub, and a rapidly expanding film and television production sector.          One of the key factors driving the city’s emergence as a major commercial center is an extensive transportation network, highlighted by Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE).

Owned and operated by the city, FXE is home to more than 700 aircraft including 115 corporate jets and 40 helicopters. The facility handles approximately 150,000 takeoffs and landings per year, ranking it as one of the ten busiest GA airports in the U.S.

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Odyssey Aviation Opens Two New Handling Locations

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Just in Time for the Busy Holiday Traffic

Nassau, The Bahamas (December 6, 2011) – Odyssey Aviation Bahamas began offering handling services on November 14, 2011 at two new Bahamian locations – Governors Harbour Airport and Rock Sound Airport – both located on the island of Eleuthera.

With growing interest in the Bahamas by world travelers and the holiday season upon us, Odyssey’s expansion of handling services on the island of Eleuthera couldn’t have come at a better time.

“Holiday traffic can create significant chaos for small islands,” says Steven Kelly, President of Odyssey Aviation Bahamas. “Flight departments, more than ever, desire good service and trusted representation for their passengers on arrival. Through its handling services, Odyssey Aviation Governors Harbour (MYEM) and Odyssey Aviation Rock Sound (MYER) bring what no one else has to this market – reliability, consistency and a high level of safety and quality service.”

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Not All Customers are Created Equal

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Or, Sometimes You’ve Got to Tell Them How the Cow Ate the Cabbage!

 By Ron Jackson

 Recently we completed our fall NATA FBO Success Seminar in Atlanta and we had a great turnout of FBO attendees representing locations from as close as the Atlanta area to as far away as Grand Rapids, Michigan, and points in between. We were fortunate to have as one of our sponsors AC-U-KWIK, and Jodi Espinoza made a very informative presentation.

One of our discussion topics at the FBO Success Seminar is how to work with customers who want everything but are not willing to pay for anything. Sound familiar?

The old adage “The Customer is Always Right” is usually true. However, every once in a while you run across customers who break this general customer service axiom. They seem to know everything, want everything, and want it now. Unfortunately, these customers usually don’t purchase a lot fuel, if any. Yet we manage to spend an exorbitant amount of time, resources and energy trying to make them happy.

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Avfuel Adds Oklahoma’s United States Aviation (TUL) to Branded FBO Network

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Avfuel added United States Aviation to its FBO branded network. Touting “Beyond First Class” service, a state-of-the-art facility and a professional, dedicated staff, the FBO offers pilots and passengers a number of services and amenities, including Avfuel Contract Fuel, AVTRIP rewards and more.
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