This month’s FBO survey in EBAN magazine shows that there are some excellent standards being met by different locations in Europe. That said, there are many different factors which decide whether an FBO is able to live up to high standards - many of which are actually out of the facility’s hands. Over the following paragraphs, I will set out why I believe this to be the case.

One of the things that I’ve always tried to do during my time with national and international associations and at various conferences, is to get across to people that every location is different – not just in its ability to provide a service but in the way it is governed by certain constraints and cultural differences.

The allowable parameters for each location’s service delivery are really governed first-off by airport bylaws, the individual location bylaws and the trading laws.

The service provision is really down to what the airport allows locally, at that location, and the length and breadth of services that the provider is allowed to supply unhindered.

For example, at many airports the GA terminal is run by the airport authority and all that can be done by the local agents is a supervisory function. Having said this, the local supervisory agents do have offices on the ramp as well as access to local based operators' hangarage. Dusseldorf is an example of one such airport.

There are other locations where the service provider will have offices on the airport but again, the services are provided either by the dedicated air carrier handler or the airport authority themselves. An example of this set-up is Frankfurt.

At congested airports like Gatwick, where the local traffic situation does allow full services to take place, the GA terminal is a couple of portable buildings. The staff there give a really phenomenal service even though they are not allowed to offer a full range of service provision.

Paris Le Bourget is unique in that you’ve got a plethora of service providers who have their own buildings, their own ground supply equipment and their own services. At this location, there’s no air carrier and it’s very much localised.

In spite of the different set-ups at different locations, a good FBO might still be judged on three simple issues: staff competency, interpersonal relationship skills and time management on behalf of the customer.

Ex-airline staff who have brought their airline disciplines with them into the corporate handling arena, make for very competent staff; your staff should always be personable, well-motivated and enthusiastic; and time management obviously encompasses the speed at which service delivery is given, whether by the location itself or by third party suppliers such as limousine, hotel and catering companies.

In conclusion, taking location by location, I would say that it is very difficult to have an overall pan-European standard because of the differences in local situations. A lot of FBOs do a very, very good job in my opinion, of actually maximising what they are allowed to do. Therefore, it is all the more important that your staff have all the interpersonal and industry skills on which your location might reasonably be judged.

Bob Catt, international ground handling advisor