This year’s business aircraft handling

survey attracted a wide variety

of votes from Europe’s private

pilots, and produced some very

interesting results.

One pilot, who elected to remain

anonymous, told us: “FBOs

invariably offer the right facilities –

TV, lounge, weather briefing, fax,

phone, boardroom etc – but you

often have to dig around for them to

be made available to you. Usually if

you want weather, for example, the

staff will get it for you but no more

and no less.”

The pilot in question continued:

“I’m an owner pilot and wherever I

go, I commute to.

“My aircraft is my car and

my requirements are very different

from those of a corporate aircraft,

where there are two hired helps

carrying the owner.

“I tend to do my own weather

briefing, which is fine, and all I really

want from an FBO is a very simple,

seamless service.

“I just want to transit the airport

as quickly as possible and I don’t

want to pay through the nose for the

privilege. After all, I don’t have

passengers using lounges, I never sit

down and avail myself of the

facilities, yet still the charges are

prohibitively high.”

In this pilot’s mind, at least, the

European fixed base operations

arena has room and indeed a need

for a two-tier pricing system – one for

full-service FBOs and one for

limited-service FBOs.

He continued: “If you’ve got six

passengers who are all going to

sit and drink coffee for an hour

before the flights, then great, you

need the facility.

“But if you’re like me – and there

are a lot of owner pilots in my

position – you just want to get in your

aircraft and go.

“So why not have a two-tier

system for FBOs, more in line with

the service you require?”

Our anonymous pilot says this

issue is quite simply one of value

for money.

He added: “What’s the point in

paying a nice, cheap landing fee if

you’re still going to be hit with a £250

walk-through charge?”