Annoying FBO things....

[Flying Illini]

The only other times I'd tip would be in Mexico (tip early and often)...

Ain't that the sad truth!

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

av8r4-
Are you the biggest dingdong in the world? The quality of service you personally give while you're at work should have nothing to do with how much of a tip you think you might get. Unless you're a waitress making $2.50 an hour, don't expect a tip. I know how much rampers make. I was a ramp agent for almost 8 years for the airlines and also for an FBO. Everybody got the same degree of service when I was on duty.

WE fuel your planes. WE wash your dishes. WE provide you with free transportation in the form of a crew car. WE get your ice, coffee and papers. WE provide you with ground power. WE throw your trash out. WE make sure that your passengers transportation is waiting upon their arrival.

All of the aforementioned duties ARE YOUR JOB!!!! You are in the service industry my friend. I don't see how you get off wanting to be tipped for things that you're already getting paid to do.

I don't like my job but I show up every day ready to work. I provide the best service available in this industry. It's tough having to do the grunt work and always getting the short end of the stick.

If you don't like your job, quit. Your attitude reflects that you don't like your job. Leaving trash laying on the ramp proves you DO NOT provide the best service in the industry. Also, regardless if the aircraft in chocked or not chocked, that has nothing to do with the aircraft having it's brakes on. Different companies, as well as different aircraft, have different procedures as far as leaving the brakes on or off.

If I ever park my aircraft at your fbo and witness you purposely leaving trashbags everywhere, I'm dragging you by your earlobe into your bosses office for a meeting. Trash left on the ramp is fod and may cause engine damage.

My job description is basically flying an airliner from point A to point B. I do my job and do it well. On a regular basis, I go above and beyond the call of duty to provide that "extra level of service". I promise, when we land, we do not stand in the doorway with our hands extended for tips.

 

[labbats]

As negative as the above post may seem, I'm in agreement. I was a ramp rat for better than 6 months and never saw a tip beyond doughnuts or a few kind words. And that's all I ever asked for.

Getting tipped requires service above and beyond the call of duty. A couple of the above responses warranted a tip, and they were obvious. But I'll be very unhappy if 5 years from now I pull up in some jet to an FBO, finding some up-and-comer ramp rat all upset that I didn't tip him after I let him into the cockpit to see what it's like or neglecting to fill up the courtesy car.

The only thing that really got me mad as a ramper was when someone would fly in and request our one (and only) crew car. We'd remind them politely that it was a 2 hour maximim. 4 hours later, they roll in while I've been getting yelled at for 2 hours from some other pilots about the car. They hand me the keys without an apology and fire up the plane that didn't get any fuel and take off into the sunset forever.

At any rate, it's the old 80/20 rule of life. 80% of you all are great to have around and I looked forward to your arrival. That 20% sucked, but you move on and pay attention to that cool 80% that gives you the time of day, and a tip was never asked for, nor required. Sometimes it's just nice to be noticed when you're fueling a plane.

 

[Khirsah]

Keep in mind that at a lot of FBOs your level of service is directly proportional to the level of respect with which you treat the hired help.

Shut down and treat myself or any of the guys on my crew with disrespect and you'll get the level of service that my boss (who interestingly enough signs my check every 2 weeks and is the only one who carries any weight when he tells me what my job is) requires: Fuel, on a first come first served basis, and those flight school planes are starting to look awful low. You'll get the crew car if it's available, for an hour or two, otherwise get a rental.

Shut down and treat myself or the rest of my crew with a modicum of respect and you'll what you want when you want it. You'll get the crew car if it's available for as long as you need. If it isn't available we'll work hard to get you something else for free.

Shut down, treat myself and the rest of my crew in a friendly manner, show a little gratitude in the form of a simple thank-you, and I'll buy you lunch, give you the keys to my car if the crew car's gone, clean every bug off your plane, clean and vacuum the interior, and you might just come back to pay your bill only to find out you're paying $1.90/gal instead of $2.30.

Just something to think about.

 

[Wang Chung]

Any FBO with DTN as their weather computer also should step into the modern times. That system sucks

Amen, brother, you speak the truth! These things are the Commodore 64 of weather computers. And SOME DTNs don't even have text weather, they just have "city forecasts" and a couple marginal prog charts.

Y'know what else I hate? When there's an internet computer at an FBO and I need to do a quick email check or get on duats.com during a fuel stop...and there's some douche-bag there who's been hogging the system for half the morning surfing around just killing time!

 

[guido411]

Ok, I have one that MOST of you probably don't have a problem with but, please, sympathize with me.

At a certain FBO that many of us LOVE to HATE, I won't say any names but it's name is also something you might do at the end of a written letter where your name is, I am not allowed to use their crew cars. This is despite that fact that I have bought a couple hundred gallons of fuel, paid their outlandish landing fee, as well as their "handling" fee for that minimum wage golf card driver to bring my passengers to the terminal from the back 40, and left a million $ airplane sitting on the ramp. Why? Did I piss somebody off? Nope, I am only 23 years old, and they require a user be 25 to drive their $10,000 Ford Focus.

So there I sit, drinking the cappucino that I get for paying $3.70 for Jet-A, waiting for the van driver to run me to another MacanDon's lunch. Or by some miracle there might be a kind crew in "big iron" that is running into town that doesn't mind eating lunch with a "k-Mart King Air" driver. To all of you out there that don't mind a young single pilot type tagging along, it's much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[FL350]

I feel your pain!!!!!!!

 

[aeronautic1]

FBohhhhssss

Kid, you can ride shotgun to the chinese buffett anytime!! But, let's get back on course here. Okay, I typically carry my own trash, walk my coffee urn to the ramp shack and shovel a bucket of ice myself... unless of course a line guy (or gal, we need more gals) tells me that it is his job to get these items. A good F/O is willing and able to service the airplane while the captain handles the finacing end of the ground evolution. However, I must again reiterate, when the line guy tells you that it's his job to run ice/coffee/trash, then it is just that - his job. Now, if the lav needs servicing and the line guy offers to handle it, then I certainly tip him accordingly (again, another F/O job). I have not had too many problems with proper marshalling but a little comedy on the ramp does go a long way for a weary crew. I fly because I love my job. I do not get tipped for greasing one on the tarmac... I am just doing my job. The subject of this particular forum is what we do not like about SOME FBOs. Personally, I would like to see bigger tats on the counter girls.

 

[BoilerUP]

I dispatch at a Fractional. A month or so ago, I had a crew tell me how wonderfully they were treated by a TAC-AIR FBO (I don't remember where now).

Was it TAC-AIR LEX? Those guys and gals have always treated me well, and their line workers are about as friendly as can be. Fueling *usually* runs quickly, too. They hangared an Archer I flew down there one time in a thunderstorm, then put it in the back 40 when it blew through. A phone call 15 mintues before I arrived to the airport and the plane was waiting for me right in front, between a CJ and a King Air.


shameless plug for my hometown FBO...but they ARE good!

 

[PC12Cowboy]

Line Guys/Gals

I am glad to be flying instead of werking the line, but I always take the time to say thanks and be as personable as possible..but when you come across the rude tired and cranky ramp rat..it is hard not to let the venom flow and ask if his mommy will let him take a nap...What you receive is what you give to others!

FBO PEEVS
And having the latest weather service....limited to only a few options...now thats a pain!

 

[Publishers]

True

All of these things happen. Sometimes there has to be a little recognition on everyones part as to the situation of the moment.

When you drive your luxerormoaircraft on the ramp, most can recornize when the place is jumping and realize that this place does not have 30 crew cars. Like the pilots first thing is a safe flight followed by getting his passengers out of the airport and on their way, line crews first thing is marshalling the aircraft safely to a spot and helping you get your passengers out of there. Secondly is to find out how long you will be and what you want for your aircraft.

Be courteous and like stated above usually good things will happen. Check out what is going on and be patient when everybody is showing up at once.

 

[Limeyflyer]

All I know is that there are good FBO's and Bad FBO's. I throw the line guys a couple bucks wherever I go, not saying that they desereved it but just to be a nice guy. Do a better job get a better tip. I do have to say that if any of you guys are at enterprise aviation in Oshawa, there is no control for the tv, however this was fine because as I was lounging The Playboy Channel magically appeared thanks to the great ground crew.

 

[singlespeed]

JFK not a FBO but want money for no service

 

[Diesel]

publishers knows this from his vast experience in the corporate world. Don't you have someplace else to post about having to give up pay because it's good for the company and pilots are over paid?

HAAAAAaAAA


JFK man that place is truely the worst. Doens't Ogden fuel run the fuel farm and the port authority on NY/NJ run the "fbo".