Best & Worst FBOs at Teterboro

[Heavy Set]

I know you Fractional pilots fly into TEB all the time. Looks like the boss wants to get closer into the city (we typically use HPN when we are in the area) and he has mentioned TEB given its proximity to his business dealings on the West Side. I have flown in there once or twice but it has been awhile.

So, which FBOs do you prefer and which do you avoid based on personal experience? What makes them good/bad? I am sure your companies already have contracts with certain FBOs, but maybe you have experience with others on the field... We would likely stay 1-2 nights in a row max when we fly in there.

I had heard that First Aviation Services was pretty good but that was from someone who had used them a few years ago. I know Signature and Jet Aviation are also on the field among others. Any thoughts?

Thanks

 

[wacoflyr]

Meridian. Excellent service, good facilities. Jet's service, not so much.

Wacoflyr

 

[gutshotdraw]

Nicest facility on the field now, by far, is First Aviation. Their service......eh. Getting better but.....eh.

Jet's ramp always way too crowded (which should say something).

Meridian's building is nice and the service is pretty good but the ramp is tiny.

Signature is....well, Signature. Over-priced and so-so service.

Atlantic has a crappy old building but service is decent and hey, you get Atlantic bucks :beer:

Never parked at any of the others. Just my .01 (inflation don'tcha know).

 

[GSXR600]

We (Flex) got a contract with signature so our prices are low, but I'll say Meridian is a great place, ramp is tiny but who cares! Once you park the jet, is theirs from there on. The facility is really nice and I think they got the cheapest fuel on the field. I personaly know the ramp supervisor, his name is Christhian....Just ask for him and he'll take care of ya!!

Good luck

 

[johnsonrod]

Nicest facility on the field now, by far, is First Aviation. Their service......eh. Getting better but.....eh.

Jet's ramp always way too crowded (which should say something).

Meridian's building is nice and the service is pretty good but the ramp is tiny.

Signature is....well, Signature. Over-priced and so-so service.

Atlantic has a crappy old building but service is decent and hey, you get Atlantic bucks :beer:

Never parked at any of the others. Just my .01 (inflation don'tcha know).

Hey Gutshotdraw,

I saw an ad for First Aviation recently in ProPilot - the new building does look quite nice. I think I saw a lot of NJA/NJI airplanes parked there in the ad. What about the service is good or bad vs. other FBOs? What would you like to see to improve it?

 

[gutshotdraw]

There is, shall we say, a pre-existing and "close" relationship between NJA/I and First Aviation. Like anywhere else, there are PLST's (that's Professional Line Service Technicians to the uninitiated and BTW that was my first job in aviation) that bust a$$ and do a great job but sometimes the counter staff is, em, er.....uninterested in whether you get your job done. And some line techs have a tendency to disappear once the passengers do. If I were the line manager, standing policy would be for a line tech to check back with the crew 20-25 minutes after block-in to see what hadn't been done yet. That would go a long way to improving service.

 

[Fozzy]

In the last 10 or so months I have had nothing but great service from First Aviation. Hard to believe, but I think they have turned the corner. If it was my plane and their prices we competitive (I honestly don't know) I would park at First.
Jet is way to crowded and the crew room has always been overflowing. But it has been a long time since I actually went inside.

 

[gutshotdraw]

I agree with you somewhat Foz, the service has gotten better since the ownership change but, as with anything, there's still room to improve.

 

[brokeflyer]

the words "best" and "teterboro" really cant be used together.....

 

[gutshotdraw]

True dat!

 

[RNObased]

In the last 10 or so months I have had nothing but great service from First Aviation. Hard to believe, but I think they have turned the corner. If it was my plane and their prices we competitive (I honestly don't know) I would park at First.
Jet is way to crowded and the crew room has always been overflowing. But it has been a long time since I actually went inside.

First had no place to go but up. They were so bad for so long that even mediocre service is a plesant suprise. The counter girls are better then in the past, but still need some help. Of course you could always try out LGA that is real fun. LOL

 

[LaGarbage Man]

Meridian

 

[Hogprint]

You mean there are FBO's other than First? Who woulda known...

 

[gutshotdraw]

You need to get out more Hog.....

 

[CopilotDoug]

Not that impressed by First. I guess the tipping point would be when I had to go into the back room to search for "misplaced" snack items. The girl behind the counter seemed to be preoccupied with something else. That and it took 30 minutes to get a bag of ice. Maybe I just had bad luck and lazy bastards happened to be working those days.

Love Meridians facilities!

 

[NJAowner]

There is, shall we say, a pre-existing and "close" relationship between NJA/I and First Aviation.

There is a good reason for the relationship. Loyalty. The story I heard from many back at NJA in the beginning, was that during a rough period for the company in the 1980s every other FBO at TEB demanded cash up front from him for fuel, while First Aviation extended 14 days credit to RTS/EJA. Being a loyal old-schooler from Brooklyn, he has endeavored to repay the favor ever since then and take care of those who helped him.

Fly safe.

 

[gret]

Doesn't RS and Goldman own First Aviation? I think they bought it about a year ago.

 

[brokeflyer]

Doesn't RS and Goldman own First Aviation? I think they bought it about a year ago.

they must have bought it.....that's why us pilots are treated like regular employees and not customers....

that is the only explaination.

 

[NoahWerka]

I was werkin at Beechcraft East TEB when they closed down in the mid '80's. After they shut down, Atlantic Aviation took over the FBO operation for the Port Authority. I continued to provide pilot services for most of the a/c owners based there as needed. One of them was the man was the driving force to get separate IFR slots for TEB, not qued in EWR. In addition to his full time job, he started First Aviation around 1986.. I went to werk full time for him when he started it, from the initial reconstruction phase of the hangar in '86 until '89. Good man to werk for, and treated his employees fairly, but...he was a ballbuster. He retired in 2001. He then helped his wife run First Aviation. By the way, the last job he did before he retired was negotiate the leases for the WTC in July of 2001.

FAS sure has grown a lot since the original one hangar.

First Aviation

 

[gutshotdraw]

There is, shall we say, a pre-existing and "close" relationship between NJA/I and First Aviation.

There is a good reason for the relationship. Loyalty. The story I heard from many back at NJA in the beginning, was that during a rough period for the company in the 1980s every other FBO at TEB demanded cash up front from him for fuel, while First Aviation extended 14 days credit to RTS/EJA. Being a loyal old-schooler from Brooklyn, he has endeavored to repay the favor ever since then and take care of those who helped him.

Fly safe.

That is the relationship to which I was referring. RTS is the loyal sort. One of the many reasons I'm happy to work for him.

Gret, RTS does not own First Aviation. Goldman Sachs is involved in the current ownership as I understand it but Berkshire ethics guidelines would prevent a Netjets employee or executive from participating in the ownership of a prominent service vendor.