Something To Watch Out For

[2000flyer]

Fellow aviators,

I've been following an interesting thread on NBAA and thought I'd share it with you (in a general sense).

Seems a Miami area FBO is using a flight tracking program to see what corporate/charter aircraft are flying into MIA then calling them on the phone at whatever FBO they're at with a sales pitch to get them to try another airport. An example given was a corporate driver getting at quickturn at MDW when, over the PA, he heard; "Pilot of N12345, you have a telephone call." He ran in to answer it, thinking it might be his company trying to catch him on the turn. He was greeted with a cheery fellow saying how great his FBO was compared to MIA and they should give it a try! Needless to say, before hanging up the phone the pilot gave him "what for" and according to his post, will NEVER visit this guys FBO.

So, telemarketing has now hit the pilot/FBO ranks. It's not wide-spread, thankfully, but the next time you're paged at the FBO, you may be greeted with "I can save you 30 cents a gallon if you come to my FBO!"

Happy Trails,

2000Flyer

 

[prpjt]

Flight Tracker Marketing

I've been following that one too. I've experienced a variation of that theme.

I've recieved several postcards that say " We see that you landed at kXXX on the 3rd and just want you to know we're on the field too and would appreciate you giving us a try"

On another occasion I recieved a similar solicitation call on my cell. I guess they used the NBAA contact info to call our home office and tracked me down. Had I been in a competitors FBO at the time I think I would have handed my phone to the FBO manager and let them field the call.

Never thought I'd have to block our tail # so we wouldn't be a marketing target.

 

[2000flyer]

Unfortunately, blocking your tail number via NBAA's BARR or any other program can be easily defeated. True, your flying into KXYZ, your number will be blocked, but not your aircraft type. So, if they see a Falcon 900 inbound to XYZ and they took off from ABC, one can use a multitude of sources to find out if a 900 is based at ABC. Then, they watch you land, copy your tail number and you're figured out.

I realize that the FBO business is extremely competitive, well, at most airports anyway. However, I certainly hope this isn't going to be a trend because I personally don't want to be inundated with mail and calls from FBOs around the country soliciting my business.

2000Flyer

 

[Dan CFI/CFII]

Please make sure the FBOs know that.

I used to work for one where they wrote down every N number of every turbine airplane that went over to the competitors and sent them a letter. I always told that moron that it was bad idea--that he'd mostly just annoy the people he was sending the mail to... But he was convinced that it would make money.

Of course, he also told all of us flight instructors that the only answer to the question "how much does it cost to learn to fly?" was "it only costs $49 to find out more..."

Seriously...

Dan

 

[2000flyer]

As many know (except some FBO owners), pilot's and managers do a tremendous amount of research on an FBO before deciding which one to visit. Fuel price, passenger/crew amenities, access, etc., are all checked. We might use an FBO that has a higher price for Jet-A if they've given us and our passengers superior service in the past. We may go to a higher fuel priced FBO across the field if the other provider continues to drop the ball.

Small, "mom and pop" FBO's are usually located at small fields (generally speaking) where they are the only game in town or compete with another small operation. In my opinion, they don't need to mass mail or phone solicit for business as fuel sales are only a small part of their business. They rely more on maintenance and/or charter work as their driving force. At larger cities/airports, mom and pop may not be able to compete with BBA, Mercury, etc., when it comes to advertising dollars. However, it's amazing how small the aviation community is and how word spreads on a quality FBO, especially when they are competing against an overpriced Signature, et al.

2000Flyer