FBO And Landing Fees

The subject of fees charged by airports and FBOs recently cam under industry scrutiny. Airports and FBOs naturally need revenue, but operators need value in proportion to the costs and better information on them, in order to make informed decisions. I wanted to offer a couple of thoughts.

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Sunday, June 18, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The article emphasizes the critical need for pilots to have transparent and predictable information about all airport and FBO fees *before* landing, highlighting the current lack of sufficient disclosure.
It advocates for a federally mandated option at publicly funded airports, allowing for minimal-cost or free access for quick drop-offs/pick-ups, thereby enabling pilots to avoid mandatory FBO services.
The author proposes the development of a reliable and convenient system, similar to real-time fuel pricing, to provide comprehensive fee details and avoidance options, facilitating better pre-flight planning.

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The subject of fees charged by airports and FBOs recently came under industry scrutiny. Airports and FBOs naturally need revenue, but operators need value in proportion to the costs and better information on them, in order to make informed decisions. I wanted to offer a couple of thoughts.

First, it’s important to distinguish between fees an airport may levy and those of the FBO use of its facilities. Airports often levy their own fees but depend on the FBO to collect them. To pilots, this can be a distinction without a difference, and the FBO can come off as the bad guy. Meanwhile, pilots need to know before they land how much they should expect to pay for the privilege of using the airport’s and FBO’s facilities, especially if it’s a single-FBO monopoly. They also should have the option of paying a minimal fee for minimal service. So, two things should happen, in my view.