Is there a sudden industry-wide spike in FBO ramp fees??

[DXB]

I've done two longer trips so far this summer flying season:

KMDW - Chicago, IL - Signature aviation - I purchased ~20 gal avgas, charged ~$55/night - up from ~$20 a year ago (admittedly $20 was a bargain considering where you're landing)

KBTV - Burlington, VT - Heritage Aviation - I purchased ~20 gal avgas, charged $70/night - up from ~$20 a year ago - this one really shocked me.  It's a gem of an FBO that I've used for years - the price increase isn't on Foreflight or disclosed anywhere if you don't call in advance.  I'm sad to see business practices at this place take a nose dive.  

Is something sketch (more so than usual) going on across the FBO industry or is it just bad luck on my part?

[PeteMc]

4 minutes ago, DXB said:

Is something sketch (more so than usual) going on across the FBO industry or is it just bad luck on my part?

Call ahead!!!  It's your best bet to see what today's policy and pricing is.

I think there are a lot of people that see others gouging and they are not getting much pushback, so they're doing the same.  And I'm assuming all of these were larger CORPORATE national FBOs.  That should be your first clue.

In April I did a OH to WA flight and at two of my destinations I changed my FBO choice by what I was told on the phone.  

 

Edited May 28, 2024 by PeteMc

[DXB]

1 minute ago, PeteMc said:

Call ahead!!!  It's your best bet to see what today's policy and pricing is.

I think there are a lot of people that see others gouging and they are not getting much pushback, so they're doing the same.  And I'm assuming all of these were larger CORPORATE national FBOs.  That should be your first clue.

 

Yeah always a good policy, but Heritage Aviation is a single location in a relatively small city and has always been stellar. I've used them pretty often, so I didn't think I needed to call ahead.  I was shocked to get gouged there. As far as pushback, they got a mouthful from me on Google reviews and AirNav.

[toto]

1 minute ago, PeteMc said:

Call ahead!!!  It's your best bet to see what today's policy and pricing is.

+1 to this, but I’ll say that I always email so I have the numbers in writing. Even if I talk to the FBO on the phone, I’ll follow up with an email confirming the conversation. 

I haven’t noticed any significant changes in overnight fees with a fuel purchase, but I always contact the FBO ahead of time (and if there’s more than one FBO, I always contact all of them). You never know when there might be an ownership change that turns your first priority FBO into your last priority FBO

 

[skydvrboy]

2 hours ago, DXB said:

As far as pushback, they got a mouthful from me on Google reviews and AirNav.

Believe it or not, it helps to complain about these.  At my airport, the FBO implemented a ramp fee for single engine pistons about 5 years ago.  I complained and suggested to the various local pilot groups I belong to that they do the same.  When I needed to use them a few months later I was told they ended all fees for single engine pistons due to the complaints they were getting.

Another nearby airport also implemented a ramp fee for single engine pistons.  I had a meeting with the airport manager and he was showing a graph that indicated a 30% decline in annual operations from one year to the next about the time the fee was implemented.  I explained to him that was because local pilots just won't use airports that have ramp fees.  Unfortunately it took a few years, but they also eliminated fees for single engine pistons under pressure from the airport manager because the decline in operations was affecting their funding.

I'm not saying it will help in all situations, but here in middle America, it's pretty rare to find an FBO that charges anything other than overnight tiedown fees and most don't even charge those.

[ZuluZulu]

5 hours ago, DXB said:

I've done two longer trips so far this summer flying season:

KMDA - Chicago, IL - Signature aviation - I purchased ~20 gal avgas, charged ~$55/night - up from ~$20 a year ago (admittedly $20 was a bargain considering where you're landing)

KBTV - Burlington, VT - Heritage Aviation - I purchased ~20 gal avgas, charged $70/night - up from ~$20 a year ago - this one really shocked me.  It's a gem of an FBO that I've used for years - the price increase isn't on Foreflight or disclosed anywhere if you don't call in advance.  I'm sad to see business practices at this place take a nose dive.  

Is something sketch (more so than usual) going on across the FBO industry or is it just bad luck on my part?

KMDW?  What's KMDA?

[PeteMc]

21 minutes ago, ZuluZulu said:

KMDW?  What's KMDA?

KMDW = Chicago Midway

KMDA = Martindale Army Heliport, San Antonio, TX

[DXB]

12 hours ago, ZuluZulu said:

KMDW?  What's KMDA?

KMDW sorry - corrected

[Igor_U]

I certainly noticed that... 

Latest example was Hillsboro Aviation at KHIO. We are using them for 10+ years now and recently we spent a weekend. Regardless of buying fuel, they would not wave one night fee. But, FBO is fairly new and have great facilities, 1930-is Indian in the main room with classic Jag in the hangar. someone has to pay for all that. 

 

Before that, we'd fly to PDX for our visits to Portland but with Atlantic buying Flightcraft, it just got out of hand with overnight and "security" fees despite of good coffee and fresh cockles my wife loved.

I agree, the best is to call in advance so there are no surprises but FBO with great facilities often makes whole flying experience better for passengers and pilots regardless of cost.  

[N201MKTurbo]

20 minutes ago, Igor_U said:

I certainly noticed that... 

Latest example was Hillsboro Aviation at KHIO. We are using them for 10+ years now and recently we spent a weekend. Regardless of buying fuel, they would not wave one night fee. But, FBO is fairly new and have great facilities, 1930-is Indian in the main room with classic Jag in the hangar. someone has to pay for all that. 

 

Before that, we'd fly to PDX for our visits to Portland but with Atlantic buying Flightcraft, it just got out of hand with overnight and "security" fees despite of good coffee and fresh cockles my wife loved.

I agree, the best is to call in advance so there are no surprises but FBO with great facilities often makes whole flying experience better for passengers and pilots regardless of cost.  

When I go to KHIO, I park in the city transient lot (which has been somewhat taken over by Hillsboro Aviation). The FBO will come over and fuel you. It sometimes takes a while for them to get there. There is a mailbox where you are supposed to put money for the parking. A couple of years ago, I put money in the mailbox. I went back 2 months later and went to put money into the mailbox and the only thing in there was the money I put in two months ago. I took my money back.

It is the lot just beyond the Intel ramp, across the taxiway from the old fuel island. It is free parking.

Hillsboro Aviation used to sell me fuel, but they don't sell fuel to anybody else now.

[Igor_U]

That sounds like it was more then few years ago as Hillsboro Aviation sold the flight school business (now Hillsboro flight academy - you might be referring to them), moved from that location to NE of RWY 31R (Taxiway L) some 5-6 years ago.

I think you can still park there but with no services from FBO. I am not sure how the access to the ramp is working at that location, must be some code that you need but just don't recall as I haven't been at the side of airport in years. But it was convenient in the past as we could walk to the Max train and catch the ride to downtime. 

BTW, Hillsboro aviation is Airbus Helio dealer and work on helicopters and biz jets so lot of cool birds in their hangar or at the ramp... 

[N201MKTurbo]

22 minutes ago, Igor_U said:

That sounds like it was more then few years ago as Hillsboro Aviation sold the flight school business (now Hillsboro flight academy - you might be referring to them), moved from that location to NE of RWY 31R (Taxiway L) some 5-6 years ago.

I think you can still park there but with no services from FBO. I am not sure how the access to the ramp is working at that location, must be some code that you need but just don't recall as I haven't been at the side of airport in years. But it was convenient in the past as we could walk to the Max train and catch the ride to downtime. 

BTW, Hillsboro aviation is Airbus Helio dealer and work on helicopters and biz jets so lot of cool birds in their hangar or at the ramp... 

That sounds right. It was about when they stopped selling me fuel. I think they left in about 2015. I took my single engine commercial check ride at the flight school. I was going there for work and couldn't find a DPE that was available around here so I called the flight school and asked if they knew a DPE. They connected me with their chief pilot and staff DPE. He scheduled me for a week later. We did the checkride after work. By the time we finished the paperwork, it was dark, so we did the check ride in the dark.

The gate codes are on the inside of the gates. The rent a car desks are in the Intel terminal. You get cars with the Intel discount.