The line guy is there wether you use him or not. He still gets paid, as
does all the other staff. They have their phone bill.. their light
bill.. their insurance. They have a lease to pay, and sometimes
franchise fees to the local municipality. You are a business owner Jay..
and a service oriented business owner at that..

What would your response be if I came to your hotel, stayed for 90
minutes, and wanted a prorated bill rate cause I didnt stay until the
next morning's checkout (lets say say I just wanted to catch my soap
opera or something outrageous.. in your Memphis Belle Suite. I didn't
mess up any towels, didnt turn down the bed, did't even make a phone
call. What would the cost be to "turn over" that room? Minimal. Your
housekeeper still needs to get paid wether you used her or not for that
room. Would you as a regular practice, prorate such an occurance? I am
inclined to believe no.

It may be an apples to oranges comparison, but I think the spirit of the
argument is similar. The FBO's charge X number of dollars for UP TO an
overnight parking.. You.. as a business owner, have the right to do
that. Even if you were the only hotel in town, you could choose to do
that. On the same token.. they, as a business, can choose to do the
same. You, as the pilot, can choose to use or not use the facilities.. I
don't demonize you for NOT renting your rooms out by the hour...

Just because the spam-can's aren't the bread and butter of a corporate
oriented FBO doesn't mean that the spam can's don't deserve to be
charged for use of the facilities.. Even parking can get pretty pricey
depending on where you are (for CARS...).. and not all parking lots
pro-rate EITHER, depending on demand.

Yer a great guy, Jay... and I respect you for all the hard work you've
done as a pilot and a business owner, so please dont think Im attacking
you personally.. but I think we prolly will disagree on this issue

Dave

Jay Honeck wrote:
Some

bean counter figured this out, and is now intentionally trying to drive
away the little guys.

Or maybe have them pay their fair share...


I'd be interested to see your version of what our "fair share" should be.

Let's see, for Spam Cans we've got...

...wear and tear on the ramp -- none.
...usage of airspace...covered in fuel taxes.
...???

I suppose we flush the toilet when we pee, but I generally buy a pop or
candy bar, which should cover the water expense. And the line guy is paid
whether he's doing anything or not.

What other direct costs are there for a Cherokee parking at an FBO for 90
minutes?