"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
...
On Aug 28, 4:57 pm, "Mike" wrote:

I prefer the independent FBOs to the big chains like Millionair and
Signature. Usually their service is good, but sometimes they treat you
like
a leper if you are a Avgas burner. They will quite often park you in the
remotest corner of their ramp to make room for the corporate guys and
I've
had them refuse the courtesy car because they only had one available and
it
was "reserved".

I've never understood why people care where their plane is. You pull
up to the front of the FBO, they unload your plane into your rental
car. Then when you leave the hotel to go back to the airport you call
the FBO to stage your airplane. They could store the plane in Iran for
all I care, the point is its sitting in front of the FBO when I'm
ready for it.

I could care less if they want to stage my plane somewhere else. My
complaint is they will send a parking jockey and specifically park you in
the back 40 as soon as you taxi up, just so they can save the space up front
in case a Citation or G5 pulls up. Then I'm left carrying my bags clear
across the ramp as some larger airports with air carrier operations won't
let you drive a rental car out on the ramp to unload.

I never use the courtesy car, I just book a rental. Rental cars is the
real reason that big FBOs rule. The little FBOs get crappy service
from the car rental companies. Several times when I tried a small FBO
the rental car guys show up and try to drive me to another airport to
pick up my car.

I've had that experience also, but that's really a function of the rental
car company itself and not the FBO. I've had the same experience with
Signature. I've been to other FBOs where the rental car company will
actually just leave one or two of their cars at the airport and allow the
FBO to fill out the contract. So it really just depends on how agressive
those rental car companies are in seeking out GA business.

As far as courtesy cars go, I use them all the time when I'm just staying
long enough to go get lunch. A rental car isn't practical for that.

At the big FBO from shut down to driving down the freeway is only
about 15 minutes vs. almost an hour at the little FBOs. When flying
with the family the service of fueling and staging is important. Long
ago I figured out that family flying works best when the trip isn't
about the airplane or hanging around the airport, its about going
somewhere cool.

That's just a function of location and can very easily work the other way
around if the big airport is downtown and there's a smaller one closer to
where you want to go.