AIRNAV not publishing fuel prices...

I think its utility will be a lot less valuable once the "free"
period has expired for all of the GA businesses. The beauty of the
original site was that it had all available info about FBOs and fuel
prices around the country and all of the info came directly from the
horses mouths (us).

And the intent is for that to continue. I know perfectly well that
the value of the site would be severely diminished if it wasn't
comprehensive.

Once the site is reduced to info about only
businesses that paid up, it ceases to be the all encompassing,
one-stop-shopping resource that it once was. I know more GA business
owners who have declined to pony up, than those who have.

Since you know so many business owners, if you like AirNav and want it
to continue to provide a good service you are in a good position to
help. You can help by thanking the buiness owners that believed in
the model and "ponied up", and encourage the others to sign up. It is
not going to break their bank, no matter how small they are.

One other issue I have with Airnav's new direction is what will
Paulo do about a crappy business that offers poor service or rips off
customers? If they pay their advertising fee, do they get negative
comments removed from their listing? If not, why would they pay? And
if that were the case, how would we find out about them?

Comments and listing payments are completely independent. A listing
does NOT give a business the right to pick and choose which comments
will get posted. If it says there at the top of the comments section
"Comments from AirNav users", then AirNav's good name it at stake. We
will not falter in our determination to post fair and verifiable
comments.

Yes, some FBOs have tried to censor their comments, but we have always
and will always decline. If they insist, we offer to refund their
money. At that point most just accept reality and take it as it is.
Occasionally, they want to play tough. We have lost a large 20+ FBO
chain account as a result of that firm policy, and we will stand by it
no matter what. Actually, when I say that we have lost the account,
that is a temporary thing. I am confident that they will turn around
and see how futile their resistance is. By not signing up they
forfeit the opportunity to present themselves, and are left with the
comments only. They are left with just the very thing they were
trying to avoid.

Now, do we publish every comment? No, we don't. We do not publsh, or
will remove, the following:
- comments from the business owners, director, employees or agents,
except those submitted specifically as a followup to a comment from
one of their customers
- comments from past business owners, director, employees or agents
- comments from direct competitors
- comments that are not representative of an actual customer
experience
- comments with forged or concealed identities
- comments with foul language
- comments that contain personal references or personal attacks (these
may be removed at the request of the affected person)
- comments from minors

Occasionally some comment that shouldn't be posted gets through, but
if we later catch it we will remove it.

We will also remove any comment at any time at the request of the
original author.

Finally, and most importantly, we expect comment authors to stand
behind their words. If an affected business wants to follow up on a
comment, we will put the business and the comment author in touch. If
the comment author fails to communicate or to respond to a challenge,
then if the business requests we may remove the comment.

This could be a high maintenance process, but fortunately aviation if
full of honest and upstanding people and it works quite well. I guess
the dishonest cheaters and liars also cheat on their training,
currency and maintenance, and eventually are eliminated from the gene
pool.

Paulo Santos
AirNav, LLC hhtp://www.airnav.com/