Rental Cancellation Policies

Do you think we should try to make them more like car rental
agencies?

Maybe.

My thought is that an airplane is a resource to the FBO, and they
should try to achieve the highest utilization that they can. Renters
who reserve but don't use the aircraft are using the resource without
paying for it, which produces higher costs for everyone else.

There may be no safe solution to the problem; obviously, you could not
take your trip, so it's not your fault.

Maybe only rent to instrument-rated pilots? Maybe not rent out for
large blocks that increase the likelihood of weather cancellations?
Maybe charge a small penalty anyway to make someone *think* before
they reserve?

Some people cancel only when there's good reason to do so, but others
reserve on a whim just in case they might want to fly.

"Greg Esres" wrote in message
...
[...]
My thought is that an airplane is a resource to the FBO, and they
should try to achieve the highest utilization that they can. Renters
who reserve but don't use the aircraft are using the resource without
paying for it, which produces higher costs for everyone else.

This is related to the "what happens when the plane breaks down" thread.
You might want to revisit that to see the varying opinions.

My opinion, of course (that is, if you read the other thread), is that the
whole point for renting is so that you don't have to deal with those issues.
That includes weather issues. There is some risk involved in owning an
airplane, with respect to maintenance, and with respect to not being able to
fly because of weather. One rents so as to not have to take those risks.
Someone else does, and spreads the cost of that risk across all of their
clients, in the form of an hourly rate for the airplane.

However, the FBO shouldn't have to tolerate people cancelling for no good
reason. A "one free" policy such as CJ describes would be more appropriate
for those situations. I just think the FBO or club needs to be careful to
only apply that sort of policy to situations that are clearly due only to
the pilot flaking out.

[...]
Some people cancel only when there's good reason to do so, but others
reserve on a whim just in case they might want to fly.

IMHO, it's more important to not alienate those who cancel for a good reason
than it is to worry too much about those who cancel just because they had
reserved on a whim and then decided not to fly. There can't be that many of
the latter, but there are plenty of the former. In addition, those who
"reserve on a whim" won't take long to identify. If they are truly a
problem, even a half dozen foundless cancellations in a month wouldn't break
the bank at the FBO, but would certainly be enough to drop the guy as a
customer.

Pete

On the whole, I've gone to the airport and found that the airplane was
canceled more often than I have canceled the airplane.

Earlier on, my instructor said to me: If you learn nothing else from
this process, you will learn patience.

The planes are old. I am old. Naturally we have our down days.

Yesterday I went to the airport and found that Four One Victor idled
at 1000 rpm. I figured that was a complication I didn't need after a
three-month layoff, so I elected not to fly. I reckon that was the
plane's doing, not mine.


-- all the best, Dan Ford

email (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com
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"Peter Duniho" wrote in message ...
IMHO, it's more important to not alienate those who cancel for a good
reason
than it is to worry too much about those who cancel just because they had
reserved on a whim and then decided not to fly. There can't be that many
of
the latter, but there are plenty of the former. In addition, those who
"reserve on a whim" won't take long to identify. If they are truly a
problem, even a half dozen foundless cancellations in a month wouldn't
break
the bank at the FBO, but would certainly be enough to drop the guy as a
customer.

In many cases, it's not the FBO that owns the aircraft... I had made the
mistake of putting my aircraft on leaseback after I purchased it... It got
to the point where if I wanted to be able to take my own plane out for a
weekend trip, I had to reserve a month in advance (i.e. past where the
written log was allowing others to reserve)... Many times I would find
someone who had reserved for a couple of hours on the weekend having
cancelled and if it hadn't been for him, I would have been able to take it
out that weekend... Of course there was also the issue of students (and
instructors) damaging the plastics on the interior, stripping the gears on
the radios by turning them past their stops, and various other things, so I
took it off leaseback about 5 years ago and have been VERY happy with
knowing that the plane is always available...

The club I belong to (Edmonton Flying Club) has an automated reservation
system. You can cancel an aircraft booking up to 24 hours before the
rental, no questions asked. After that period, you get charged for 1 hour
if you don't show up or call in to cancel with the dispatcher. They do not
question judgements based on weather or illness. You are, after all, the
PIC. In fact, the last time I was going to go flying I got to the club and
then decided not to go up, because I had a nervous passenger, and it was a
gusty day with constant light to moderate turbulence reported (strong upper
winds, too). They accepted my decision with no problem, and even helped me
out by soliciting pireps from others who were aloft.

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...
"Greg Esres" wrote in message
...
[...]
My thought is that an airplane is a resource to the FBO, and they
should try to achieve the highest utilization that they can. Renters
who reserve but don't use the aircraft are using the resource without
paying for it, which produces higher costs for everyone else.

This is related to the "what happens when the plane breaks down" thread.
You might want to revisit that to see the varying opinions.

My opinion, of course (that is, if you read the other thread), is that the
whole point for renting is so that you don't have to deal with those
issues. That includes weather issues. There is some risk involved in
owning an airplane, with respect to maintenance, and with respect to not
being able to fly because of weather. One rents so as to not have to take
those risks. Someone else does, and spreads the cost of that risk across
all of their clients, in the form of an hourly rate for the airplane.

However, the FBO shouldn't have to tolerate people cancelling for no good
reason. A "one free" policy such as CJ describes would be more
appropriate for those situations. I just think the FBO or club needs to
be careful to only apply that sort of policy to situations that are
clearly due only to the pilot flaking out.

[...]
Some people cancel only when there's good reason to do so, but others
reserve on a whim just in case they might want to fly.

IMHO, it's more important to not alienate those who cancel for a good
reason than it is to worry too much about those who cancel just because
they had reserved on a whim and then decided not to fly. There can't be
that many of the latter, but there are plenty of the former. In addition,
those who "reserve on a whim" won't take long to identify. If they are
truly a problem, even a half dozen foundless cancellations in a month
wouldn't break the bank at the FBO, but would certainly be enough to drop
the guy as a customer.

Pete