SEARCHING FOR THE STARS

WINGS’ SURVEY IDENTIFIES TOP CANADIAN FBOs

BY ROB SEAMAN

www.wingsmagazine.com

SEARCHING FOR THE STARS WINGS’ SURVEY IDENTIFIES TOP CANADIAN FBOs BY ROB SEAMAN

ticipants as to which FBOs they could

select – the decision was exclusively

based on personal selection and recog-

nition. Accordingly, all FBOs in the coun-

try, regardless of size or location, had

equal opportunity for recognition.

The survey asked for a rating of the

selected FBO based upon eight service

and amenity criteria – examples being

customer service, line service, hang-

arage, amenities and even GSE quality.

Participants rated their chosen FBO on

a scale of one through 10 on such

attributes. The survey also asked, by

prompted question, for a chosen or

preferred fuel supplier and charge card.

Finally, participants were asked to indi-

cate how important pricing and custom-

er service are in their choice of FBO.

Professionalism, impeccable customer

service and attention to detail.

They’re all key elements in the success-

ful makeup of a credible fixed-based

operation (FBO), but is there something

else that sets one FBO apart from its

competition? Are there other qualities

that push one operation over the top

and keep customers coming back? Who

shines brightest in the Canadian FBO

space?

The desire to answer these questions

and discover the crème de la crème of

Canadian FBOs was the driving force

behind the creation of Wings maga-

zine’s first Canadian FBO survey. And it

makes perfect sense – after all, it’s not

like this information is readily at hand.

For years, Canadian aviation service and

support circles have lacked a unique

review and customer-focused analysis

of the FBO support services provided in

this country. The domestic picture has

by and large been an add-on to other

U.S.-based surveys and has lacked the

homegrown overview many feel is ap-

plicable, justified and needed.

This report presents a solution – Cana-

dian data gleaned from an online survey

conducted on the Wings web- site from

June 27 to July 31. The methodology

was straightforward: survey participants

were asked to nominate up to five FBOs

of their choice and rank them on prede-

termined categories provided by the

editors. The survey did not prompt par-

Final end scores were tallied to see how

the selected FBOs rated overall for their

markets. A winner was selected from

region to region across the country –

and one overall winner was determined

based on the total votes cast and relat-

ed scores.

The results provide credible third-party

ratings of how domestic FBOs and their

related support services rank in the

minds of clients. Some 40 FBOs were

named and rated in the report, showing

customers do remember their service

experience and feel loyal enough to

comment when asked. The winners in

the respective categories include:

Best FBO in Canada Starlink/Signature YUL

Best FBO in Western Canada (B.C., Alta., Y.T, N.W.T.) Million Air YVR

Best FBO in Central Canada (Sask., Man., Nunavut)

Kelly Western Jet Centre YWG

Best FBO in Ontario Skyservice YYZ

Best FBO in Quebec Starlink/Signature YUL

Best FBO in Atlantic Canada (N.B., N.L., N.S., P.E.I) Shell Aerocentre YYT

Most Preferred Fuel Esso

Most Preferred Fuel/Charge Card AvCard

Some of the most revealing data

relates to fuel price and customer

service as components driving FBO

choice. Many on the FBO side

would argue these are the top two

factors in determining their opera-

tion’s ultimate success or failure.

And although certainly critical,

survey results suggest they aren’t

stand-alone factors. To wit, only 44

per cent of respondents indicated

customer service is the top consid-

eration in choosing an FBO, where-

as only 24 per cent indicated price

was the most important factor.

The reason? In the end, it’s a com-

bination of elements that help the

best rise to the top.

Tools of the trade

Scoring with customers on multiple

levels isn’t an easy proposition, but

it’s precisely what a top FBO must

do to keep clients coming back. An

impeccable service-oriented ap-

proach is paramount, says Brenda

Libby, vice-president sales and

marketing with Starlink Aviation/

Signature. Libby says the compa-

ny’s Signature proprietary custom-

er service training program,

“Service with a Leading Edge,” was

in collaboration with a prominent

five-star hotel. It covers all aspects of

delivering world-class service.

“This program, combined with hard

work on the part of our employees

and management team, along with

our desire to be the safest, most pro-

gressive business aviation provider in

the world,” is instrumental in provid-

ing the type of environment clients

have come to expect, she says.

Enhanced training and a commitment

to top employees are the backbone

of Vancouver’s Million Air opera-

tions, says general manager Ron

Forbes. “Million Air University pro-

vides training many times throughout

the year to everyone across the net-

work,” says Forbes. “Million Air main-

tains a ‘People First’ philosophy

which makes providing both initial

and ongoing training to Million Air

employees a top priority.” The result,

Forbes says, is a high level of commit-

ment to safety clients have come to

expect – and they get it on every

visit.

Brand consistency is equally im-

portant, Forbes adds. “In this econo-

my, price can be a driving factor for

the customer selecting an FBO, but I

still believe service is the only way to

keep that customer coming back. We

also know that when a customer vis-

its any Million Air FBO anywhere in

the country they will get the same

great experience. We all share in this

responsibility.”

In the Central Canada region, presi-

dent Gordon Peters of Winnipeg-

based Kelly Western Jet Centre says it

helps to have employees on board

who have been with the organization

for a significant period of time. Em-

ployee buy-in to a strong corporate

culture always rubs off on the client.

“Our leadership team and a number

of other employees are long-term

members of our team and they recog-

nize and participate fully in a strong

customer service orientation,” Peters

says. “We have also become an inde-

pendent fuel dealer, which allows

KWJC to serve our customers in other

ways that we couldn’t as a branded

dealer. Our employees have em-

braced the current model and have

taken ownership of the customers

they serve and bring significant value

with the services.”

While top-notch customer service is a

key component of the FBO experi-

ence, many top organizations are

attentive to other essentials. At Kelly

Western Jet Centre, Peters notes

many customers today are looking for

a facility that is environmentally con-

scious. “We have made some green

improvements to our facilities includ-

ing improving all of our lighting sys-

tems and offering parking lot plug in,

which saves as much as 60 per cent

on power consumption.”

At Starlink/Signature in Montreal, a

recent 30,000 square foot addition to

the hangar has increased the total

At Starlink/Signature in Montreal,

a recent 30,000 square foot addi-

tion to the hangar has increased

the total facility space to 88,000

square feet, and it is now a 24/7,

365-day-a-year operation. The

operations department has also

been reorganized in an effort to

offer more cohesive, seamless ser-

vice to clients. Staying technologi-

cally ahead of the curve is also

critical, notes Libby. For example,

the company launched an iPhone

app at last year’s National Business

Aviation Association show in Atlan-

ta and will soon be launching the

BlackBerry and Android versions.

This covers the three major

platforms in an effort to reach cli-

ents globally, allowing them to

connect, access and utilize the

Signature network from anywhere.

In some ways, major world events

can also help keep operations clicking

on all cylinders. Such is the case at

Million Air in Vancouver, where

Forbes feels his team is still running

off the “high” created by their partici-

pation in the Winter Olympics. “As

you know, the Olympic Games took a

lot of resources to create a

‘temporary’ operation capable of

handling a large increase in traffic.

We felt we owed it to our customers

arriving at the Games to have the

Olympic experience begin the minute

they pulled onto our ramp. In a way,

we brought Vancouver’s front door

to the airport and we created an

amazing environment.”

The Million Air brand in Canada is

poised to expand its footprint in the

West with the addition of a new Cal-

gary location late this year. Says

Forbes: “We share many customers

who travel between our two cities so

it was only natural for us to expand to

Calgary.”

House of cards

The first Wings FBO survey also ana-

lyzed the various cards customers use

to charge services and fuels of prefer-

ence. FBOs today need to accept a

variety of cards and charge services

to remain competitive and respon-

sive. All the various service providers

have assorted programs and rates

associated with each card. For this

part of the report, the prominent

card/charge service providers were

listed and survey participants were

asked to indicate which they had

used – in order of preference. Top

honours went to the AvCard. Other

results in order of preference:

2. Multiservice

3. Colt and Visa (tie)

4. Amex

5. MasterCard and UVAir (tie)

6. Airworld

7. Air BP

8. AvFuel

9. Ascend

Brand preference was another consideration highlight-

ed in the report. As this was a survey of national FBO

interests, key multi-fuel providers were listed and par-

ticipants ranked them according to preference. As not-

ed above, Esso was the preferred fuel brand across

Canada. One story angle worth watching in the coming

months is the recent announcement by Exxon/Mobile –

which owns a significant portion of Imperial Oil (Esso) –

regarding its planned exit from general aviation fuels in

the U.S. and the dissolving of its network of AVITAT-

branded FBOs globally.

The first part of this announcement will have little effect

on Canada; however, the dissolving of the AVITAT net-

work likely will have a significant effect. Even the Canadi-

an AVITAT sites apparently have no clear vision of what

their future looks like. As for the rest of the Esso network

in this country, although it appears it will be business as

usual, there is understandably apprehension. Needless

to say, there could be a new fuel leader at the top of

next year’s report. Other top fuel brands in Canada:

2. Shell

3. Air BP

4. Petro T

The value proposition

To some, there’s a real question as to the value of third-

party surveys, but establishing some benchmarks in the

industry based on hard data is always worthwhile. Says

Starlink/Signature’s Libby: “We all strive to bring added

value to our clients. It’s especially gratifying for our

frontline personnel, our line service technicians, custom-

er service representatives and managers, who take enor-

mous pride in their jobs and deliver personalized service

to every client who visits our facility.”

Ron Forbes agrees, saying it’s a tool to confirm that you

are achieving your corporate goals. “It’s very important

to know how our customers really feel about what we

are doing as an FBO and as a chain,” he says. “It’s im-

portant to have a way of gauging if all that hard work is

paying off, if our message is getting through to the cus-

tomer. It’s also important for our staff to get recognition

especially when they work as hard as they do to give

customers a little more than what they expect.”

Peters sums it all up: “It is always an advantage to let our

potential customers know what our existing customers

feel.”

Editor’s note: On the strength of Wings’ inaugural FBO

survey, we plan to present an annual rundown of top

Canadian facilities. If you have feedback on how to im-

prove this report, please contact

mnicholls@annexweb.com. Thanks to everyone who

participated in this year’s survey. | W

WINGS’ SURVEY IDENTIFIES TOP CANADIAN FBOs

BY ROB SEAMAN