Flight Bridge?

CJones

CJones

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Called the FBO at GMU to confirm that they had the rental car reservation I made online via Enterprise's HORRIBLE website. The lady mentioned that they don't have access to the Enterprise website to see reservation status, but that they use 'Flight Bridge' instead. I had never heard of that, so I looked it up - flightbridge.com - and it looks like an interesting concept to wrangle things together in one place, but I have no idea what it costs, or if it even works.

Anybody here use it or have feedback on its use?
 
CJones said:
Called the FBO at GMU to confirm that they had the rental car reservation I made online via Enterprise's HORRIBLE website. The lady mentioned that they don't have access to the Enterprise website to see reservation status, but that they use 'Flight Bridge' instead. I had never heard of that, so I looked it up - flightbridge.com - and it looks like an interesting concept to wrangle things together in one place, but I have no idea what it costs, or if it even works.

Anybody here use it or have feedback on its use?
Click to expand...

I used part of it a lot working as a ramp rat for the FBO in FTW. It's just a system to attach notes to aircraft entries including services like rental cars. I only used the side of it that printed out their services and what they wanted planeside and when they were arriving with what pax so we could be ready at that time with those services. IIRC you don't reserve rental cars through FlightBridge but if someone reserves a car through Enterprise, they input the rental info and details into FlightBridge so they can be pulled up without having to call Enterprise again.
 
overdrive148 said:
I used part of it a lot working as a ramp rat for the FBO in FTW. It's just a system to attach notes to aircraft entries including services like rental cars. I only used the side of it that printed out their services and what they wanted planeside and when they were arriving with what pax so we could be ready at that time with those services. IIRC you don't reserve rental cars through FlightBridge but if someone reserves a car through Enterprise, they input the rental info and details into FlightBridge so they can be pulled up without having to call Enterprise again.
Click to expand...

Ahh. So it's more of a 'customer management system' than a reservation management system. That doesn't do me much good. Ha.

Thanks for the info.
 
Hello all -

I’m with FlightBridge and we ARE a booking tool for rental cars to be delivered to the FBO - all the major brands. You can also book hotels at the FBO rate (at the 300 FBOs that use FlightBridge). It’s also a management system for them as someone here said. We also have several aircraft operator versions. Versions that integrate with scheduling systems like FOS, BART, Airplane Manager, Scedaero, and many more.

But for this community there’s a free version - as a new poster here I can’t paste the link. But if you google “FlightBridge aircraft operator registration” you’ll find the signup page and you can create your own account.

Happy booking!
 
Flight Bridge sounds interesting but as far as Enterprise, skip the website, call their FBO Group, 877-421-3722, excellent service. You’ll need to set up an Emerald account with National so they have a credit card on file. Excellent service and rates.
 
Dudley King said:
Hello all -

I’m with FlightBridge and we ARE a booking tool for rental cars to be delivered to the FBO - all the major brands. You can also book hotels at the FBO rate (at the 300 FBOs that use FlightBridge). It’s also a management system for them as someone here said. We also have several aircraft operator versions. Versions that integrate with scheduling systems like FOS, BART, Airplane Manager, Scedaero, and many more.

But for this community there’s a free version - as a new poster here I can’t paste the link. But if you google “FlightBridge aircraft operator registration” you’ll find the signup page and you can create your own account.

Happy booking!
Click to expand...

I stand corrected! I was on the fueling and towing side rather than the registration and customer service rep/front desk side a few years ago. Thanks for the info.

I'll paste that link for you:
https://www.flightbridge.com/Registration/OperatorRegistration
 
Dudley King said:
Hello all -

I’m with FlightBridge and we ARE a booking tool for rental cars to be delivered to the FBO - all the major brands. You can also book hotels at the FBO rate (at the 300 FBOs that use FlightBridge). It’s also a management system for them as someone here said. We also have several aircraft operator versions. Versions that integrate with scheduling systems like FOS, BART, Airplane Manager, Scedaero, and many more.

But for this community there’s a free version - as a new poster here I can’t paste the link. But if you google “FlightBridge aircraft operator registration” you’ll find the signup page and you can create your own account.

Happy booking!
Click to expand...

Welcome aboard, Dudley! Thanks for jumping in to clarify. I've been out of the loop on flying for a couple of years and just got back up and running a couple of months ago, so Flight Bridge was a new term I hadn't heard before.

If I can book Enterprise/National using my corporate contract and my Emerald account and know that the airport is set up to handle the hand-off that is a GREAT service to have.

I created an account and will check it out. Thanks again for jumping in to keep us straight!

CJ

EDIT: OK. This looks pretty slick. I was able to create a 'reservation' at the FBO and enter the confirmation number for the rental car reservation that I had already created. If I hadn't already had a reservation, it looked like it was integrated pretty well with the Enterprise reservation system so that I could make a reservation directly through the FligthBridge interface - I was even able to enter my own corporate contract number OR I could use the FBOs rates.

I have a trip up to GMU today, so I'll see how well they use the system on their end. :)
 
Last edited:
Dudley King said:
Hello all -

I’m with FlightBridge and we ARE a booking tool for rental cars to be delivered to the FBO - all the major brands. You can also book hotels at the FBO rate (at the 300 FBOs that use FlightBridge). It’s also a management system for them as someone here said. We also have several aircraft operator versions. Versions that integrate with scheduling systems like FOS, BART, Airplane Manager, Scedaero, and many more.

But for this community there’s a free version - as a new poster here I can’t paste the link. But if you google “FlightBridge aircraft operator registration” you’ll find the signup page and you can create your own account.

Happy booking!
Click to expand...

Dudley, my FBO loves FlightBridge. We primarily use it for hotels and rental cars. When we have customer being able to send this arrival/departure info through it is very nice to know the details without wasting time on the phone (we do use a different software for tracking arrivals/departures). I can't even explain how wonderful it has been for staff and customers a like to utilize the service to get instant confirmation numbers and rates. I've been in the industry 10 years at 3 different FBOs and without a doubt one of the biggest single enhancements was getting onboard with FlightBridge. If there's an operator on the fence, get over the fence today.

Signed,

A very happy FBO manager who used to call way too many hotels a day during her CSR days.
 
Blatham489 said:
Flight Bridge sounds interesting but as far as Enterprise, skip the website, call their FBO Group, 877-421-3722, excellent service. You’ll need to set up an Emerald account with National so they have a credit card on file. Excellent service and rates.
Click to expand...

This. However, the number that I have is (855) 233-8990. Works flawlessly every single time, and the service is a step above the regular number because they are GA dedicated.
 
CJ - I hope you had a great experience with FlightBridge. And 706_Mir - I love the "get over the fence" quote!

FYI you guys with the EHI phone numbers. We have a very tight relationship with EHI. The FBO Desk at EHI monitors every one of our bookings in the same way they do the ones that you call into them.

Feel free and call me at 404-983-0623 if anyone has questions about FlightBridge.

Thanks!
 
Dudley King said:
Hello all -

I’m with FlightBridge and we ARE a booking tool for rental cars to be delivered to the FBO - all the major brands. You can also book hotels at the FBO rate (at the 300 FBOs that use FlightBridge). It’s also a management system for them as someone here said. We also have several aircraft operator versions. Versions that integrate with scheduling systems like FOS, BART, Airplane Manager, Scedaero, and many more.

But for this community there’s a free version - as a new poster here I can’t paste the link. But if you google “FlightBridge aircraft operator registration” you’ll find the signup page and you can create your own account.

Happy booking!
Click to expand...
Last month, I flew up to Troutdale, OR (TTD) and when I called the FBO (Gorge Winds), they indicated that I would be able to pick up a rental car there. However, during my flight, the car rental company (Hertz) left a phone message for me, saying that they would have to pick me up and drive me 45 minutes across Portland to their office to get the car. I see that the FBO is listed in your directory. Is this a problem that would have been solved by using your service?
 
Hi Palmpilot -

Sorry to hear about your unplanned 45 minute tour. If you tried to book a rental car in FlightBridge for delivery to Gorge Winds you would see that we only show Enterprise and Avis. We don't have Hertz as an option - probably for the reason you discovered. They're not close enough to the FBO and there's probably not enough business for them to deliver there reliably. We try to only show the brands that we're reasonable sure will deliver based on 2 sources - the FBO themselves, if it's an FBO that uses FlightBridge behind the counter, or the rental car companies special services teams. Hertz provided us almost 500 FBO locations and the associated station code and we only show Hertz as an option at those 500 FBOs (Gorge Winds wasn't one of them). Enterprise and National have much larger coverage. Almost 2,000 airports each in North America. National we only have at about 200 FBOs (all the Signatures and some of the other big ones) In some cases the rental car company will only deliver if you book with a Loyalty number that has a credit card and DL associated with it (Hertz Gold, Avis Wizard, or Enterprise/national Emerald Number). FlightBridge will tell you if we know that the station is going to require that before they'll deliver. You'll see at Gorge Winds, you could select either Enterprise or Avis, but both will require a loyalty number before they'll deliver (our system will enforce that as well). At most locations neither Enterprise or Hertz actually require one, And most of the time Avis DOES require one. But there are exceptions and we keep FlightBridge updated with those exceptions based on our relationship with each of the rental car brands FBO teams. Whether the station requires one or not we STRONGLY recommend you sign up for a Hertz Gold, Avis Wizard, and Emerald Number with a valid (non expired) credit card and your Drivers License info. This will greatly streamline the rental car process and helps remove any hesitation the rental car station may have in delivering the car since they know they have payment secured.

We also recommend you check with the FBO before departure to make sure the car is there. We process about 15,000 FBO rental car deliveries a month. And we only hear about 3 or 4 missed deliveries out of that. But you don't want to be one of those (or your important passenger). There's always human error, or the rental car station was short staffed that day and they couldn't get the car delivered (it takes 2 people to deliver a car) so even if the car was correctly booked and showing on their delivery manifest something can always go wrong (delivering the car to the wrong FBO is also something we hear).

- Dudley
 
I have to say I was impressed with how easy it was to use Flight Bridge from the pilot standpoint. I haven't done a full trip (made reservation, scheduled services, etc.) with it yet, but if the FBOs are using it on their side, I could see this being a huge headache reducer for cross-country trips. One of my biggest headaches when doing trips with travel included on the other end is figuring out ground transportation and which FBOs know how to deal with rental cars, etc. It sounds like FlightBridge has already done the legwork to figure out which airports are ready to deal with those types of activities, which should make it tons easier for me to plan last minute trips with the family without having to worry about "Well... Are we going to have to Uber to get somewhere.. Does Uber even service that area? Does the FBO deal with rental cars regularly so they and the rental car co. both understand how to do the handoff?"

I did try to use FlightBridge on my trip to GMU this week, but they didn't have my info readily available when I arrived as I had 'hoped'. But in defense of the FBO and FlightBridge 1. I made the entry/reservation very late (a few hours before the original scheduled arrival time), 2. I missed my targeted arrival time by 2 hrs. and 3. I think the 'regular' desk lady was gone by the time I got there and the person I was working with didn't seem as fluent in desk operations.

I'll definitely be giving FlightBridge another go-around on my next trip!
 
Dudley King said:
Hi Palmpilot -

Sorry to hear about your unplanned 45 minute tour. If you tried to book a rental car in FlightBridge for delivery to Gorge Winds you would see that we only show Enterprise and Avis. We don't have Hertz as an option - probably for the reason you discovered. They're not close enough to the FBO and there's probably not enough business for them to deliver there reliably. We try to only show the brands that we're reasonable sure will deliver based on 2 sources - the FBO themselves, if it's an FBO that uses FlightBridge behind the counter, or the rental car companies special services teams. Hertz provided us almost 500 FBO locations and the associated station code and we only show Hertz as an option at those 500 FBOs (Gorge Winds wasn't one of them). Enterprise and National have much larger coverage. Almost 2,000 airports each in North America. National we only have at about 200 FBOs (all the Signatures and some of the other big ones) In some cases the rental car company will only deliver if you book with a Loyalty number that has a credit card and DL associated with it (Hertz Gold, Avis Wizard, or Enterprise/national Emerald Number). FlightBridge will tell you if we know that the station is going to require that before they'll deliver. You'll see at Gorge Winds, you could select either Enterprise or Avis, but both will require a loyalty number before they'll deliver (our system will enforce that as well). At most locations neither Enterprise or Hertz actually require one, And most of the time Avis DOES require one. But there are exceptions and we keep FlightBridge updated with those exceptions based on our relationship with each of the rental car brands FBO teams. Whether the station requires one or not we STRONGLY recommend you sign up for a Hertz Gold, Avis Wizard, and Emerald Number with a valid (non expired) credit card and your Drivers License info. This will greatly streamline the rental car process and helps remove any hesitation the rental car station may have in delivering the car since they know they have payment secured.

We also recommend you check with the FBO before departure to make sure the car is there. We process about 15,000 FBO rental car deliveries a month. And we only hear about 3 or 4 missed deliveries out of that. But you don't want to be one of those (or your important passenger). There's always human error, or the rental car station was short staffed that day and they couldn't get the car delivered (it takes 2 people to deliver a car) so even if the car was correctly booked and showing on their delivery manifest something can always go wrong (delivering the car to the wrong FBO is also something we hear).

- Dudley
Click to expand...
Thanks for the helpful information! The only question remaining in my mind is whether your service is affordable for a putt-putt flyer like me, or is it mainly oriented toward the "jet set."
 
Our service is free! The version you would use at least. We get a little something each of the rental car companies and sometimes commissions from hotels which don't add to your cost and often actually saves you money. Google "FlightBridge aircraft operator registration" and you'll see the self-signup page. Or the link that was posted by overdrive148 up above. thanks.
 
That's what I was hoping for. I will definitely give it a try!
 
I use them often. I just went to Galveston and if if you go to Enterprise they don't show service at the airport. Last month I went to Branson and used Branson West with the same issue, no Enterprise at the airport.

I use Fltplan.com and make the reservation there and it uses flightbridge which shows the FBO has Enterprise service. It is a drop site but I don't have to instruct Enterprise or make any arrangements.

Flight bridge has worked well for me.
 
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