FBO; crew car vs rental & SS vs FS

Let'sgoflying!

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Dave Taylor
It seems typical to use the FBO's full service fuel vs the FBO's self serve fuel when using their crew car - at least that is what this FBO tells me. That seems reasonable.
How about if they get you a rent car? I'm thinking I will tip for getting me a car but might use their SS fuel. It's about a $150 difference for me (SS vs FS).
 
not me. I'll make sure to put some gas in it or offer to bring back lunch for the person behind the counter. taking a crew car for an hour to go get lunch a couple of miles away is not worth $150.
 
I gave too much info and it was not clear - sorry.

I am going with a rent car which they provided. Is there an obligation to use the FS fuel?
 
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If they don’t have crew cars, or didn’t offer you one, I’d say no obligation to purchase FS.

Are they doing anything else for you? Waiving ramp fees? How long are you parking there?
 
[QUOTE="Let'sgoflying!, post: 2679965, member: 25"It's about a $150 difference for me (SS vs FS).[/QUOTE]

How much $ per gallon? Either you're taking on a lot of fuel or they are paying their ramp rats really well.
 
I simply try to support the facility as best I can based on the services I'm asking for... If I use their car, I'll put gas in it and buy at least SS gas if I need it... If the Line Guy was courteous, marshaled me in, or helped somehow, I'll toss him a couple of bucks. One time, the guy at EHO gave me the the keys to his personal car so I could run down the road less than a 1/2 mile to eat. I tried giving him 5 bucks when I returned his keys, but he wouldn't take it...
 
Agreed... if they’re helpful.

If they’re jackasses that won’t give you the time of day, I’m not bending over backwards.
 
If you're using the courtesy car or a paid rental arranged by them you oughta buy some gas from them, but you're under no obligation to pay extra for FS ($150? That's insane). Though with the rental they may get a kickback from the rental outfit anyway. But I would never choose FS, I don't want anybody else fueling my plane.
 
I gave too much info and it was not clear - sorry.

I am going with a rent car which they provided. Is there an obligation to use the FS fuel?

No ... unless you're going on a hot date and don't want to smell like 100LL:eek:

I use SS all the time and the FBOs have helped with all sorts of requests ... this is what tipping is for ...
 
I think it’s interesting that they have both. Haven’t seen that before. While I get around a lot :rolleyes: I’m not as well travelled as some
 
I always assumed the FBOs got a cut of the car rental fees. Do they?
 
Sort of off topic, but one time I landed around closing time on Saturday. The FBO was closed on Sunday and let me have the courtesy car till Tuesday (with no fuel purchase or tie down fees).

The down side was that the car was filthy inside and out. So I took it to a "Sparkle & Shine" car wash and had them to the "express detail" for $45. They ran it through the car wash, did a hand wax on the outside and vacuumed and thoroughly cleaned the interior. It made a huge difference. And we got to use a clean car for a couple of days. On Tuesday I returned the car and flew home. On Wednesday, the FBO called me to thank me.
 
I splashed tips all round and purchased a modicum of their liquid gold too. Everyone happy.
 
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