ANN ARBOR, Mich. / April 13, 2016 / GENERAL AVIATION NEWS – Dealers in the Avfuel Network were honoured as Top-Rated FBOs in the Americas in the 2016 Aviation International News FBO Survey, taking five of the 11 top five percent spots, and nearly one-third of the top 20 percent and higher rankings.
Receiving top marks in the fifth percentile are Avfuel-branded dealers Tampa International Jet Center (KTPA), recognized for facility and line service; Fargo Jet Center (KFAR), for customer service and line service; XJet (KAPA), for customer service and facility; Banyan Air Service (KFXE), for facility and customer service; and Pentastar Aviation (KPTK), for customer service and facility.
“It’s such an honor to be associated with these outstanding Avfuel-branded dealers represented in AIN’s compilation of top-rated FBOs,” said Avfuel’s Marci Ammerman, vice president of marketing. “It’s a testament to the quality of the Avfuel Network and their customer-centric philosophy. We congratulate these top-rated FBOs and are delighted to have them represent the Avfuel Network.”
While those in the fifth percentile had to be well-rounded in all areas to earn their positions, customer service appeared to be a theme in this year’s survey, as it was in 2015, with FBOs who scored high in the service category soaring toward the top of the list.
“Our mission is to exceed our customers’ expectations, so they [CSRs] are well trained to make sure that every little detail is attended to,” said Greg Schmidt, Pentastar Aviation president.
This year’s rankings were determined via a new process whereby AIN collected and reported customer feedback from around the globe by launching an FBO website. This site allows readers to view, comment and evaluate FBOs at any time of the day all year round. Using feedback from the site, AIN compiled all FBO comments and evaluations across four years to produce a cumulative average score for FBOs, rather than ratings isolated to a single year. Respondents still assess FBOs on the following five categories, but on a new scale of one (lowest) to five (highest): line service, passenger amenities, pilot amenities, facilities and customer service representatives.
To ensure reliability, only qualified AIN readers are allowed to participate in the survey with each rating counting only once. Overtime, pilots can update their ratings, effectively negating their previous score, allowing for a far more interactive, comprehensive and up-to-date ranking system.
To view updated rankings by category and participate in the AIN FBO Survey all year, login to your AIN account and visit www.ainonline.com/fbosurvey.