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Decreasing FBO Costs in 2012

Cash Flow and Controlling Expenses—Managing Your Business
(Part 2 of a 3-Part Series: Planning a Successful 2012 FBO Business Strategy)

By John L. Enticknap and Ron R. Jackson, Aviation Business Strategies Group

     The buck stops with the guy who signs the checks.   —Rupert Murdoch

In the first installment of this series, we discussed our FBO Business Outlook for 2012. At the recent NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference held in San Diego, we had a chance to discuss this outlook and the current business climate with a number of FBOs in attendance.

Many we talked to agreed with our forecast of a slow uptick of around 2.5 percent average industry growth in 2012, with some individual FBOs experiencing up to 5 percent growth or even possibly more. We met a number of FBO owners and managers who indicated they were ahead of the 2.5 percent growth rate for 2011 and expect to do better than the 5 percent growth projection for 2012. And of course, some indicated 2011 was a flat year and they didn’t expect to do much better for 2012.

For this installment, part two of our three-part series, we want to discuss ways FBOs can better manage and even decrease their costs in 2012.

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From the Archive/Part 1 of the Series: Our FBO Business Outlook for 2012

By John L. Enticknap and Ron R. Jackson, Aviation Business Strategies Group

  Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please. —Mark Twain

Recently we received a call from one of the major business aviation publications asking for our outlook for the FBO business in 2012. As writers, practitioners and consultants to the business aviation community, we are often contacted by the aviation trade press for our views on various industry subjects.

We have our ears and eyes glued to the FBO market, and recently completed one of our FBO Success Seminars for the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), so we have a pretty good pulse on the health of the industry.

First of all, in today’s political environment—especially with an election year upon us—it’s hard to get a good read on what’s going to happen in 2012 on a national level that will affect our FBO industry either positively or negatively. If you’ve watched any of the debates, you probably think ‘ol Mark Twain hit the nail on the head. You might as well wet your finger and hold it up in the air to see which way the economic wind is going to blow.

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