Receiving free items from FBO

[El Duderino]

Can AF aircrew accept any promotional items an FBO may offer?

The FBO I work at does the AvTrip program through AvFuel. Every gallon you buy you get 4 points, every 5000 points is worth a $50 savings bond. You could rack up some serious $ if you put several thousand gallons in your C-whatever per stop.

I've heard of other FBOs that offer a free steak dinner per so many gallons. There was a rumor that the other airport here in town was getting a lot of business because the hot receptionist had a thing for pilots and would take them to a back room to show her appreciation. Her boss didn't know if he should fire her for sleeping with customers or giver her a raise for all the business it brought in.

Just curious if the Fraud, Waste and Abuse people would frown on taking incentives.

Dude

[Guest gonads]

Kind of hard to imagine what your boss might do for a C-whatever huh duderino?

[Flare]

Originally posted by El Duderino:

You could rack up some serious $ if you put several thousand gallons in your C-whatever per stop.

Would that include my C-172?

Anyways, there are some rules about this type of stuff. Your above scenario was quite common just a few years ago. FBOs would throw stuff at mil aircrew to get them to bring their jets back for Jet-A again and again. Free meals, booze, hotels, and promotional stuff like you wouldn't believe. Then some shoe clerk found out about it, complained that since they weren't getting that good deal, it ought to be illegal, so now it doesn't happen as much. There as still some good deals out there, but now instead of them being so out in the open, you have to either know of them or you have to ask the FBO staff. Or, thats what I've heard.....

[ 29. October 2004, 22:11: Message edited by: ENJJPT IP ]

[backseatdriver]

I know some places charge you for the perks, but very little. There's a place in Houston (I'm sure someone here knows the name, I never went there) that gives you a meal and a t-shirt for $1. So that way they're not giving the crew anything for free - wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

[ClearedHot]

Back in the day we used to stop at Elington Field for Gas on our way east. The local FBO hired a few "hotties" to serve as ground crew. They wore short shorts and tight cut off T-shirts. They would clean the front windshield while they gassed your jet. On Friday afternoon there was always a mass gaggle of jets. One Friday afternoon I counted and there were 43 T-38's and T-37's from Laughlin, Williams, and Vance, all lined up getting gas. What a sweet deal that guy had until the political correct nazis rolled in.

[AlphaMikeFoxtrot]

That place in Houston is David Wayne Hooks... they still offer the $1.00 T-shirt deal.

[Bergman]

There are still plenty of places that offer

"good deals" although most stop short of giving stuff away.

Lake Charles, LA...$1 for gumbo or shrimp or whatever. Call on victor prior to your arrival and it'll be waiting.

Ellington, TX: Free beer, soda, ice cream, doughnuts, etc etc. Plus the hotties working the counter. Don't let the Fuji Blimp drivers hanging around scare you off (Chuck knows what I mean!)

Amarillo, TX: Free ride to The Big Texan. Don't let Jared the van driver con you into buying him lunch (Chuck knows what I mean!).

Texarkana, AR: TacAir has free T-shirts with XX number of gallons, plus $3 meal coupons to a local greasy spoon (which I HIGHLY recommend - best chicken fried steak, blackberry cobbler, and sweet tea ever.)

Ask around. Chances are the reserve IPs will have the gouge! A fat pilot is a happy pilot...

[JS]

Originally posted by Bergman:

Texarkana, AR: TacAir has free T-shirts with XX number of gallons, plus $3 meal coupons to a local greasy spoon (which I HIGHLY recommend - best chicken fried steak, blackberry cobbler, and sweet tea ever.)

I think that place in Texarkana is called the Dixie Diner.

Mobile, AL offers free pizza for AF crews. You can call ahead on Victor to get it on order.

Fort Smith also had a pretty good deal - something like $1 for either something from the local BBQ place or the local sandwich place if I remember correctly. They also have a nice FBO with free coffee, iced tea and cookies - but a lot of places have that.

[Bergman]

JS - Yep, it's the Dixie Diner. I couldn't remember the name at the time of my post. Good eats!

Ft. Worth Alliance and Shreveport regional also put on a pretty good show. Always cars available. Plus, the casinos in Shreveport have FREE BEER even if you're not gambling. Not bad.

[Guest sbrewer]

I got stuck in Ellington for an entire week on my Tweet x-country about a year and a half ago.

Twas one of the best weeks of my life. Free beer, free food, free use of T-top Camero, free unrestricted satellite television...cough.