Bonus Fuel Credit & Fuel Surcharge Programs
EMPOWER TO THE PEOPLE
Last summer we initiated a fuel surcharge program to protect our aircraft from the fluctuating prices of fuel. What we’ve been missing is some sort of program that rewards our club members who do their part when they fill up with inexpensive fuel at other airports. Well, we’ve come up with a brand new, totally unique program you’re gonna love - and it’s already in place since the first of the month! Announcing, the Windy City Flyers’ Fuel Savings Incentive Program.
This plan is as simple as it sounds. If you can save our aircraft money - it’ll save you money. On any given day, if you purchase fuel at a rate less than the cheapest fuel available through Signature Flight Support at PWK, Windy City Flyers will reward you with a Bonus Fuel Credit equal to the amount you saved.
Here’s How It Works
Let’s say for example, that today at PWK the least expensive 100LL fuel from Signature is $4 per gallon. While flying around Burlington, WI you decide to land and purchase 20 gallons of fuel at $3 per gallon. At the end of your flight, when you turn in your fuel receipt, you’ll get two credits. First you’ll get a credit for the full amount of your off-field fuel purchase ($60). Then, in addition, you will be rewarded with a Bonus Fuel Credit of another $20 (the amount of money you saved).
The Fuel Savings Incentive Program is an absolute NO BRAINER!! It allows you to take control and effectively set your own hourly rental rates. The program is intended to empower our members and reward them when they are able to help. We’re hoping it will encourage each of you to fill your tanks with inexpensive fuel whenever and wherever you can find it.
Until now, there’s never been any special reason for you to shop around for competitive fuel prices - the hourly rental rates already include fuel. But, if you owned the airplane, you would be extremely sensitive to the price of fuel and always seek ways to minimize your operating costs. You’d take the time to add one more step in your pre-flight planning; you’d check fuel prices along your route and especially at your destination. You might even consider landing at a different airport, even though it may mean a few extra miles drive to your ultimate destination. And that’s exactly the point of our new program: to create an experience for our club members as close as possible to that of an aircraft owner.
In fact, those are the exact words you’ll find in our Mission Statement. Windy City Flyers has always found our best success is realized when club members adopt the principle of ownership. This fundamental precept has helped us grow to have the largest, most diverse fleet of rental aircraft in the country! The more members feel and act like an owner sharing in our entire fleet of aircraft:
- the BETTER our planes are cared for
- the more AIRCRAFT we can bring into our fleet
- the greater the VARIETY of equipment we have
- the more OPPORTUNITIES there are for flying
- the more EXPERIENCES we all get to share
- the SAFER we all are
- the more FUN we all have
TIPS FOR FINDING INEXPENSIVE FUEL
The list we have provided below includes some resources and techniques for helping you find ways of keeping down costs.
- Think of the posted retail price as a "suggested price". Be willing and prepared to negotiate.
- Check for web sites that have features for locating and comparing costs. Our current favorite is Airnav.com. Click on the Aviation Fuel tab, then choose Check local fuel prices. You’ll be prompted to enter a destination airport and a list comparing prices from vendors within 35 miles will appear.
- Make a few phone calls ahead of time to verify the FBO’s prices. Let them know you’re shopping. If there is more than one FBO on the field, see what each is willing to do to earn your business. If they are the only game in town, let them know you’re prepared to land at a nearby airport instead - depending upon what they may have to offer.
- You can still bargain after you arrive. Once you get there, line personnel usually ask if you’ll need fuel and how much you’ll need. Perhaps you’d be willing to buy more or even "top off" (weight and balance permitting) if they’ll make it worth your while.
- If this airport is a regular destination, tell them so. See what type of discount program they have for quantities purchased over time.
- If you’re staying overnight, some FBO’s have weekend specials. If so, ask the line crew to fill you up on Saturday (even though you arrived on Friday and plan to leave on Monday). At Signature’s across the country, that usually means a fifty cents per gallon discount!
- All of our planes are registered in the world wide Signature system and you can save at least a few extra cents by making sure the person at the counter looks it up first.
FUEL SURCHARGE PROGRAM
The most current version of our Fleet Data Sheetincludes the number of gallons each aircraft consumes per hour. The GPH figure that appears in the right hand column by the hourly rates is the historical average from each plane over the last twelve months. The dollar amount of the per gallon surcharge is posted daily at the Flight Operationsdesk in our first floor offices. This number, multiplied by the GPH equals the dollar per hour surcharge for a given aircraft. For example, one of our Cessna Skyhawk’s indicates an average fuel burn of 9 GPH. If the fuel surcharge were $2 per gallon, the result would be an $18 fuel surcharge for a one hour flight.
Since, most of the fuel we consume is purchased right here at our own airport, the fuel surcharge changes whenever the rates at PWK change. Typically, the retail price for 100LL fuel at PWK has been higher than most of the other nearby airports. In fact, fuel prices at airports as close as Burlington, WI (just 39 nautical miles to the northwest) are currently selling fuel at almost $2 per gallon less! That could mean huge savings to those of you who participate in our new Fuel Savings Incentive Program. Take advantage and get yourself a Bonus Fuel Credit.
We Want to Hear From You
Please don’t be shy about sharing your thoughts regarding our new program. Perhaps you have found another method of working with vendors while "on the road". It was our membership that determined the best course of action would be to initiate the fuel surcharge. We are all navigating through uncharted airspace these days and it is our intention to serve club members as best we can. Help us do better by letting us know how you feel, how we might improve our operations or anything else we could be doing to meet your needs. Send email responses to dean@WindyCityFlyers.com or call us at 847-808-1188.
|
