- Who is eligible to participate?
- How do participants access the survey site?
- Do all evaluations count equally?
- What is to prevent “stuffing the ballot box?”
- How are the scores calculated?
- What are the categories that FBOs are evaluated on?
- Why don’t all FBOs have a score? I can see comments from prior evaluations.
- What prevents someone from voting more than once?
- How were prior year scores adjusted from a 1-10 system to a 1-5 system?
- Why the change to a year-round FBO Survey website?
- As an FBO how can I promote the FBO Survey website?
- As an FBO can we setup a computer that keeps the survey site open?
- Can someone access the site on a mobile device?
- What should I do if I want to propose that an FBO be added to the survey site?
Who is eligible to participate?
All AIN readers with a username and password to AINonline are eligible to evaluate FBOs.
How do participants access the survey site?
Particpants can access fbosurvey.com from any computer or device. They will be asked to login with their username and password and at that point will be able to evaluate FBOs.
Do all evaluations count equally?
AIN slightly weights ratings based on a number of different factors such as the number of evaluations provided and the amount of demographic information we have on the evaluator.
For example, a pilot who has only evaluated a single FBO will be weighted less than a pilot who has evaluated over ten different FBOs.
What is to prevent “stuffing the ballot box?”
AIN does look for a number of different factors such as email addresses, IP addresses and concentration of scores in order to accurately identify what we consider to be non-regular activity. This process will not always be foolproof which is why evaluations are weighted.
AIN will take note of irregular activity on the website and reserves the right to discount this activity if we see fit.
How are the scores calculated?
Only one evaluation will count per respondent. So if John Doe evaluates an FBO in May and then updates the score given in September, only the September evaluation will count towards to overall average shown on the site.
Respondents are asked to rate FBOs on a 1-5 scale (with 5 being the highest) on 5 different categories. Each individual category score is then added together and then divided by the total number of category scores provided. So this means that a respondent who rates all 5 categories does carry more weight than a respondent that only rates 3 categories. We DO NOT take the average of an average.
The averages shown on the website are a cumulative average of scores starting from January 2013 through to the current day.
What are the categories that FBOs are evaluated on?
Line service: competence of service personnel; refueling turnaround time; courtesy; competitive fuel prices; aircraft parking assistance; passenger assistance.
Passenger amenities: lounge; conference room; restrooms; automobile parking; arranging for ground transportation (limousines, vans, taxis, rental cars).
Pilot services & amenities: lounge; bunk rooms; crew cars; exercise, entertainment and recreational facilities; weather briefing; flight planning; pre-arrival services.
Facilities: cleanliness; comfort; adequacy of ramp space; convenience.
CSRs (Customer Service Reps): customer welcome; professionalism; local familiarity; assistance with reservations (hotels, ground transportation); arranging for catering.
Why don’t all FBOs have a score? I can see comments from prior evaluations.
Only FBOs that have 30 unique evaluations or more will show an overall average and category averages. FBOs that have below 30 unique evaluations will show an “N/R.” However, the comments left about all FBOs will be accessible for viewing on the site.
What prevents someone from voting more than once?
Users are able to and encouraged to update scores whenever they see fit. However, only the most recent evaluation per FBO per user will count towards the averages shown.
How were prior year scores adjusted from a 1-10 system to a 1-5 system?
Prior year scores were adjusted with the following logic:
1 & 2 = 1
3 & 4 = 2
5 & 6 = 3
7 & 8 = 4
9 & 10 = 5
Why the change to a year-round FBO Survey website?
Based on reader feedback we decided to create a tool that was both more easily accessible to our readers and more timely. Under the old survey we asked our readers to think back over a 12 month period and evaluate each and every FBO they had visited. This process was daunting for our respondents and also could affect accuracy when asking about an FBO visit from as much as 12 months prior.
The new system allows our readers to evaluate FBOs whenever they choose and does not ask them to submit a new evaluation if their opinion has not changed.
As an FBO how can I promote the FBO Survey website?
FBOs can promote the site however they best see fit. AIN does not have specific promotional policies that we either approve or condone. In the past the survey was only open for a about a one month period and AIN was aware the FBOs actively encourage participation. Because the site is now open year-round our suggestion would be that more passive and timely reminders about the site could work better and not discourage participation from your clients, our readers. An example of this type of promotion is a link in a post-visit email communication.
Each FBO has its own unique URL that can be obtained by logging into the site and searching for the FBO.
As an FBO can we setup a computer that keeps the survey site open?
Yes, this is allowed but be aware that each user will have his/her unique login to the site which brings up privacy concerns at a publicly shared computer.
Can someone access the site on a mobile device?
Yes, the site is fully responsive and functional on a smartphone or tablet. Users can simply go to fbosurvey.com and log in.
What should I do if I want to propose that an FBO be added to the survey site?
At fbosurvey.com/fbo/requests/update (when logged in) there is a form titled “Request Survey Updates” that allows users to share directly with us any FBO information that needs to be added or corrected.
