Good Morning Folks,
I am a retired airline pilot looking to supplement boredom by starting a Flight Planning/Total Care business gear specifically to GA. I'm planning on targeting doctors, lawyers, business professionals etc., whose time is too precious to waste on making flight planning arrangements (fuel, lodgings, transport, FBO, filing flt plans, etc.)
I'm looking for input from my peers:
a) is this feasible?
b) is this service something GA pilots would actually use?
Stay safe
Business Idea?
Moderators: North Shore, sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, lilfssister, I WAS Birddog
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Entrepreneur
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Re: Business Idea?
It's a good idea, but the people you mentioned are a cheap bunch of individuals who are tight when it comes to money, The normal working class of people are the ones to target, Good luck!
Don't let your wife talk you out of buying an airplane, 
Re: Business Idea?
Redlaser has a good reply to this.
The group you mention are enamoured of the fact that they are pilots. Wrapped up in that is the belief that they can do all of the things you propose to do as its part of being a pilot. It's part of acting out the role.
It's a good idea to parlay what you know into a business. However, be careful about floating the ideas out there on a public forum like this. If you have a good one, as you eventually will, it's not going to be helpful if you put it up here and someone gets going before you do.
In this case, no harm done.
The group you mention are enamoured of the fact that they are pilots. Wrapped up in that is the belief that they can do all of the things you propose to do as its part of being a pilot. It's part of acting out the role.
It's a good idea to parlay what you know into a business. However, be careful about floating the ideas out there on a public forum like this. If you have a good one, as you eventually will, it's not going to be helpful if you put it up here and someone gets going before you do.
In this case, no harm done.
Good judgment comes from experience. Experience often comes from bad judgment.
Re: Business Idea?
It would not be a service I would use. The internet flows information out to me as to where I can fly and stay, and how to get there (when often I have abetter idea anyway). This would be a more needed service for private flying outside North America, but that demographic is less on this forum. The cost from a confirmed hotel room which was misunderstood, and/or missed will take all the profit out for that's day's work. If you did it, you're on the hook, or at least arguing about it. If I miss my own reservation, it was my fault!
As for flight planning, I would be leery getting in the middle of that, as once something goes wrong, you'll be the easy target for complaint. For my experience, those pilots who would consume this service usually have it worked out already, or are willing to make arrangements as they go. The other segment of pilots just will not afford to pay enough for such a service to make it profitable - just my point of view....
As for flight planning, I would be leery getting in the middle of that, as once something goes wrong, you'll be the easy target for complaint. For my experience, those pilots who would consume this service usually have it worked out already, or are willing to make arrangements as they go. The other segment of pilots just will not afford to pay enough for such a service to make it profitable - just my point of view....
Re: Business Idea?
Fuel, lodgings, fbo, flight plans are fairly trivial things to arrange in North America, unlike in most of the rest of the world. Two minutes with ForeFlight and a couple of phone calls and you're done. I'm not sure there's much room for value-add, there.
DId you hear the one about the jurisprudence fetishist? He got off on a technicality.
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JohnnyHotRocks
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Re: Business Idea?
Take your pension, move to a Caribbean island and start an FBO. Don't forget to serve rum punch to the corporate pilots after they arrive 
Re: Business Idea?
Um, Wrong.redlaser wrote:It's a good idea, but the people you mentioned are a cheap bunch of individuals who are tight when it comes to money, The normal working class of people are the ones to target, Good luck!
Re: Business Idea?
There is a market for survey companies and others doing some tricky moves. I am told it is quite a bit of hassle arranging for flight permits among other things for their moves. If you are fluent in moving airplanes from country to country in the east, I think you might have something there.
Last edited by Adam Oke on Sat Apr 09, 2016 4:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
--Air to Ground Chemical Transfer Technician turned 4 Bar Switch Flicker and Flap Operator--
Re: Business Idea?
I think it's a bad idea to start a business at your point in life. why? You are probably an excellent, highly experienced pilot. But my guess is you're an absolute novice in business. You have money, but not a lot of time to recover losses.
Enjoy retirement. You've earned it.
Enjoy retirement. You've earned it.
Re: Business Idea?
Buy a sail boat and head to the Caribbean. I did. I am bumping into tons of retired (and yet to be retired) AC pilots down here.
Or, fly "contract" a bit. I am doing that a couple of months a year too. There is a pretty high demand for experienced pilots even on a short term or part time basis. For me, it is nice to just go and "fly" vs. the day to day stuff.
Or, fly "contract" a bit. I am doing that a couple of months a year too. There is a pretty high demand for experienced pilots even on a short term or part time basis. For me, it is nice to just go and "fly" vs. the day to day stuff.
Re: Business Idea?
http://www.skyplan.com/
These guys pretty much have a lock down in Canada regarding such things. They do a bang-up job. I'd be tough to compete.
These guys pretty much have a lock down in Canada regarding such things. They do a bang-up job. I'd be tough to compete.
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angry inch
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- Location: the wet coast
Re: Business Idea?
I fit the profile - I'm self employed and I run a technology company with offices in Vancouver and New York. Initially I, too, thought any pilot who manages to fly around North America would find the proposed tasks trivial and therefore don't see how the services would add value. Then I started to change my mind. I haven't been able to sleep so here it goes.
I fly 150-200 hrs a year in my Seneca - both for personal and business. Despite the tasks being trivial, I do feel a fair amount of stress making arrangements with whomever. When I fly with my wife and two young kids, the stress comes from having to multitask and making sure the family is comfortable / well fed so they will continue to fly with me in the future. When it's business, the objective tends to be making sure everything runs smoothly and we don't lose too much time (like waiting around because time is money).
I normally try to do everything electronically as much as I can, but I still end up getting tied up on the phone. I find most of those things are best done JIT (just in time) in case of changes - so I file my flight plan while sitting in the cockpit so my departure time would be fairly accurate. And I file the eAPIS and make the customary landing rights call the day before. Then there's the call to FBO for car rental so we can go straight from plane to car while on the air side.
All this takes up space in my head and adds to the stress of hauling precious cargo onboard in a comfortable / timely manner. And there have been times when especially because of delays, that we ended up flying when it's close to a meal time, and everyone is hungry but all we have are light snacks onboard. I usually remember the big items like FBO rental car, but sometimes forgot about providing a meal and we're all strapped in already. One person can only hold so many things in his head, and the safety related items already overwhelmed most of the space available.
What I thought I would benefit from is as the OP put it Total Care. But with some customization that takes place based on real time events that develop. So to me it's more like Total Custom Care. What I mean is for example, on a long trip say to Chicago or Detroit (2 fuel stops for me), I don't book the hotel ahead of time just in case I don't make it to that particular destination that day due to weather, etc, and I don't want the added pressure of having to make it there anyway. But if I do make it, I could benefit from a frictionless transition where I just get on my way to the hotel after a long flying day instead of having to book it after I land.
So let's say the service allows me to set out a bunch of parameters ahead of time. Eg. If I make it to Detroit tonight, I would want to be at one of the Hyatt / Westin under $250/night. Then the OP monitors my Spot Gen3 tracking, and figures out that I have just landed and now taxiing. Bingo - book the hotel then. Maybe call a taxi as well (since Uber requires the person / smartphone to be physically in that city in order to get a ride).
Same thing with FBO. I never bother calling ahead and tell an FBO I'm coming as the effort / reward ratio is not worth it. But the 10-15 minutes lining up / waiting for the gal behind the desk to get your particulars / when to fuel up / how many days are you staying / credit car on file - that's just a waste of time and productivity. The OP can easily call the FBO when I'm taxiing and relay the info plus giving them a credit card on file (or do it ahead of time then just confirm while I'm taxiing). Then all I have to do is walk in the FBO and walk out to a waiting cab (or limo if I want to impress). Pretty sweet!
If I don't end up making in to Detroit that night, the OP would know that too since he sees me diverting. And chances are I will divert to a major city with decent hotels. So the OP can rinse and repeat - book a hotel based on "pre-programmed" parameters. And just send me the confirmation as I always have LTE with me wherever I am.
It's a little like programming - if A, then B. Else if X, then Y. And if something unexpected happens, default to Z - ie. the pre-agreed upon action which could just be do nothing. Worse case, I land in the middle of nowhere, at least I would be talking to 1 person (the OP) who knows my plans and preferences intimately as opposed to calling multiple unknown parties.
Other parameters can include getting a pizza delivered to the FBO if landing between noon-2 pm, or 5-7 pm. I already know where all the Signature / Atlanta FBOs are, and I can state my preference between the two so if I land at an airport, chances are the OP knows where I'm parking. Now not only do I and my travel companions have accommodation and transportation taken care of wherever we go, we also have the assurance of having something decent to eat right after landing. That's gotta be worth something! Talk about Total Custom Care =) And it doesn't matter if we have eaten or are going out to eat, a $20 pizza is good insurance. We can always eat it or take it into the office the next day so it's not wasted.
I can probably think of a few more things if I try. How much would I be willing to pay? Probably around $200-300/yr in return for such services on up to 2 trips a year (call it the Bronze package). All "material" would be over and beyond the annual fee of course - Eg. pizza, hotel, etc. So if I make 4-5 trips a year and have grown accustomed to such services, I would probably be willing to pay say $700-800 (Silver package perhaps?). And by committing to the OP for a whole year and pay upfront, they get slightly better pricing or service feature. And i don't think it requires any technology or very advanced website at least initially - just trading emails or occasional phone calls with the OP would be enough, provided the OP is organized and doesn't get things mixed up.
I don't think it would be hard to find a few Bronze, Silver *and* Gold members, especially if you start including the US. And all of the services can be provided online / over the phone so it's geographically independent. I know I'm going to get flamed for this, but I have lived in the US for a number of years, and there are certainly a lot more well-to-do people there even taking into account the difference in population. Just look at the number of shinny / well-equipped planes there. So if the OP can get 5 member of each time in the first year, that's around $15-20K right there. And maybe get some comps from FBOs for referrals. Not too shabby for working very few hours for it.
As an individual pilot, I would prefer to go with the OP than say SkyPlan since I will just be a number with a bigger outfit who caters to $$$ international trips. And I will have to repeat my story to whoever is on shift at SkyPlan which defeats the purpose.
Also, I would agree with Rookie50 that not all doctors / lawyers / professionals are cheap. They really are the target market because time and comfort is generally more important to them. Plus if there is not enough money to go around in the first place, this service is a non-starter.
Whenever I fly, I make it a point to stop at the big FBO's even though another airport close by or even another FBO at the same airport might have much cheaper fuel and lower ramp fees / parking. You really do get what you pay for. When I fly to Las Vegas, I always stop at Atlanta FBO because they are the closest to the strip - 100LL was USD $8.52/gal when I was there 2 weeks ago. In the LA area, Atlanta at Santa Monica Airport was USD $7.79/gal while elsewhere at another airport it was $5.06/gal. And I make sure I get at least 50-60 gals so they waive the ramp fees.
Doctors / lawyers / professionals - the ones who do well are typically those who deliver massive amounts of value to their clients whoever they are. That's how they justify big fees / profits. So when it's their turn to consume, they don't necessarily make decisions based on what is the "cheapest" per se because cheap is often not the most optimal.
I fly 150-200 hrs a year in my Seneca - both for personal and business. Despite the tasks being trivial, I do feel a fair amount of stress making arrangements with whomever. When I fly with my wife and two young kids, the stress comes from having to multitask and making sure the family is comfortable / well fed so they will continue to fly with me in the future. When it's business, the objective tends to be making sure everything runs smoothly and we don't lose too much time (like waiting around because time is money).
I normally try to do everything electronically as much as I can, but I still end up getting tied up on the phone. I find most of those things are best done JIT (just in time) in case of changes - so I file my flight plan while sitting in the cockpit so my departure time would be fairly accurate. And I file the eAPIS and make the customary landing rights call the day before. Then there's the call to FBO for car rental so we can go straight from plane to car while on the air side.
All this takes up space in my head and adds to the stress of hauling precious cargo onboard in a comfortable / timely manner. And there have been times when especially because of delays, that we ended up flying when it's close to a meal time, and everyone is hungry but all we have are light snacks onboard. I usually remember the big items like FBO rental car, but sometimes forgot about providing a meal and we're all strapped in already. One person can only hold so many things in his head, and the safety related items already overwhelmed most of the space available.
What I thought I would benefit from is as the OP put it Total Care. But with some customization that takes place based on real time events that develop. So to me it's more like Total Custom Care. What I mean is for example, on a long trip say to Chicago or Detroit (2 fuel stops for me), I don't book the hotel ahead of time just in case I don't make it to that particular destination that day due to weather, etc, and I don't want the added pressure of having to make it there anyway. But if I do make it, I could benefit from a frictionless transition where I just get on my way to the hotel after a long flying day instead of having to book it after I land.
So let's say the service allows me to set out a bunch of parameters ahead of time. Eg. If I make it to Detroit tonight, I would want to be at one of the Hyatt / Westin under $250/night. Then the OP monitors my Spot Gen3 tracking, and figures out that I have just landed and now taxiing. Bingo - book the hotel then. Maybe call a taxi as well (since Uber requires the person / smartphone to be physically in that city in order to get a ride).
Same thing with FBO. I never bother calling ahead and tell an FBO I'm coming as the effort / reward ratio is not worth it. But the 10-15 minutes lining up / waiting for the gal behind the desk to get your particulars / when to fuel up / how many days are you staying / credit car on file - that's just a waste of time and productivity. The OP can easily call the FBO when I'm taxiing and relay the info plus giving them a credit card on file (or do it ahead of time then just confirm while I'm taxiing). Then all I have to do is walk in the FBO and walk out to a waiting cab (or limo if I want to impress). Pretty sweet!
If I don't end up making in to Detroit that night, the OP would know that too since he sees me diverting. And chances are I will divert to a major city with decent hotels. So the OP can rinse and repeat - book a hotel based on "pre-programmed" parameters. And just send me the confirmation as I always have LTE with me wherever I am.
It's a little like programming - if A, then B. Else if X, then Y. And if something unexpected happens, default to Z - ie. the pre-agreed upon action which could just be do nothing. Worse case, I land in the middle of nowhere, at least I would be talking to 1 person (the OP) who knows my plans and preferences intimately as opposed to calling multiple unknown parties.
Other parameters can include getting a pizza delivered to the FBO if landing between noon-2 pm, or 5-7 pm. I already know where all the Signature / Atlanta FBOs are, and I can state my preference between the two so if I land at an airport, chances are the OP knows where I'm parking. Now not only do I and my travel companions have accommodation and transportation taken care of wherever we go, we also have the assurance of having something decent to eat right after landing. That's gotta be worth something! Talk about Total Custom Care =) And it doesn't matter if we have eaten or are going out to eat, a $20 pizza is good insurance. We can always eat it or take it into the office the next day so it's not wasted.
I can probably think of a few more things if I try. How much would I be willing to pay? Probably around $200-300/yr in return for such services on up to 2 trips a year (call it the Bronze package). All "material" would be over and beyond the annual fee of course - Eg. pizza, hotel, etc. So if I make 4-5 trips a year and have grown accustomed to such services, I would probably be willing to pay say $700-800 (Silver package perhaps?). And by committing to the OP for a whole year and pay upfront, they get slightly better pricing or service feature. And i don't think it requires any technology or very advanced website at least initially - just trading emails or occasional phone calls with the OP would be enough, provided the OP is organized and doesn't get things mixed up.
I don't think it would be hard to find a few Bronze, Silver *and* Gold members, especially if you start including the US. And all of the services can be provided online / over the phone so it's geographically independent. I know I'm going to get flamed for this, but I have lived in the US for a number of years, and there are certainly a lot more well-to-do people there even taking into account the difference in population. Just look at the number of shinny / well-equipped planes there. So if the OP can get 5 member of each time in the first year, that's around $15-20K right there. And maybe get some comps from FBOs for referrals. Not too shabby for working very few hours for it.
As an individual pilot, I would prefer to go with the OP than say SkyPlan since I will just be a number with a bigger outfit who caters to $$$ international trips. And I will have to repeat my story to whoever is on shift at SkyPlan which defeats the purpose.
Also, I would agree with Rookie50 that not all doctors / lawyers / professionals are cheap. They really are the target market because time and comfort is generally more important to them. Plus if there is not enough money to go around in the first place, this service is a non-starter.
Whenever I fly, I make it a point to stop at the big FBO's even though another airport close by or even another FBO at the same airport might have much cheaper fuel and lower ramp fees / parking. You really do get what you pay for. When I fly to Las Vegas, I always stop at Atlanta FBO because they are the closest to the strip - 100LL was USD $8.52/gal when I was there 2 weeks ago. In the LA area, Atlanta at Santa Monica Airport was USD $7.79/gal while elsewhere at another airport it was $5.06/gal. And I make sure I get at least 50-60 gals so they waive the ramp fees.
Doctors / lawyers / professionals - the ones who do well are typically those who deliver massive amounts of value to their clients whoever they are. That's how they justify big fees / profits. So when it's their turn to consume, they don't necessarily make decisions based on what is the "cheapest" per se because cheap is often not the most optimal.
Re: Business Idea?
"doctors / lawyers / professionals - the ones who do well are typically those who deliver massive amounts of value to their clients whoever they are. That's how they justify big fees / profits. So when it's their turn to consume, they don't necessarily make decisions based on what is the "cheapest" per se because cheap is often not the most optimal."
Exactly.
Time is infinitely worth more than money.
Exactly.
Time is infinitely worth more than money.
Re: Business Idea?
This was the new Signature FBO at San Jose International (hopefully the picture upload works) that just opened a few months ago. My passengers actually commented on how nice it was so I took a photo. The fact that they were happy was priceless.
Not sure if it was because they were new, but they had a huge variety of "free" snacks and drinks. Typically the nice FBOs might have bottled water, coffee and some cookies or even popcorn. But this Signature outdid itself with just lots of variety. On top of the usual stuff, they had different kinds of pop and iced Starbucks canned coffee, candy bars / boxed raisins, fruits, lots of cookies. It was like walking into a convenient store. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm getting excited about their freebies since I am indirectly paying for it via higher fuel costs, etc. But I was excited for my passengers (at the time my family and especially the two young kids).
We flew into KSJC two different times on the same trip and that was my choice of FBO both times. I had stopped at the Atlantic FBO on the same field last fall and it was nice, but not as special as this one.
On this 10-day trip, we had 4 different stops which we stayed overnight. So there was lots of hotel booking / FBO cars to arrange. And 1 diversion as well. I started losing track of which city I was in. So a service like this would have been a welcome relief. Once the flight leg is over, it would be a refreshing change to be told where to go (by the OP via emails) instead of continuing to be "in command" of all the logistics =)
Not sure if it was because they were new, but they had a huge variety of "free" snacks and drinks. Typically the nice FBOs might have bottled water, coffee and some cookies or even popcorn. But this Signature outdid itself with just lots of variety. On top of the usual stuff, they had different kinds of pop and iced Starbucks canned coffee, candy bars / boxed raisins, fruits, lots of cookies. It was like walking into a convenient store. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm getting excited about their freebies since I am indirectly paying for it via higher fuel costs, etc. But I was excited for my passengers (at the time my family and especially the two young kids).
We flew into KSJC two different times on the same trip and that was my choice of FBO both times. I had stopped at the Atlantic FBO on the same field last fall and it was nice, but not as special as this one.
On this 10-day trip, we had 4 different stops which we stayed overnight. So there was lots of hotel booking / FBO cars to arrange. And 1 diversion as well. I started losing track of which city I was in. So a service like this would have been a welcome relief. Once the flight leg is over, it would be a refreshing change to be told where to go (by the OP via emails) instead of continuing to be "in command" of all the logistics =)
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Re: Business Idea?
The incredible thing about FBOs in the US is that you can rock up at the desk without any notice even in something like a worn-out C150 and they'll book a hotel for you on the spot with the FBO discount, and if not loan you a car then someone will drive you out to the hotel.
And, a very large proportion of them look just as nice as that photo!
And, a very large proportion of them look just as nice as that photo!
DId you hear the one about the jurisprudence fetishist? He got off on a technicality.
Re: Business Idea?
The second time we stopped in LA on this trip a couple of weeks ago, we had an appointment to meet a realtor in Santa Monica 30 minutes after landing. We met with 3 different realtors that day so we were trying to maximize the time we had in LA. I don't know about the rest of you, but taking off there's always lots of opportunities to get delayed in getting going - to the point where it doesn't matter what time I had planned to take off, I always end up running behind for whatever reason. Plus we were flying west bound coming from Las Vegas and there was a strong headwind that day. Long story short, we had a rental car waiting at the FBO on the air side. Had help unloading from the plane and loaded up the rental car as it was an overnight stay. And off we went. Despite the typical bad LA traffic, we were just 3 minutes late so it was a success. Definitely worth the USD $7.79/gal AvGas (or CAD $2.70/L)
Imagine the stress involved in the process though. The real estate thing was primarily my wife's idea, and it was important that we make it 'cuz otherwise the utility of GA goes down in her eyes.
Other times, the kids are tired or hungry and everyone just wants to move on to the next part of the journey after a long flight. And if I'm flying for business, once I get in after a 4-5 hour leg, I really need to be checking my emails to see what I had missed, or get on the phone and firefight if problems comes up at work. Whatever it is, loitering at the FBO counter and starting from square one is not ideal.
The FBO crew cars are great when we just need to go grab lunch at a fuel stop, but generally it's frowned upon to keep them for more than a couple of hours and especially overnight. I have kept a crew car overnight at a couple of places before but both were in real small towns with very little airport traffic and the staff were perfectly fine with it.
Another time I was going to clear customs in Duluth, MN but had to divert to Sky Harbor also in Duluth due to weather. The customs officers were nice enough to drive over to Sky Harbor and they were rolling through the fence as I was shutting down. IIRC those two were the only designated airports with US customs in that area, but there were no services at Sky Harbor. It took me 3 tries and half an hour to finally get a cab willing to come out to Sky Harbor, and none of the drivers had ever heard of the airport. Once in downtown Duluth (only a 10 minute ride), I grabbed dinner and checked in to a very nice lakefront Sheraton there. But the process of getting there was unnecessarily painful and time consuming. And no Uber in Duluth at all =( The OP's proposed service would have been much welcomed then.
In theory, getting transportation and lodging is trivial although it still takes time. But when things go south, it's not pretty. OTOH, FBO rental cars are as "frictionless" as it gets, but you pay a premium for it. Not so bad with Signature as they get their rental cars from National, but with Atlantic, their cars are from Go Rental which is a boutique outfit targeted for private aviation - USD $89 for a full size car. I have paid more than that for a rental car on other occasions, but those cars were definitely not Toyota Camry.
But for sure, there is an abundance of great FBOs in the US. In Canada, I like the stick to Shell AeroCentres whenever possible, but a lot of them are at one of the 7 airports with landing fees so that's not ideal either. I do visit one every other week on business, and I love it.
I suppose one challenge for OP's idea is can it scale? At some point if there are say even 5 clients flying at about the same time due to peak season, and the nature of the service requires an element of just-in-time. At some point, the OP would get task saturated be it monitoring flight status or talking to FBO / cab companies / clients on the ground. The OP may be able to rope in other people / helpers, but would that be detriment to the quality / level of personalization of the service? And in essence become another SkyPlan? Not that I have anything against them.
Imagine the stress involved in the process though. The real estate thing was primarily my wife's idea, and it was important that we make it 'cuz otherwise the utility of GA goes down in her eyes.
Other times, the kids are tired or hungry and everyone just wants to move on to the next part of the journey after a long flight. And if I'm flying for business, once I get in after a 4-5 hour leg, I really need to be checking my emails to see what I had missed, or get on the phone and firefight if problems comes up at work. Whatever it is, loitering at the FBO counter and starting from square one is not ideal.
The FBO crew cars are great when we just need to go grab lunch at a fuel stop, but generally it's frowned upon to keep them for more than a couple of hours and especially overnight. I have kept a crew car overnight at a couple of places before but both were in real small towns with very little airport traffic and the staff were perfectly fine with it.
Another time I was going to clear customs in Duluth, MN but had to divert to Sky Harbor also in Duluth due to weather. The customs officers were nice enough to drive over to Sky Harbor and they were rolling through the fence as I was shutting down. IIRC those two were the only designated airports with US customs in that area, but there were no services at Sky Harbor. It took me 3 tries and half an hour to finally get a cab willing to come out to Sky Harbor, and none of the drivers had ever heard of the airport. Once in downtown Duluth (only a 10 minute ride), I grabbed dinner and checked in to a very nice lakefront Sheraton there. But the process of getting there was unnecessarily painful and time consuming. And no Uber in Duluth at all =( The OP's proposed service would have been much welcomed then.
In theory, getting transportation and lodging is trivial although it still takes time. But when things go south, it's not pretty. OTOH, FBO rental cars are as "frictionless" as it gets, but you pay a premium for it. Not so bad with Signature as they get their rental cars from National, but with Atlantic, their cars are from Go Rental which is a boutique outfit targeted for private aviation - USD $89 for a full size car. I have paid more than that for a rental car on other occasions, but those cars were definitely not Toyota Camry.
But for sure, there is an abundance of great FBOs in the US. In Canada, I like the stick to Shell AeroCentres whenever possible, but a lot of them are at one of the 7 airports with landing fees so that's not ideal either. I do visit one every other week on business, and I love it.
I suppose one challenge for OP's idea is can it scale? At some point if there are say even 5 clients flying at about the same time due to peak season, and the nature of the service requires an element of just-in-time. At some point, the OP would get task saturated be it monitoring flight status or talking to FBO / cab companies / clients on the ground. The OP may be able to rope in other people / helpers, but would that be detriment to the quality / level of personalization of the service? And in essence become another SkyPlan? Not that I have anything against them.
