Story ID: 019sSept
FBO Profile: Delta Jet Center
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: An airline-owned FBO makes a name for itself in Cincinnati.
Word Count: 862

While commercial aviation and private aviation often find themselves at odds, at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) they form a kind of synergy in the form of the Delta Jet Center, the lone aviation services provider on the field. Yes, that Delta, the oldest continually operating airline in the U.S. The company acquired the then newly built, four-and-a-half-acre FBO and a private jet charter operation when it completed its purchase of Comair in 1999, and has been operating it ever since. For most of its existence, the location was viewed largely by the parent company as a part of the Delta Private Jets infrastructure, a base of operations for the now 66-aircraft charter fleet and the company’s 450 personnel that happened to sell aviation fuel.

That notion has changed in the last year-and-a-half. “One of the biggest improvements we’ve done there is [the implementation of] a customer service culture,” noted James Murray, Delta Private Jets vice president of operations. “We’ve brought in some experience, both on the operation side and the customer service side, and we’ve changed how we view the FBO and the role that it fills for us. The biggest change is going to be the level of service that we’re providing and the focus that we put on delivering that service to our customers.”

During a three-month refurbishment of the 10,000-sq-ft two-story terminal last year, walls were removed to expand the lobby and create a discrete VIP area with an en suite bathroom and two small private conference rooms that can be closed off. The pilots’ lounge and snooze rooms were relocated upstairs, the building was painted and recarpeted and all the furniture was replaced.

Other amenities include an additional 12-seat conference room, concierge service, business center, flight-planning rooms, shower facilities, a kitchen with dishwashers, crew cars and rental cars. The FBO also has a customer-use agreement with a local gym and provides courtesy shuttle service there.
Maintenance Efforts
The 40,000-sq-foot heated hangar building–which can accommodate aircraft as large as the G650–is home to a quartet of Cessna CJ3s, an Excel, a Learjet 60 and a TBM 700. It also houses the FBO’s rapidly expanding Part 145 repair station, which takes up approximately half of the 34,000 sq ft of aircraft storage space, resulting in little space for additional based aircraft or transient guests. The company is working to obtain another building to relocate its maintenance operation. The MRO facility provides airframe repair and can perform heavy checks. It handles much of the maintenance on the company’s charter fleet and is looking to expand into interior work.

During last year’s renovation, the hangar’s fire protection was upgraded to an infrared detection and foam-suppression system, and Wi-Fi service was extended to the hangar and the 150,000-sq-ft ramp, which can accommodate virtually any aircraft. In the past the FBO has hosted Air Force One and its supporting C-17s, guests it expects to see again as this election cycle begins to roll.

An unbranded facility, the Delta Jet Center owns a fuel farm consisting of three 12,000-gallon tanks, one of which dispenses 100LL. Three jet-A tankers (two 5,000-gallon and one 2,500-gallon) and a 1,200-gallon avgas truck provide support. According to Murray, fuel sales are up 30 percent by gallon flowage so far this year compared with last year, while private traffic at the airport has risen by 13 percent year over year. Cincinnati’s major gateway, CVG experienced a boost in private traffic accompanying a pair of major sporting events over the summer. Nascar’s Quaker State 400 at the Kentucky Speedway and the Major League Baseball Allstar Game at Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark took place in the area within the span of a week, keeping the operational tempo high at the FBO. Arrivals at CVG, an international airport, currently clear customs at the commercial terminal, but the company is working to install a U.S. Customs office within the FBO.

The FBO never comes up short on ground handling equipment, particularly for large aircraft, since baggage loaders and more tugs can be readily summoned from Delta’s hub across the field when needed. The FBO’s NATA Safety 1st trained staff can provide Type I de-icing, with Type IV capability available on demand from the commercial side.

Another benefit of the Delta lineage lies in the close working relationship between the airline’s elite services staff and the FBO. Private jet customers flying into CVG to transfer to international flights will receive personal service from the company from the moment they touch down, right through transfer to the commercial side, where they are placed in the top tier of the airline’s customer service. “This ability to interconnect with the global network of Delta Air Lines is a differentiator for us and for our FBO,” noted company executive vice president and COO David Snead. “Over the last year-and-a-half we’ve seen it to be successful, so we’re considering expansion plans for the FBO as well, not just necessarily at CVG, but potentially at other locations.”