For most passengers, the FBO is a lounge glimpsed between the car and the aircraft door. For flight departments, it is the first and last operational touchpoint of every trip: fuel, handling, customs, crew rest, and disruption recovery. Choosing one well repays the effort many times over.
The five areas that count
Readers of Aviation International News evaluate FBOs in five areas: line service, passenger amenities, pilot amenities, facilities, and customer service, according to the 2026 AIN FBO Survey. The survey separates the Americas from the rest of the world and scores by category, so regional and category awards should not be read as overall global rankings.
What the 2026 survey found
Pentastar Aviation at KPTK, Oakland County International, held the top Americas position for a sixth consecutive year, and was the only Americas FBO in the top 10 in every category: line service 4.87, passenger amenities 4.78, pilot amenities 4.79, facilities 4.80, and customer-service representatives 4.91. In the Americas line-service category, Clay Lacy Aviation at KSNA scored 4.93 and Desert Jet Center at KTRM scored 4.89. Jet Aviation's Palm Beach FBO scored 4.78 overall and ranked in the top 5 percent of Americas facilities.
In the rest-of-world categories, Universal Aviation at London Stansted scored 4.74 for line service, ExecuJet Australia at Sydney scored 4.74 for line service, and Farnborough Airport scored 4.79 for passenger amenities. TAG Aviation Macau announced it won the 2026 AIN Best FBO, Rest of World title, along with the highest-rated FBO recognition for Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific.
How to judge before you commit
Business Jet Traveler describes excellent customer service as the leading FBO-selection factor, followed by fuel pricing and passenger amenities. The leading avoidance factors were poor service, unclean or run-down facilities, and unprofessional staff. A chain's scores are location-specific; do not assume uniform performance across every airport it serves.
Ask about after-hours availability, customs and immigration handling, fuel pricing transparency, hangar space on short notice, crew cars and rest facilities, and how the station recovers from a diversion at midnight. The lobby matters less than the answers. And remember that survey scores are a snapshot of one year's reader evaluations, not a permanent verdict.
Editorial illustration
