september2022 - 34

FBO Focus
Desert Jet's Newest Palm Springs
Facility Sets the Bar High
As Desert Jet worked to better prepare its building for clientele,
the company created a touchless experience throughout the entire facility for customers.
BY CHRISTINA BASKEN
A
mid a global pandemic, Desert
Jet looked to the future
with the completion of its
newly remodeled, state-of-the-art
FBO in Thermal, California.
This was the first new construction
the Jacqueline Cochran Airport had seen
in 25-plus years, featuring an air-conditioned
32,500-square-foot maintenance
hangar.
Desert Jet is a full-service fixed-base
operator (FBO) offering ground handling,
ramp parking, fuel, hangar storage and
maintenance service. This is the first and
only FBO in the Palm Springs area to have
an FAA-certified Part 145 repair station
making it a one-stop shop for clientele.
" We moved into the brand-new facility
in late 2019 and so we had to hold off on
any kind of formal celebration, but we
operated nonetheless and continue to see
tremendous growth since our opening, "
says Chris Little, Desert Jet chief marketing
officer.
Adapting to a Post-COVID
World
In any FBO construction project, being
able to anticipate clients' needs and
adapting to an ever-changing industry
is crucial, but especially in a post-pandemic
world. As Desert Jet worked to
better prepare its building for clientele,
the company created a touchless experience
throughout the entire facility
for customers.
" Their entire visit is touchless if that's
desired by them. We have hands-free,
motion-sensored doors. So as soon as you
come into our facility, you don't have to
open a door. All of our restroom facilities,
whether it be the toilets, the sinks, the
paper towels, everything is hands-free
and motion-sensored, " says Jared Fox,
Desert Jet CEO. " They can even cash out
at the front desk without having to touch
anything besides handing us their own
credit cards - digital signatures, we can
email receipts - everything that they
need to get access to is hands-free in
the facility. "
Fox says the facility's technology
and software is what truly sets it apart
from other FBOs.
" Our trucks are wireless, and we have
TCS meters and we're actually getting
all new trucks that will be completely
paperless. For our [Part] 145 operations,
our scheduling software [Corridor and
PRISM] is all cloud-based, all of the software
and everything that we do allowed
us to go remote during the pandemic, and
then now allows us and our employees
to either work from home or work hybrid,
where they come in a few days of the
week and work from alternative locations
at other times, " Fox says.
" The building itself, too, is very environmentally
sound with LED lighting
and every room in every office in every
part of the building and hangar has
motion-sensored lighting that turns off
when people exit and has real power-saving
capabilities. "
While Desert Jet put a lot of work into
creating an architecturally pleasing space
trimmed with features to enhance the
clientele's stay, Fox says what matters
the most is the customer service because
that's what keeps existing and new clients
coming back.
" The building is what catches a lot of
34 || Ground Support Worldwide || September 2022
eyes from the runway and may even be
what creates an opportunity for us to
service new guests, but what keeps them
coming back is our white-glove service
and attention to detail and to support
service, " Fox says. " How we deliver our
product and deliver our service is really
where we focus. "
According to Little, Desert Jet Center is
rated No. 1 in the Palm Springs area.
" Our line service team is ranked
number three in the entire Americas
from an FBO survey taken by people who
utilize FBO service, including travelers,
pilots, aircraft owners, passengers, customers,
other operators and vendors, "
says Little. " Being an independent FBO at
a seasonal destination, we're pretty excited
for that news to be recognized. "
Community-Focused
In large part, the high success rate of the
new facility comes from Desert Jet's commitment
to involve the community in airport-related
operations and educating the
community about general aviation.
" We like to open up our facility, whether
it be to other local businesses, hosting
events in our hangar, opportunities for
air shows and those types of things, " Fox
says. " What I think we're the most proud
of is the shadowing program that we work
with, the local high school programs, to
bring high school students in to see the
beautiful facility, but to understand what
happens at an FBO, introduce them to
general and private aviation, and hope
that we stimulate some interest. Not that
everybody needs to become a professional
pilot or ultimately work at an FBO,
but that it gives them an understanding
september2022

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