Orange County drops Signature from John Wayne Airport over high prices
The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted to replace Signature Flight Support at John Wayne Airport with California-based ACI Jet on Jan. 24. The decision came after concerns about high fixed-base operation prices at the airport.
“When people have a monopoly … and the price is really high, call it what it is,” Shawn Nelson, Orange County's fourth district supervisor, told The Orange County Register.
Signature, which operates under British-based BBA Aviation, has not yet commented on the county’s decision.
Last year, Signature sold off six FBOs as part of an agreement to avoid antitrust issues with its $2 billion acquisition of Landmark Aviation.
Following concerns and complaints from members, AOPA reviewed some FBO pricing anomalies for fuel and other services and brought those issues to the FAA's attention last year.
AOPA strongly supports the FBO industry and believes that most FBOs charge fair and reasonable prices, but the association would like to hear from members if they believe they have experienced unreasonable fees or prices. Please contact AOPA about your experiences.
