Airports: Online Information Is Widely Available for General Aviation Fuel Prices but Not for Required Fees

Fast Facts

Before taking a trip, private and recreational pilots look for information on the prices of fuel, parking, and other services at airports. To do so, they told us they either look it up online or call the businesses providing such services directly.

But some pilots have raised concerns that online information isn’t always available.

We found that fuel prices were generally available online, but information about service fees was sometimes missing. While some businesses are working to improve their online information, others have said that it is difficult to do so because there are many services, and fees vary for different types of planes.

A small plane preparing to take off on an airport runway.

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Highlights

What GAO Found

Fixed base operators (FBO) offer services at airports—such as fueling, parking, and maintenance—for general aviation pilots and other users. These users often seek information about fuel prices and fees for FBO services before taking a trip. Stakeholders that GAO interviewed said pilots obtain information from multiple sources, including websites and calls to FBOs, depending on the purpose of their trip. GAO compared information about fuel prices and fees that it obtained through covert phone calls to 45 FBOs with information that it obtained through online sources. GAO found that fuel prices were readily available online and generally matched the information obtained through phone calls. In instances where prices differed, the difference was usually less than $0.50 per gallon. GAO also found that, for those FBOs that said they have required fees for services over the phone, the information about those fees was limited online.

Illustration of Fixed Base Operator Services at Airports

Representatives of selected FBOs that GAO interviewed said they have taken steps to improve the availability of information online about fuel prices and fees for their services. These steps included, for larger FBOs with multiple locations, setting and updating fuel prices and fees centrally at the corporate level. The representatives cited factors that affect FBOs’ ability to put information on fuel prices and fees online and keep it up to date. For example, some FBOs charge fees for special events, and they said it can be challenging to provide information online about those fees because they vary based on supply and demand.

Pilots’ groups that GAO interviewed said they were generally satisfied with the availability of information on fuel prices and fees for FBO services. However, selected stakeholders cited a few concerns about the availability of information on certain fees, such as for special events. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials said they were not aware of any formal complaints, and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) officials said they were not aware of any administrative actions or enforcement decisions related to the transparency of FBOs’ fuel prices or fees.

Why GAO Did This Study

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 includes a provision for GAO to review the efforts of FBOs to improve the online transparency of prices and fees for aviation users.

This report provides information on the extent to which FBOs offer information about fuel prices and fees for their services, steps selected FBOs have taken to improve the availability of information online and factors affecting their ability to do so, and selected stakeholders’ views on the availability of this information.

GAO reviewed relevant laws and regulations. GAO also obtained information about fuel prices and fees for services by posing as recreational pilots in covert phone calls to 45 FBOs at 40 airports that were selected to reflect a range of sizes and geographic diversity. GAO compared that information with information available online. Finally, GAO interviewed FAA and FTC officials, as well as representatives of FBOs and selected stakeholders, including pilot groups and aviation industry organizations.

For more information, contact Danielle Giese at GieseD@gao.gov.