Your school's 'No Show' Policy

Re: Your school\'s \'No Show\' Policy

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I think all CFIs should be this way. Laywers don't cut their clients any slack. Doctor sure as hell don't so why is it when it comes to flying everyone expects to get off "free." I say charge 'em for the hours they were scheduled ... again this isn't about rides but ...


[/ QUOTE ]

I'm a lawyer and I sure as hell can't get by charging people my hourly rate for time that I am - not - working for them.

[/ QUOTE ]

How many times do you - not - charge for a phone call, typing a letter, "records organization" (my boss got nicked for that, actually), etc. that other business do not specifically charge for?

It's simple don't want to be charged? SHOW UP or CALL. Can't get no simpler than that! (Yeah the grammar is bad on purpose.)
 
Re: Your school\'s \'No Show\' Policy

[ QUOTE ]
One of our instructors bills for the time that a student is scheduled/is there - period.

This includes time for the pre-flight brief, the time when the student is pre-flighting the aircraft, the flight time, and all time after the flight up to and through the end of the post-flight briefing.

If a student is scheduled for 2 hours and he/she is there 2 hours, they pay for 2 hours of instructor time. If they are there for 1.5 (if the lesson is shorter than planned), they pay for 1.5.

ALL the other instructors there talk poorly about him behind his back, but none are man enough to say anything to him one on one (he's also the Chief Pilot).

Personally, I have a wife and soon-to-be child to support... a mortgage... insurance.... school loan payments.... utilities.... etc. I am seriously contemplating charging in the same manner.

I don't think it's unacceptable to be paid for the time in which you are scheduled to be with a student.

But, that's just me. Your mileage may vary.

R2F

[/ QUOTE ]

We all charge like that at our school. Nobody has complained about it, a few questions when we switched over sure, but after explaining why, all the students were fine with it. It's entirely fair, and CFIs who don't think so are selling themselves short.
 
Re: Your school\'s \'No Show\' Policy

If you book a 2 hours slot for a lesson at my school, we will typically let you slide a few times, if however you are cronically missing lessons, as well as not calling to let us know, we will charge you for the instructor time AND 2 hours (or whatever you booked) for the aircraft. If this policy makes you go elsewhere, GOOD! We don't need you tying up the schedule and no-showing anyway.
 
Re: Your school\'s \'No Show\' Policy

I charged for 'no shows' primarily because when a student didn't show up, that was usually a slot that another student wanted, but I wasn't available for.

If you schedule a dentists appointment and don't show up, you're going to get charged a fee.

Shouldn't be any different for the professional services of a CFI.
 
Re: Your school\'s \'No Show\' Policy

I was at an FBO paying my bill when they got a call from a student on a solo x-c. He decided to eat lunch and was already one hour late when he called to say he was gonna be another hour late (one hell of a lunch I guess). Of course the plane was booked and the next student had already been waiting there for an hour, so his lesson had to cancel because the instructor was booked the rest of the day. The guy behind the desk chewed out the guy on the X-C and told him to enjoy his lunch and find a new flight school (it wasn't the first time he'd done this). They were also gonna charge him the instructor's fee for the flight he missed because the student had the plane.
 
Re: Your school\'s \'No Show\' Policy

RE: students, insctructors discretion is the name of the game. We generaly follow most of what other have posted in this thread, but have had some issues with our online schedule. People take upall kinds of slots if they don't know their schedule, then cancel the ones they don't need as they figure it out. When they miss the 24 hour deadline, these clowns get slapped with a $40 no-show fee.

At the end of the day, it ususaly boils down to the instructor. If the student has an attitude problem and the instructor is pissed at them, then they get charged.
 
Re: Your school\'s \'No Show\' Policy

[ QUOTE ]
I think all CFIs should be this way.

I agree, if you can't show up on time you're never going to make it in the business. However, students do have a good excuse every once in a while.
At my place of work-first one let it slide-second time 44 bones. I have students who have recieved the latter of the two over ten times. Maybe they just don't like me. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bandit.gif
 
Re: Your school\'s \'No Show\' Policy

[ QUOTE ]

At the end of the day, it ususaly boils down to the instructor. If the student has an attitude problem and the instructor is pissed at them, then they get charged.

[/ QUOTE ]

thats exactly how our chief flight instructor handles it. I am going to be very up front with my students about this too. We don't get paid enough as it is- personally, I drive 45 minutes to get to the airport, which amounts to gas and wear-and-tear on my car. If I drive in and a student no-shows, I at least want my stuff to be covered. I know some instructors that drive one hour, and it really sucks to drive to work, and find out there is no work and leave empty handed, just having wasted time and money.

But in general, being up front is fairest. As long as its not a surprise-slap-charge, then I think its fair. We are professionals, and our trade must be respected as such.
 
Re: Your school\'s \'No Show\' Policy

Whupee I was cancelled on three for three today within minutes of each flight... charged one guy a measely 39 bucks and now he's all up in arms about it, want's to go to another school.

This is one of the biggest reasons cfiing, overall, sucks. I was scheduled for 7 hrs today. Which means I have to be here for 9, but at best would only be paid for about 5 hrs.

Then EVERYONE of them cancel on me, I charge one guy and will probably lose a student out of it, and will likely be bi$ched at as a result. So today I sit all day (again), make NOTHING, yet pay for gas money, food, and waste my time. And I lose a student. Yea.
 
Re: Your school\'s \'No Show\' Policy

At FSI if a student no shows, the instructor had the option to 'no show' the student. If we did this, they would be charged the normal brief rate of $55 hr, for the entire time they were scheduled. The instructor would be paid at their normal rate.

I usually told my students that I would give them one 'freebie', and never had too much trouble. That is one advantage of being at an academy, most of the students are motivated and flying is the sole reason they are at the school. At the end, I had a few problem children who were very irresponsible and after being stood up a few times, I was merciless on the no shows. I figure if someone is too lazy to pick up a phone, they can pay $200.
 
Re: Your school\'s \'No Show\' Policy

Most of my students are 30-40-something businessmen, and charging them for no-showing would make them laugh and take their money elsewhere in a heartbeat. For all except one or two, $200 would barely cause them to flinch.

So, I don't do that. If someone no-shows, I'll call them, bug them a little and let them know that they really should call me because my time is just as important as theirs.

One of my students has the same attitude that I had in training : If he schedules, he pays. If he doesn't want to show up, he doesn't have to. He still pays.

Works for me!
 
Re: Your school\'s \'No Show\' Policy

[ QUOTE ]
So, I don't do that. If someone no-shows, I'll call them, bug them a little and let them know that they really should call me because my time is just as important as theirs.


[/ QUOTE ]

No offense Lloyd but if you're not charging them you are saying your time is not as important as theirs.

If they "laugh and take their money elsewhere in a heartbeat" then they are spoiled rotten 30-40 year olds who are simply taking advantage of you and the school. You're short changing yourself and if they walk you didn't need them in the first place, and/or they're going to screw some other way too and probably in a way to costs you more than time. IMHO.
 
Re: Your school\'s \'No Show\' Policy

No offense taken, Man! I understand exactly what you're saying.

It may very well be that they're spoiled crybabies, but they're still the customer base. There's not a whole lot I can do to change that. As a provider of "value added flight instruction" (My angle....among many /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif), I must be willing to adjust to the needs and wants of the customer base. This is something that companies like Delta and American haven't done. Companies like Southwest and Jetblue have moved in and kicked their butts....

There's a guy at my airport that owns a very nice, new(ish) Skylane a couple of months ago. He's working on his Instrument rating now, and just finished his Private. See, he was taking flight lessons at the flight school, but his instructor insisted that he be allowed to have Sunday off, because he has a family, blah, blah, blah....

The guy told him that it would be worth it for him to work with him on Sunday, but the CFI refused, and said to some of the other instructors "everyone else is booked, this guy needs me, but I have to prove my point to him...".

Well, this guy pays a freelancer $100 per hour now to fly with him on Sundays. The flight school lost, and the orioginal CFI lost. And this guy loves to fly a whole lot each and every Sunday.

The original CFI? Well, he showed that guy, didn't he.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I did have a student show up an hour and a half late for a check-out and some refresher training. I explained to him that we wouldn't be able to fly, and that I understood that things happen! He said that his last CFI used to charge the no-show fee, and I laughed and said that I don't do that.

He tipped me. Well. Yes, CFI's can get tips. But not if you go on a power trip about how important your time is. My time isn't really as important as theirs, in their eyes. They're the customer.

There's nothing wrong with charging folks a no-show fee if they do it alot, but we're human. I was late the other morning because...well, I'm human, and sometimes we're 5 minutes late! I called my guy and told him that I was on the freeway and I'd be there in like 3 minutes, and he was totally cool with that!! One day, I may miss a lesson! Someday, he may miss a lesson!!

I say, if it doesn't happen alot, let it go.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top