Signature Flight Support

at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport

From Luke Helm on 12-Nov-2008

Good service. Directed us to parking, brought rental car over, fuel was fast, nice facility, fresh chocolate chip cookies inside, brought out air for a low tire quickly. Only complaint was they didn't answer their radio on the taxi in. Fuel was of course over-priced but gave a 50-cent/gal discount for the weekend and 7 gallons waived the $25 handling charge. Paid $15 per night parking. Book the KSBA rental car online through a travel service (yahoo, hotwire, etc) for the best rates, then call to tell them to deliver it to Signature (extra $10 charge from Enterprise).
 

From Scott Miles on 28-Oct-2008

Flew into SBA on a Friday afternoon to check out a local college. Taxi up to Signature and they have someone to park you and a large golf cart to pick you and your baggage off to the terminal. Rental car arrived shortly there after. Ramp fee was $24 and waived with a 7 gallon fuel purchase with was $6.32 (weekend) $6.82 (weekday). But that was worth it to save the $24. Either $10 or $15 a night to park. Expensive but no other real alternatives at this airport. Atlantic is pretty much the same final costs. Santa Ynez makes a good alternative if SBA is fogged in. Fog was rolling when we departed on Saturday afternoon and we scooted out from underneath just after rotation to nice clear skies.
 

From Ali Bahadi on 08-Oct-2008

Absolutely top notch service, very friendly staff, going the extra mile for even a 172 pilot. Courtesy car was not available, nevertheless, we were dropped off downtown and picked up at the airport terminal at the drop of a dime. Best service I have yet to experience. Thanks guys!
 

From Michael Lancy on 19-Sep-2008

Signature though pricey really does provide excellent service. With my last flight into SBA the fueler mistakenly topped off the right side. The line manager waived the charges for 11 gallons!!! Never wined or made excuses and was genuinely more concerned with my W&B then the fuel cost. All along with smiles and thank you's from the staff. From where I come from, that's service! Staff also handled my car rental professionally as well. Quick and Easy. I'll always use them when I have the choice.
 

From Robert Boerner on 14-Sep-2008

We visit Santa Barbara a few times each year and again were welcomed by the wonderful desk staff at Signature. Even in our little 172 and taking less than $100 in fuel, they make us feel very welcome. We will continue to visit them each time we come to Santa Barbara. Thanks gang!
 

From David O'Neill on 29-Aug-2008

I didn't use Signature Flight Support but did fly into KSBA on my long Xcountry while working on my private license in a C172S. A little tip for first-timers in small aircraft: when taking off from RWY 15L or 15R, perform a soft field take-off. What happens with a normal take-off is once you are near rotation speed, you're crossing RWY 25 and the uneven intersection can cause the plane to bounce before you're ready to fly. Doing a soft field take-off allows you to be airborne before you reach RWY 25. Happy flying!
 

From Lance Murray on 23-Jun-2008

PAY ATTENTION. After 10pm they want a big fee for after hours access to your aircraft. You cannot jump the fence due to Barb Wire. Airport security will not given you access. After 10pm you are stuck unless you want to pay a $150 after hours charge. And nearly $8.00 for 100LL and $9.00 for Jet A. You have got to be kidding. That is three dollars per gallon more than my home airport
 

From Mike Radomsky on 31-May-2008

SBA is a frequent stop for me. Stacy, Denise, Bev, Topaz and the line crew all greet me by name, and provide really great personalized service; if the crew car is available, I am handed the keys as I walk in. The facility is small but excellent - pilot lounge, Internet, coffee, snacks, a meeting room, etc. Fuel is pricier than some other places, but discounted on weekends. Outstanding overall; I'll keep coming back.
 

From Phil Duffy on 12-May-2008

One of the best FBO's we have used this year. All employees were "over the top" and very professional. Catering was some of the best we have experienced in 2008. Congrats to all Signature (SBA) employees!
 

From Jennifer Goodwin on 26-Nov-2007

Nice place, friendly service. We flew in for gas and dinner; we were able to use a courtesy car to get food. After dinner we went to fly out and during our run-up we noticed our alternator was dead. It was late but signature let us leave the plane for free, and even dropped us off last night and picked us up this morning. We are getting our plane looked at on the field. Everyone is friendly and accommodating.
 

From Bud Rasner on 24-Nov-2007

Your Jet A is over $1.50 more than average at any given time. A handling fee for "Service" that is outrageous. Many are getting wise to Signature predatory ways. The farmer understands this kind of service when he has the bull 'service' the cow.
 

From Chris Schmelzer on 19-Nov-2007

Borderline criminal 'handling fee' I was told after getting out of my airplane there would be a $27 fee to just park. It was waived with fuel purchase at SIX dollars a gallon. Biggest problem is that there was NO HANDLING done by Signature as I even had to PUSH MY AIRPLANE back into parking myself. Handling fees for premium service is fine, but when you don't provide the service, you can't charge the fee. I'll do my best to avoid Signature in the future, as it is clear they don't care about 100LL burners.
 

From Erick Teeters on 02-Nov-2007

I'm sitting in the new Atlantic facility right now cursing the horrible service and completely ignorant staff. While sitting here at Atlantic Aviation I saw some line guy nearly damage the nose wheel of a nice 182 before some guy stopped him. The fuel is pricey, the service stinks, and the staff is emotional. I'm going to give Signature a try on this next round. It's gotta be better than this!
 

From Greg West on 09-Oct-2007

Stopped here for lunch (Elephant Bar just a few steps away) and quick turn fuel. $27 ramp fee (Cirrus SR22) waived with fuel purchase. Will use Signature again.
 

From Matt Long on 29-Aug-2007

Flew into SBA on my IFR Training X-Country.... Lineman was waiting to park us after an ILS to 7, even though we never radioed in. Took on 7 gal of fuel, and the ramp fee was waived. Very friendly folks at Signature...Yes, Avgas is a little pricey...But it's California folks. BTW, very nice lunch at the Elephant Bar. We had to wait a few minutes till they opened, but very courteous, and prompt service.
 

From Gary Sparks on 01-Jul-2007

We visited at 6:30pm on June 30th. We had to reposition the airplane from Mercury were we learned that they close at 9:00pm and it would be a $75.00 fee to be allowed ramp access after 9:00pm. Signature closes at 10:00pm. A very friendly representative who provided us with a free crew car and helped to make our Santa Barbara experience a pleasant one met us. Kudos to Signature!
 

From Tom Ridderbush on 25-Jun-2007

We have been stopping by Signature SBA for the last few years. We have always enjoyed the entire staff. Yes the fuel may be pricey. So have a few cookies, a bag of popcorn and get over it! Thank you Ken, Kelly, Stacy and all of you for the great service.
 

From Todd McKellar on 05-Mar-2007

We used Signature on a recent overnight in Santa Barbara. The staff was courteous and helpful. Our rental car was waiting for us when we arrived, and although they were very busy on our Sunday departure they handled everyone quickly and professionally. I will definitely use these folks again!
 

From Chad Wadsworth on 25-Dec-2006

Very good nice people. Thanks for the crew car we will be back..
 

From Ron Larson on 04-Dec-2006

Staff was fine and place neat and clean although small. Ramp fees and fuel prices are on par with Dulles, San Francisco and Las Vegas. We paid $275 ramp fee for a small Citation for a 3-hour stop. Fuel $2.40/gal higher that we paid at CRQ the same morning. Would recommend checking other airports and FBO's. Ramp fee waived with 175 gal. Purchase.
 

From Lee Gerstein on 19-Nov-2006

Used Signature from 11/16/06 through 11/19/06. Gas price is high but we knew what were getting into, so no surprises there. General sloppy service is what was surprising. We landed at night and the first line guy out had no lights, no wands, dressed in dark clothes against a black background. Day of departure it took over an hour to get our plane out of their hangar (I had called ahead). Plane wasn't fueled the day prior as we had requested and they had assured us it would be. Same with windshield cleaning. Nothing-huge here, but not a tight operation by any means. Pales in comparison to how Million Air treats small planes and the standard for professionalism they set. Guess next time in we'll try Mercury, but from the comments about them I don't expect much better. Too bad-- KSBA is busy and could use a first rate FBO.
 

From Paul Storaasli on 19-Oct-2006

Nice place. Waived a $25 service fee for purchasing minimum of 7gal of Avgas. $15 for overnight. I will return again and again.
 

From Tom Smith on 22-Sep-2006

It seems that Signature has a uniform customer service policy. I usually avoid them from the past experiences I had with them on the east coast. This was no different. I arrived with 5 bags and golf clubs with my wife. Not one person offered any assistance to us. We had to drag all of our bags by hand into and past the desk to our car that was waiting to pick us up. Not to mention the most expensive fuel I have paid for in a long time. Over $2.00 higher per gallon than my previous and next stops.
 

From Warn Kitchen on 03-Sep-2006

Did my IFR cross country to SBA for dinner with a friend at the E-bar. Arrived at 8:50pm. Fuel was nearly $2 more than my home airport, which I halfway expected. Once they had my fuel order and my signature on the credit card authorization they told me that they close at 10:00 and if I wanted back in to my aircraft after 10:00 there was a $100 fee, I asked if there was another way onto the field and they said no. Spent $85 on fuel and didn't enjoy dinner all that much since I only got to spend an hour with my friend.
 

From Eric Cardin on 10-Aug-2006

Went to Signature July 27 in a 152. I chose these guys because I had a bad experience with Mercury the last time I was in Santa Barbara and Mercury is generally horrible!! Called both FBO's on Unicom 10 minutes out and got a disinterested, hurried response from Mercury and a generally friendly response from Signature. Upon arrival, the girl at the front desk saw us coming and personally marshaled us in and walked us up to the front. Ramp fee was waived with 7 gal and I was told that the crew car was out and would not be back for another 4 hours. After a quick lunch at Elephant bar next door, our plane was still not fueled, and we had to wait about 15 minutes before we could leave. Overall a pretty good experience.... But I work at Guardian Jet Center at Ontario (ONT) and we provide the same level of service to pilots from GV's to King Airs to 152s so I guess I hold other FBOs to a pretty high standard.
 

From Frank Holbert on 18-Jun-2006

$25 handling fee, the first and only person I saw was the casher. Waived with fuel purchase but since they are $1.88 a gallon more than my home base I just paid the fee. Nice place and it's an easy walk to the elephant bar.
 

From Robert Boerner on 22-Apr-2006

We flew our Skyhawk in on 4/21 for an overnight. As previously mentioned, they offered to fuel us Saturday morning in order to receive the $0.50/gal discount. Even though we bought more than their ramp waiver fee amount, we were still charged a $15 parking fee. They did waive a $25 handling fee even though the only thing they handled was my credit card. In the past, they have been great and never charged for handling/parking and will always be better than Mercury. Cookies are tasty and the staff has always been friendly and courteous!
 

From Bill Holstein on 16-Apr-2006

Flew in on a Friday afternoon for a 4 day stay, great reception, great people and a very nice facility. They helped with our luggage and gave us a ride over to the main rental car offices. Since I wasn't leaving right away they fueled me on Saturday morning which gave me the weekend discount of $.50 a gallon on the fuel (a $65 savings). Very different from the lousy service I received at Mercury 2 weeks earlier. I'm voting with my dollars. Signature gets my business from now on.
 

From Tony Calvillo on 15-Feb-2006

Been flying in and out of Signature SBA for the last couple of years. Most of time had excellent service. Flew in a Baron light twin they waive ramp fee of $55 with a 30 gals min. They usually have crew car for two hours and easy access in and out.
 

From TJ Weber on 09-Jan-2006

Flew in to grab a bite at the Elephant Bar next to Signature. Nice place, good people, free popcorn & water. $23 single engine tie-down fee waived with my fuel purchase. I will definitely use them again. Always a fan of Signature. Their operation at Palwaukee in Chicago is top-notch and will always use Signature when traveling.
 

From Jeff Millard on 30-Dec-2005

After years of consideration, Mercury's FBO is your safer bet. My complaint with Signature SBA is the poor service you get even when you pay for it all. I've arrived there as a GA pilot, a CFI with a student, as well as dropping off passengers on a Part 135 charter flight. On one trip the fuel truck operator rounded up my 56.8 gallons to an even 57. Is that even legal? When we asked permission to taxi up to the empty ramp to get a passenger de-planed they simply yammered on about their $53 ramp fee, questioned us about who we were and the type of A/C and proceeded to park us 100 yds from the FBO. When my very amenable Captain went in to pay the ramp fee and voice our concerns we got an amazing amount of grief for 20 minutes! As a CFI, corporate and charter pilot I've spent a lot of time in different FBO's including other Signature ramps and SBA Signature remains at the bottom of the list. Once again, Mercury is a much better FBO and much more consistent.