Dolphin Aviation Inc, Sarasota FL

Awesome FBO, friendly and knowledgeable crew. Just the spot to park the Moonie when you go for lunch with dad.

I brought in an airplane that needed some TLC. They cleaned and put a ceramic finish on it and made it look brand new. Very pleased with the service.

Clean fbo but took too long for fuel, with no explanation as to why or where we were in the queue.

Visited to check on renewing my pilot's license. They were quite informative. I may use them

Zero stars if possible. First off, the customer service is terrible. Most of the time now you do not get marshaled in when you approach the ramp. Once they pulled out my plane for someone else to fly off in. I have been on the list for a hangar forever two years, signed a contract, gave them a deposit and I got called today from management that they have to raise my rates. Hawthorne Aviation took over and it went downhill almost immediately. Will never use them anywhere, ever.

Nice enough terminal. No one is particularly friendly there and I’ve flown routinely in and out of there for two years. They offer no snacks other than what’s in their vending machine and for water, it’s on tap and typically infused with fruits etc. The bathroom is always clean and parking is easy.

I have been flying for many years and have utilized many FBOs. Dolphin is by far the worst and most incompetent FBO I have encountered.

When I arrived, no one from Dolphin directed me to any particular location. I parked my plane in what appeared to be a vacant spot. I was immediately informed by an instructor from the on-field flight school that that parking spot belonged to a flight school plane which would be arriving shortly.

I then went to the front desk to register. I told the employee that my plane had to be moved very soon and was told Dolphin would move my plane shortly. They didn’t. I then filled out a rather detailed form that Dolphin provided.

I then told Dolphin I had to go out to my plane to get my luggage. The Dolphin employee told me to use the side door of the FBO. That door led to a locked gate to the aircraft parking area which I had no way to open. Another Dolphin employee then told me that I could not gain access to my plane through that gate. I had to go back into the FBO and use the main door to the parking area.

When I returned to Dolphin two days later, I was told that my information had not been entered into Dolphin’s “system” and I had to wait for the information to be manually entered. I was then told that Dolphin did not know to where my plane had been moved. One employee thought it was on the south side of the parking area. It wasn’t. After a time consuming search, I discovered the plane was parked in the extreme north part of the parking area, a considerable walk from the south area inasmuch I has was carting my luggage with me.

To say my experience with Dolphin was sub par would be a gross understatement.

Worst FBO I have ever experienced. Lazy, inattentive line service, front desk that is only good at making excuses, disorganized, chaotic, unsafe, dirty, and expensive.
If you have a choice you should avoid this place.

I had a package delivered and the airplane flew away without being picked up. So I called Joe at Dolphin. Joe had a helpful spirit and cheerful demeanor every time I spoke with him. He located the package after a quick search and printed up the shipping label for me. If you ever need assistance at Dolphin, I highly recommend calling Joe.