Signature Flight Support announced today, Sept. 5, it has officially opened its renovated facility at L.G. Hanscom Field Airport (KBED) in Bedford, Massachusetts. The upgraded facility includes a new 6,500-square-foot passenger terminal, an increase of 2,500 square feet compared with the previous building. Signature said it has also created a one-way airside loop at the upgraded FBO “to make aircraft boarding safer and more intuitive and simplified the landside arrival experience with additional signage and faster moving access gates.”
The airport is a prime destination for general aviation access to Boston, a 40-minute drive to downtown. Tony Lefebvre, Signature Aviation CEO, said, “Hanscom Field is a familiar name for any aircraft operator [who] frequents Boston or broader New England, which makes it an indispensable part of Signature’s Northeast presence. What we’ve built takes some of our most innovative ideas to elevate the FBO experience and scale to the rest of our network.”
I am glad for all the corporate King Air and G4 operators. I’m sure that the new facility will further stroke their pampered customers. For me and my humble Cherokee, not so much. Yes, I’m grumpy. A couple of years ago, I flew into Hanscom to pick up a friend for a scenic ride. I had trained at Hanscom (admittedly in the 70’s) so I thought I knew my way around and expected two easy quick turns. Instead, I was hit with fees, procedures, extorted fueling (or else pay for parking) and delays for the privilege of having to be escorted between the office and ramp. All the while, the close in parking was reserved for the big iron idling at high decibels (can’t let the folks drink warm champagne). Clearly, Hanscom is not hospitable to little guys. IMHO, there are better Boston reliever airports that want my business. At least I got a “free” spring water from their lounge!