How to Price Aviation Detailing Services
A complete pricing framework covering per square foot models, hourly rates, fixed bid pricing, tip structures, and fleet contracts.
CoreOP Pricing Desk
Pricing Strategy and Quoting
Published 2026-04-25, updated 2026-04-28
The three core pricing models
Aviation detailing operations choose from three primary pricing models. Per square foot pricing scales with aircraft size and is the most predictable for both operator and client. Hourly pricing rewards efficient crews but requires careful time tracking and a level of client trust. Fixed bid pricing offers maximum margin upside on familiar aircraft types but maximum risk on unfamiliar ones. Most established shops mix all three depending on the situation. New operators should default to fixed bid for known aircraft and hourly for unknowns until they have enough data to set fixed prices confidently. The right model also depends on what the client wants to see. Flight departments often prefer fixed bid because they need to budget. Owner pilots often prefer hourly because they want to see the labor input. Charter operators often prefer per square foot because they compare across aircraft. Your default model can flex based on which segment you are quoting. The shop that runs the same model across every quote loses business to operators who match the pricing format to the client expectation.
Per square foot pricing in detail
Per square foot pricing works because aircraft size correlates with both surface area and time required. Typical rates run from $4 to $12 per square foot for exterior wash and wax. Interior detailing prices separately, often by zone. The advantage of per square foot is transparency. The client sees the math. The disadvantage is that condition variation is not captured. A neglected aircraft takes three times the labor of a well maintained one. Always include a condition multiplier in your per square foot model. The way to apply per square foot in practice is to calculate the surface area once per aircraft type and store it in your catalog. A Citation XLS exterior is roughly 1,200 square feet. A Gulfstream G650 exterior is closer to 2,800 square feet. Once those numbers are stored, every quote runs the same calculation in seconds. Operators who recalculate surface area on every quote either spend too long or skip the math and quote by gut feel. CoreOP stores the square footage per aircraft type in the catalog so the calculation is instant.
Hourly rate structure
Hourly rates for aviation detailing run $75 to $150 per crew member per hour depending on market and experience. Lead detailer rates can reach $200 per hour in coastal premium markets. Hourly works best for paint correction, brightwork polishing, and complex restoration where the time required is genuinely uncertain. Always quote a not to exceed cap on hourly work to protect the client and the relationship. Hourly billing requires accurate time tracking. The most common operational failure on hourly work is poor time records that the client questions when the invoice arrives. GPS clock in fixes this completely. The crew member opens the app at the aircraft, taps clock in, does the work, and taps clock out. The system records the time and location. When the invoice goes out, the time data is unimpeachable. Operators who run hourly work without GPS clock in eventually face a billing dispute that costs them either the relationship or the money. Build the discipline before the dispute.
Fixed bid pricing for repeatable work
Fixed bid is the highest margin model when the aircraft is familiar and the scope is well defined. A Citation CJ3 full detail by an experienced crew on a clean aircraft might bid at $2,800 and run six labor hours. The same job hourly at $125 per hour with two crew members runs $1,500. Fixed bid captures the value of expertise. The risk is mispricing on unfamiliar aircraft. Always inspect before fixing a bid on an aircraft type you have not done before. The path to confident fixed bid pricing is data. After ten jobs on a particular aircraft type, you have a labor curve. After fifty, you have a confidence interval. Operators who track their actual labor hours per aircraft type can fix bid with margin certainty. Operators who do not track end up either underbidding to win the work or overbidding and losing it. CoreOP's job analytics surface labor hours per aircraft type automatically so the data is always current.
Tip structure and crew compensation
Tip handling matters because it affects crew motivation and retention. Some operators bake a service charge into the price. Some pass tips through directly. Some pay crew a per job bonus tied to client satisfaction scores. Whatever model you choose, document it and stay consistent. Crew turnover from inconsistent tip handling is one of the most common operational failures in detailing businesses. Use CoreOP to track per job crew assignments and compensation so the math is clean every pay period. The choice between models also affects how clients tip. Operators who bake a service charge into the price usually see lower direct tips because clients assume the service charge handles it. Operators who do not include a service charge usually see higher direct tips. Neither model is wrong, but the operator needs to communicate clearly which model is in use. The clients who tip the highest percentages usually do so because they understand the model and trust the operator's judgment about how the money flows to crew.
Fleet contracts and volume pricing
Fleet contracts are a different pricing animal. A flight department running ten aircraft on a monthly maintenance contract justifies a 15 to 25 percent volume discount because the operator gets predictable scheduled work, predictable revenue, and amortized travel time. Structure fleet contracts with a base monthly fee plus per service additions. Build in an annual escalation clause tied to a published index. Lock in three year terms when possible. CoreOP's recurring billing makes fleet contracts run automatically once configured. The trap with fleet contracts is over discounting. Operators chasing the contract often offer 35 to 50 percent off, which locks them into low margin work for years. The math has to favor the operator. If your true cost reduction on fleet work is twelve percent through reduced travel time and faster crew familiarity, the maximum discount you can offer and still maintain margin is about twelve percent. Anything more and the contract erodes profit even as it adds revenue. Model the cost reduction before negotiating, and walk away from contracts that require pricing below your real cost savings.
Common pricing mistakes
Three mistakes consistently cost aviation detailers money. First, underpricing brightwork. Brightwork polishing is the most labor intensive service and often underbilled because operators do not separate it from general exterior. Quote brightwork as its own line. Second, missing condition multipliers. A heavily oxidized aircraft is not the same job as a maintained one. Use a 1.5x to 3x multiplier for poor condition. Third, never raising prices. Most operators raise prices once and then never again. Build a five percent annual price increase into your contracts and your standard rate sheet. A fourth mistake worth calling out is failing to charge for documentation. Charter operators increasingly require photographic proof of work, sanitization documentation, and signed completion reports. The labor for documentation is real and should be priced into the quote rather than absorbed as overhead. Aviation detailing operators who add a documentation line item to every quote typically capture an additional five to eight percent in revenue without any pushback because the documentation is genuinely valuable to the client.
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