Originally Posted by
aymodeler
Dues vary from local club to local club. Clubs typically have a very open and transparent budgeting process and members know exactly how their dues relate to the amenities they enjoy. Clubs can spend as much or as little as the membership desires to make their club what they want it to be. The AMA membership has nothing to do with local club operations so I have zero expectations about what the AMA "stamp of approval" might mean when it comes to club amenities. In truth, the only thing the AMA is providing (and this is provided consistently) is insurance. Of course, the AMA is also now providing FRIA application support.
None of this compares even remotely to buying into a national franchise, like an airline club, where I am buying the service directly from the airline and the airline itself is responsible for the operation of the facility at each airport to deliver that service. I am not buying a club membership from the AMA. I am buying the club membership from the local club and the local club requires me to be an AMA member in order to have insurance.
Of course, none of this has anything to do with the topic of the thread
All of the happy talk about it not being a franchise and clubs can spend as much or as little avoids the key point - the AMA member's club "experience" is vastly different depending on location. Again, there are "haves" as a result of their AMA due and "have nots" who pay the same dues. I don't think it's supportable to even say that clubs where members pay more have better facilities. Regardless, a quality facility close to where members live is a much better selling point for AMA than "Taj-Muncie" which I think data will show that most members never use.
But hey, if it's such a great business model, we should see that in AMA's club revenue and event trends. Unfortunately, both are declining (as is AMA's membership revenue). Perhaps it's time to change the business model. It has the advantage of having never been tried. But of course, that would mean spending less on the HQ staff's private flight facility.