Airport "improvement" levy in Montreal

[MarkD]

Well, having just concluded a great Canadian holiday by being mugged for CAD15 at the International Security Area at Dorval, I hope that if anyone at ADM or BA is listening that:

(a) BA check-in staff remind pax that this fee is chargeable - it is not in any ticket documentation from britishairways.com so some people may not be familiar or be tempted to spend their last few CAD before then.

(b) that some of that levy be spent on the pathetic facilities in 26A/B [no toilet beyond the second security point, the purpose of which seems to be redundant if the first guys did their job].

A small grrr but a grrr none the less.

Also, if they want to move you to 39K [or presumably 39A] in the 777, try and avoid this if above 5'0 as you won't be able to lean back or watch the film without craning your neck.

just some handy hints for YUL bound travellers! Thanks to the various Nigels who sped me on my way!

[Mishandled]

Re : spending your last CAD.

There are machines that take Visa, so no cash required.

[MarkD]

true, Mishandled, but unaccompanied student PPRuNers may not. Fair point though, although I think all airport related charges should be a factor of the ticket price rather than hitting up the pax when they don't expect it.

[lubicon]

Airport Improvement Fees (AIF) are very common in Canada, pretty much every major airport has one. Most of the time it is included in the cost of your ticket but in YUL (Montreal) and YVR (Vancouver) it is collected seperately as you found out. I believe the reason for this is as follows. It is basically up to the airline to agree to include the fee in their ticket or not to. Most of the airports have convinced the airlines to do this but obviously YUL and YVR have not been able to or have chosen not to. I think (could be wrong) that the airlines that do collect it in the ticket price either have some say in the improvements being made to the airport or agree with the improvements. If the airports don't have the airlines collect it, they can do whatever they want with the money (airport related).

Since the Canadian Goverment no longer runs the large airports (and thus no longer funds them), this is one way for the airports to fund their various improvement/construction projects.

[palebird]

And what a load of crap those charges are. It amounts to extortion in my view. YVR were the first to bring it in. There was no mention of it when tickets were purchased. No mention of it at checkin. But you are confronted with a desk and told you MUST pay before proceeding through security. The reason the other airports have adopted it is because YVR got away with it. What a wonderful cash machine. Reminds me so much of the Canadian government and their arbitrary taxes. The logic in this escapes me and it amazes me that people just keep on paying. No results but keep on paying. So poor YVR cannot pull enough money out of airlines and passengers alike as they transit through their facility paying outrageous prices for goods as they do at any airport in the world. One would think that if the airport is charging everyone a flat fee for being there then some other prices might drop. I don't see that as I am there every week.Like the Canadian government pay more and watch your services evaporate in front of your eyes. No I do not agree with it. And I do not like being taken for a ride.

[farrari]

I agree toatally with Palebird, it is all a rip off tax.:mad: