Another rant about landing fees...

[NotAnotherUsername]

Was thinking about a trip up to Leeds next weekend, so rang up Multiflight who seem to be the GA handling agents in LBA and was quoted:

- Landing fee: £6 odd / half metric tonne - make that about £19 for a Cherokee 180
- Overnight Parking: somewhere between £6 and £8
- Handling charge £15

So, £19 + (say) £7 + £15 = £41

Add the dreaded VAT and its £48 !!!!

I'll say that again... £48 !!!!

I presume that they clean the plane and give it a 50 hr for that....... :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

In my opinion, £10 is a bargain at a big airport, £20 reasonable, £30 justifiable. Anything higher and (being careful of the legal brigade) 'this is, in my opinion, not good value'. (choose your own translation of that!)

Think Sherburn might be on the cards. Shame that I actually want to go to west Leeds.

End rant.

Oh, and I've got a recollection of landing at McCarran in Vegas (6th busiest airport in the US, probably similar traffic levels to Stansted or higher) and being charged.... now, what was it??? Oh yes, $0.

End rant properly.

[tacpot]

Of course when Red Ken has his way, it'll cost you £48 to park your car in London overnight - if it doesn't already.

On a serious note: did you try humming and ah'ing a bit with Multiflight, as in "Cor, £48 is a bit steep, I was expecting it to be nearer 30, any chance I could park for free."?

[Romeo Romeo]

I think at Leeds you only need handling if you want to use the main terminal: the GA terminal doesn't require handling. I went there earlier this year in a C150 it cost about £15. I've been to Leeds several times and found it very GA friendly.

[Sir George Cayley]

If you're prepared to consider Sherburn-in-Tin-Hut have you thought about Crossland Moor? It's west of Leeds and right by the M62. Not sure what the current fees are but bound to be cheaper that Yeadon

Sir George Caley

The air is a navigable ocean that laps at everyones door

[Captain Airclues]

Last year I flew a C172 from Dallas to Florida and back. In the eleven days we landed at 30 airfields. Here is a summary of the costs;

Landing fees $0
Parking fees $0
Handling fees $0

Airclues

[knobbygb]

Sherburn - £5 - which is waived if you buy fuel.
Crossland Moor - £2.
Neither are particularly near West Leeds, as I'm sure you know.

If you're going to Sherburn , make it Sat 31st Aug. It's the opening ceremony for the new hard runway 11/29.

[Red Four]

Doesn't seem too extortionate to me, remember for that you have the provision of all the services of an AIRPORT, including full ATC, proper fire cover, fuelling available, parking on a valuable piece of tarmac? for 24 hours. All this and the knowledge that the whole operation is licensed to the highest standards.

If you dont want to pay for a guaranteed accountable standard then the other options have been listed.

Remember, airports like Leeds have to provide their services from their own resources, (ie:landing fees etc). Running a properly maintained Airport is not cheap either!

[G-SPOTs Lost]

As long as it is run properly.............;)

[long final]

Red,

I would argue, that by the time NAU has hired/paid hourly rate to Leeds and back, done the planning, flown the route and got a taxi to and from his end destination, it would be a whole lot easier to drive? So when we go to all that trouble (admittedly to enjoy ourselves) a little help at the other end would be nice.

It's not all that simple I know, but I do know £50 for an overnight in Leeds would put me off, it must just be some of us, but I would pay £20-25, so Leeds would be worse off by my not visiting. Must just be bloody-minded re. landing fees.

Surely GA (the visiting once in a while type) is small beer to the larger airports? Or is it just that they would prefer not to have GA troubling them when the real BIG payers could be accommodated?

And I speak as someone who was charged £50+VAT to be picked up from the main apron (got a lift in a Bandit from the GA parking 'cos handling didn't turn up) 100yds to the terminal at Liverpool? The landing fee came later .....:rolleyes:

Regards
LF

[willbav8r]

I get miffed when I head up to Petaluma to visit the girlie. $5 overnight parking fee. $10 if I take a Seminole.

I believe McCarran has a charge these days. A bit less than your trip to Leeds would cost! Bit more to do in Vegas though........

[GoneWest]

Interesting to see the usual "no landing fees" arguments from the West Atlantic. I have to admit, I love it - charging around into all these humongous International airports and not paying a penny. Call, out of the blue, on the R/T to announce that you are approaching the zone (no PPR), no landing fees - and then somebody lends you a self drive car full of petrol for a couple of hours, to do as you wish.

But then, I don't need to pay when Uncle Sam taxes each individual and puts a certain amount of it into aviation - whereas Europe charges only those who use the facilities.

It's very easy for us, in the USA, to sing the praises of not paying for the services that we use day after day in pursuit of our happiness - but it does make me wonder why all those people who are flipping burgers for a living should pay for it, for me.

I went on a visit to St. Petersburg Flight Service Station. One of three station in Florida - one of some thirty odd in the entire United States. Tour guide was explaining, 9 staff on duty at any one time, three shifts a day (27 people every 24 hours). Just at St. Pete - so (27 x 30 odd).....over 800 staff a day.

"Whenever a general aviation aircraft calls on frequency, we do this that or the other for them...", says tour guide. When I asked what they do for airline traffic, the answer was a surprised "Nothing! This is just for G/A".

When I asked "Well - who pays for it". "You and me - and every taxpayer in the Country", says the tour guide.

Despite enjoying the service - I don't quite see the justification for getting EVERYBODY to pay for my landing fees at Orlando International.

Having said all that - I put a "just over the tonne" PA28 into Leeds last year - £12 a landing, marshalled into position, parked on the main ramp all night, driven to the terminal with my luggage, few extra quid for overnight parking (about a fiver, I think). Not a bad deal - and a REALLY friendly crew helped me out a lot. Controller gave me a very full brief when I asked for advice on the local departure procedures.

[NotAnotherUsername]

Fair points all round:

- US is a different system (nice for us, but not so great for others)
- if I dont like it, then take my business elsewhere
- try to blag a discount!

Now looks like the trips off anyway, maybe later in the year will try for the blagging approach!

[AC-DC]

Gone West

When I asked "Well - who pays for it". "You and me - and every taxpayer in the Country", says the tour guide.

Despite enjoying the service - I don't quite see the justification for getting EVERYBODY to pay for my landing fees at Orlando International. "


I don't go to the library and I don't go to the lazy non-working single mums (that get council accommodation) club, and still I pay for all of that.

The different between here and there is that there aviation is part of the infrastructure, here, let build more houses, aviation is for the reach playboys, make them pay through the nose, they have enough.

[englishal]

Different mentality between the US and Europe. Here is it has "Marine" or "Aviation" attached to its name, prices increase exponentially. I bought some "Marine" epoxy once.....turned out to be 'Araldite' glue, but cost near on £20, for something which should have cost £5 !

I think ATC services should be paid for by a Govenment, putting ATC into the hands of private companies is a recipe for disaster....I wouldn't mind my tax contributing towards ATC...

It is a real pleasure flying in the US. You can fly somewhere like Palm Springs, pay $10 to park, and they give you a car for free and the red carpet treatment. At the other end of the spectrum, somewhere like Harris Ranch, you land on their private strip, no charge, taxy up and park next to the resteraunt, have the best steak in California, and head off somewhere else.

Cheers
EA:)

[goatgruff]

On the basis that 10 Cessnas at £10 a shot are better than no Cessnas at £20 a time, I've always been an advocate of a sensible fixed price landing fee for light aircraft.
The more people who land at the airfield, the more pilots come through the terminal, use the shops, cafe etc, all contributing to the turnover of the place.

At our place, we make the majority of our profit from commercial operations, and very little money from GA, but, for a £15 (or less!) landing fee you get a full 24hr ATC service, use of all facilities, unlimited parking, transport to and from the terminal, and full flight briefing services.
The bean counter recently did a break down of this fee compared with the staff operating costs involved, not suprisingly, our costs were some 150% more than the landing fee, fortunately the MD over ruled the accountants desires, and common sense prevailed.

Where ever you land in the UK, there will be operating costs invoved, at most airports, the G/A costs are to an extent, absorbed by the returns from more productive commercial operations.
But at lot of smaller airfields, the upkeep and costs are met by the good will of a small but very significant minority, without whom, many paces would close tommorrow.

Unfortunately is seems to be an increasingly common fad amonst pilots to ignore this.