Thanks for the response from my initial post! Nice to stimulate a debate.
Regarding the car parking fee, please consider the following. (Thanks to Capt Wannabe for the Link!)
For 30 minutes in the short stay car park at Glasgow you are charged £2.40
Please consider that a family of 4 on it’s annual holiday will contribute £43.60 to BAA as a passenger fee (£10.90 each); nevermind the money they will spend shopping and eating in the various outlets within the BAA terminal. Often such families cannot travel to and from the airport via public transport as charter flights arrive and depart in the small hours . Also going on a service bus is no fun with 2 tired kids, suitcases buggys etc. You can see why they would elect to be collected by a relative. To then be charged to just collect such a family is just not on. They have already paid to use the airport facilities, surely this must include being collected in a civilised manner.
Having studied a bit of economics, I fully understand the principles of monopolistic behaviour and how it can negatively influence economic efficiency. BAA and NCP, in my mind, are behaving in a monopolistic way. Many travellers have no choice and need to be collected. (My poor old elderly aunt springs to mind) To be forced to pay to be collected when you have already paid to use the airport is wrong.
If BAA and NCP were not charge for 30 mins to an hour in the short stay car park, then they may find that more people, when dropping off or collecting someone will come into the airport, spend a bit of cash and enjoy the experience of the airport.
I fully understand that BAA and NCP are profit making organisations, but wouldn’t it be good not to have to pay and have to rush around?
Regarding the airport improvement tax at Norwich, maybe we should wait and see. I did a wet lease on the 757 out of Vancouver a few years ago. Yancouver have an airport improvemant tax and boy what an airport! The scheme is transparent so you can trace where the revenue goes and they have a great, world class facility. (And free parking for 30 mins!). Maybe if the Norwich scheme is transparent and accountable Norfolk will have an airport to be proud of….
Your thoughts please............
