Handling Charges
Most operators get pretty annoyed by high charges for poor service but are happy to pay reasonable prices for good service. This is a point to watchout for: when the airport landing and parking fees are included on your handling bill check that the airport charges are as published by the Airport Authority. Some handling agents charge more than published but do not tell you and there is no indication of this on the bill. When one goes into London's main airport and has to pay £1,500 for landing and parking, to pay an extra 15% for the priviledge of just paying it to the handling agent is pretty galling. Just say you will pay direct to the Airport Authority, they will eventually send you a bill. Although the handling agent will probably say you HAVE to pay the airport charges to them this is NOT the case.
Other places (like Munich) show a 10% disbursement of landing fees on their bill, but the landing fee office is just next door so just take an extra few minutes to pay the airport direct.
Let's have some feed back on this thread about other airports and ways to keep the charges down. Let's face it we are the customers and I feel that some organisations use us as cash cows.
The one thing we can all help each other with is tips and pointers about using certain airports WITHOUT the use of a handling agent. We go to Africa a lot and apart from the obvious exceptions (Lagos!) we do not use a handling agent, I cannot see the point of being presented with a bill for $2,000 when all he has done is write out a bill for $2,000!