Similarly pilots themselves persist in requesting Lower Airspace Radar Service from units which have no remit to provide it eg. Thames Radar and Solent Radar.
Simple: For someone unfamiliar with the area it's not clear who to talk to!
The Initial Calls seeking such non-available LARS are often poorly prepared radio transmissions which themselves compromise flight safety by interrupting precision radar sequencing.
So you clearly haven't separated the IFR from the VFR frequencies then?
(i.e. commercial route charges)
There is no distinction between commerical or non-commercial. Loosely speaking if you are IFR and over 2T or VFR and over 5.7T you are charged at the NERL unit rate, which is the
second highest in the world.
A more seamless service could be given, but who would pay for it?
Next time if I can afford to pay the
£136.17 + 20% VAT minimum NSL "navigation fee" when I land at Stansted I might.
So NATS ain't making enough money already in both approach and en-route departments?
I can tell you that the US taxpayer doesn't pay that amount for me to land my little Cub at JFK or transit over its airspace.