Robbed at LSZB Bern-Belp

[Timothy]

Just a word of warning...

I landed there, parked for two days, took fuel from the bowser, paid the landing fees, went out through Customs with my pax to the aircraft, loaded them in, was about ready to start when a minibus was parked right across our nose and a snotty little youth in a uniform jumped and said that we had to go to the Police in the main terminal, 200m away. Furthermore, even though we had just walked from there (indeed back and forth) we had to go in his minibus and pay £80 for the ride.

There was no arguing, especially with the vehicle parked where it was, so I had to pay up.

This is the kind of thing you get all the time in Africa, and you factor in some bunce to pay for it, but I was very surprised to get what was pure piracy in a supposedly civilised country like Switzerland.

They have a reputation for being crooks (look at the Jewish money they still hold from the war) but this was the first time I had actually been robbed in Switzerland.

Beware! Bern-Belp is best avoided!

[hawker750]

Was that in your Aztec Tim?

[His dudeness]

but this was the first time I had actually been robbed in Switzerland

So that was your first time in Switzerland? :}

[dynamite dean]

thats why its called ****zerland 398CHF for a return taxi to the airport to the hotel 45 mins away. 3000 Euro per month minimum wage or thereabouts the refueler makes more money than the co pilot its all a bit twisted out there shhhh...;)

[FlyMD]

Bit of advice here: if you can't afford to come to Switzerland, we won't miss you... :ugh:

[NuName]

Just who is this wonderful peice of advice for. If you condone this kind of extortion then you are part of the problem, therefore I guess YOU won't be missed too much anywhere else so best YOU stay there and pay.

[Shorrick Mk2]

On the contrary, we should condone pilots not reading the AIP where it clearly says:


All persons walking in the movement area must wear a yellow high-visibility safety jacket, which complies with EN 471 standard.

Persons not wearing a yellow high-visibility safety jacket must ask for assistance of a handling agent (see list under LSZB AD 2.4) for the transportation of crew members and passengers.


Fact is - there was an easy and cheap way around the 80 bucks.

[FlyMD]

Nuname, it's just a bit rich to get a lecture on extortion and cost-of-service from someone coming from... wait for it... LONDON!!!

Now I've busily been spending my customer's money at just about all of Londons airports, and it's a rare exception when I can say that I got value for money, be it for handling, immigration, parking, transportation, hotels, etc...

Now the other problem is everybody loving to hate Switzerland (though they keep coming back somehow..), and the high cost of living compounded by the steady rise in value of the Swiss franc towards Euro, Pound, Dollar...

But then you see we don't just run the money-printing presses to pay for public excesses, keep the national debt reasonably low, and look for competitive cost-of-business and taxation, which tends to bolster our currency...

Now the one thing which is undoubtedly expensive in Switzerland is renting or owning property: always has been, always will be. Hence the decent minimum wage even for fuel-lorry drivers... but then again everybody here works a 42-hour week... So if the british co-pilots or their captains don't like it... TOUGH!

(BTW, just remembered asking my Haneda handling agent her monthly salary, and it came out well above mine at the time... cost of living again..)

[NuName]

Shorrick Mk2
I did not see any mention of the Hi Viz causing the problem, if that was the case then fair enough, we all know we have to wear these absurd things almost everywhere now.

FlyMD
Whether I am from London or not changes nothing, being ripped off wherever we are is not pleasant, no one objects to paying a fair price for a service. The original post depicted a scenario that was unreasonable, if you like it and thinks its fair then why complain about your experiences in London when you clearly think GA is fair game. By the way, I don't know anyone who hates Switzerland, I quite like it myself.

[hawker750]

FlyMD has hit the nail on the head. Don't bitch about Switzerland, the place has not raised its prices in decades it is just all our currencies (£,$ €) are all ****e now. Even so, I think Geneva is really god value for money. Landing, handling and parking about £750 for a Hawker 800. This is for the main airport for the main city so it should be compared with either LHR or LGW. My last visit to LHR cost £2,350 and LGW £1,450. Geneva seems a bargain!
I think the detractors of Switzeland may be guilty of a bit of jealousy. There is a lot to be said about living in a country that is efficient, has good wages, clean etc etc. Not so sure about their humour 'tho

[LH2]

Nuname, it's just a bit rich to get a lecture on extortion and cost-of-service from someone coming from... wait for it... LONDON!!!

Notwithstanding London being another Scheißloch, they're amateurs compared to your police and customs people when it comes to thieving--you've got it down to an art you have.

We won't miss you either btw :p

[Shorrick Mk2]

NuName, my point is that if one reads the AIP and has the hi viz for crew AND passengers, the handling guy can fume and jump around all he wants, he CANNOT force you on the bus - you are fully within your rights to walk all around the apron.

Key point being EVERYONE (i.e. including pax) must have a jacket.

Now you can discuss whether 80 bucks is appropriate or not a charge - but in my experience most handlers at Western Europe airports start by charging a flat rate around that amount...

[Son of a Beech]

If we are arriving from a schengen country and wanna go straight to Mountain flyers in Bern is can we do this without handling?

[Shorrick Mk2]

Regardless of where you come from, you have no obligation of going through the handler, as long as the crew and the passengers wear hi viz vests.

[FlyMD]

Sir Richard Branson 'to move part of Virgin to Switzerland' in blow for British economy | Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2019193/Sir-Richard-Branson-Virgin-Switzerland-blow-British-economy.html?ito=feeds-newsxml)

This guy doesn't think it's too expensive to go in and out of Switzerland :E

[His dudeness]

Robin Williams once labelled the Swiss as 'the nice Germans'

Real harsh and insulting me thinks....for the siwss of course.

When it comes to regulations, then there isn´t much of a difference between Switzerland and the UK. Both nations love it. Given the fact, that the high viz desease spread from the UK I find quite alot of amousing irony in the whole story.

But then, Bern is a very, very busy airfield. So high viz vests are really necessary. :-)

There is quiet a lot british airfields where one gets ripped of and with little value for the money as MD already pointed out. OTOH 80 quid for a 200mtr ride is hardly good value for the money.

[lepremier]

They have a reputation for being crooks (look at the Jewish money they still hold from the war)

Remarks like this won't get you much sympathy anywhere, as somebody already mentioned pangs of jealousy I think.
Also "dynamite dean", if you paid that much for a taxi here they must have seen you coming a mile off(whoops I mean a KM) probably in your hi-viz jacket. Taxis are expensive here but not to that extent....

[Fossy]

Beware! Bern-Belp is best avoided!

I like this phrase, sounds like you're telling the pax where you're flying to and not the way around, like it's for me.

[Son of a Beech]

So we visited Bern airport last Friday and were informed that handling was required for us, for us it was required because we are over 3500 kg. For all you Brits handling is required because you are not in schengen. (aka your own damn fault.) IT SAYS SO ON THEIR WEBSITE !!!

" Ground handling is compulsory for scheduled-, charter- and taxi flights and non commercial operation

- with aircraft obove 3.5 tons MTOW
- for all flights arriving from or departing to a non Schengen country

For taxi flights and non commercial air transport a "Minimum Handling" at reduced rate may be request limiting services to marshalling, passanger transportation on arrival and departure and 4 hrs free parking."

And if you wanna talk about stupid rules, I was almost trown in prison yesterday at Luton because we were using a handling company, with no customs access, and I didn't give my passport details 4 hours before landing.

i'm not sure if you are familiar at Luton but if I would just have put on my hi-viz vest and walked over to the main terminal I'm sure I would have to pay a fine that is a lot higher than your 80 sfr. If the English police hadn't shot me on the spot. :=

My point is that from the GA terminal to the main terminal is a red security zone where it is prohibited to walk. Now if you were coming from a schengen country you could have just gone out the ga teminal and not have paid anything. Fair? Maybe not, but with regards to stupid immigration/security rules I think your better of in Switserland than in the UK.

My advice if you have to go there in a small plane. Land in France or germany first before landing in switserland and than you don't have to go to customs and go out the ga terminal, or just GROW UP :ugh: and really join the EU with schengen and the Euro. That saves us a lot of headaches every time we go to the UK :D

[NuName]

"and really join the EU with schengen and the Euro" Son of a Beech, you gotta be having a laugh,:D most of us want to get out.:E

[chimichanga]

Maybe a bit of a thread drift, but I asked a 24 year old ramp agent he made in Switzerland and he said 5000 Swiss Francs gross per month.

[Son of a Beech]

NuName "and really join the EU with schengen and the Euro" Son of a Beech, you gotta be having a laugh, most of us want to get out.

And i'm glad I'm not in, just would make life easier for me;)