Compulsory Handling

[Pace]

Having flown a Citation 550 to a fairly smallish airport on the south coast of France an interesting situation occurred.

I was told that handling was mandatory for aircraft over 6 T.

Located the handling agent and told them we would be in by 10pm local time.
we didn't want anything but a lift from the aircraft to the relevant part of the terminal to clear whatever and to get the businessman owner on his way!
How much for this minimal service?

I was quoted a basic handling rate of 608.00 Euro !!!

I could not believe it and expressed my discontent to the handling agent who told me to contact OPS

Contacting OPS i was told that if we did not have a handling agent which is mandatory they would have to pick us up from the aircraft I presume they didn't want half baked idiots wandering around an airport.

They confirmed they would offer this service as well as arranging fuel for us but with the proviso that handling was mandatory.
I explained that no way would my boss pay 608 Euro for nothing. or literally nothing.

Then I thought about it a bit!! Handling was mandatory but surely OPS who charge nothing for the service would pick us up and deposit us through customs for free as well as sorting the fuel for us.

Is this not handling and as such where we not meeting the regulation that we must have a handler by using OPS?

This is what I did with a total landing and parking charges of 47 Euro and no 608 Euro for commercial handling.

We had met the letter of the requirements for compulsory handling and avoided a day light robbery charge of 608 Euro.

Just a thought around compulsory handling as no where in the regs does it mention that the handling must be by a commercial unit JUST FOOD FOR THOUGHT for other airports which have mandatory handling requirements. The airport and security have a duty to move you from the aircraft to the terminal and in my books that is handling and no where does it say the handler must be a commercial unit.

Pace

[wondering]

Had a similar situation in Caen years ago. Handling was mandatory if one didn´t send a letter/fax before getting there asking specifically not to be 'handled'. And I always thought it´s the other way around. :}

[His dudeness]

Thats something that has sent my blood pressure up a lot in the past. Mandatory handling is a joke and stems mostly from the security agencies, which of course never have to pay for such unnecessary crap themselves.

I get particularly upset when you get next to nothing for outrageous amounts of money... 600€ for handling a C550... unf.....believable...

[dc9-32]

.....and mostly in France :mad:

[Jet Jockey A4]

It's the same in the USA and Canada...

Go to Boston Logan and drop off a passenger and take no fuel and service and see what they charge you?

[Pace]

It's not so bad if you have access to an executive lounge and pilot room and require services for you and your PAX!
Here there was no fancy executive lounge, could not even get an answer on the handling agents phone! Only communication was a belated E mail and a quote of € 608 for basic handling, anything else was on top ?
We then got charged 40 euro by a French taxi to go 2 to 3 miles ((
France maybe going down the drain with their goverment but does that mean they should rip you off to make money they have not earned ?
Who knows maybe owners are to blame for being too easy to part with vast sums of money for nil service but ???
Pace

[His dudeness]

It's not so bad if you have access to an executive lounge and pilot room and require services for you and your PAX!

Yes and no. What if we just drop a dude and get off immediately again ? When a guy comes and takes one passenger with him and thats it ? Not even chocks required, engines keep turning....500€ worth of work ? Surely not, IMHO. I realize that writing an invoice makes their sweat flow, however...

We do that often (drop off) , very few FBOs/Handlers are willing to see the difference between that and staying 7 hours and using all facilities....

[long final]

and lets not get onto the fact that handlers seem nowadays to charge 'standard handling' and then charge additionally for individual items of service - to the point with some that you question what services come under 'handling'! (they just answer with a shrug). It's getting ridiculous. Some handlers we used have nearly doubled their charges over the last few years by this method.

[deefer dog]

I agree, it's a racket. The basis service consists only of picking up pax/crew and then later returning them back to the aircraft.

Along with EASA, handling agent's rip off charges are another one of my pet hates!

[Pace]

My boss uses the Jet purely as a business tool and a much needed business tool with his out of the way destinations! He Is not bothered by the Candy and status of private use and was a self made man who watches every penny!

I wonder if there were more like him whether these handlers would get away with what they do.

Maybe their charges are a reflection of wealthy jet owners who pay up what they are asked for without question?

Pace

[dboy]

Had the same in antwerp, belgium (ebaw). Mandatory handling by flying group. However we had no pax. As i was familiar with the airport, i had the phonenumber of the fueling guy, knew where to pay my fees, so no need of using them. Well,it was not allowed and even the service was crap.

How can something be mandatory if i dont need it!!!

[con-pilot]

Go to Boston Logan and drop off a passenger and take no fuel and service and see what they charge you?

That is why we switched to KBED (Bedford, MA) to avoid the legal highway robbery at KBOS. The driving time is longer than when using BOS, but the boss decided that it was worth the extra few minutes to save money.

Not to mention that the fuel is a lot cheaper at BED.