Handling Agents

[Rote 8]

At the moment I have no experience of visiting airports where handling agents are required. I want to visit some larger fields to further my experience but have no idea what handling agents are for, how to choose/arrange one, typically how much they charge for their services, whatever these might be and so on.

Is there any one willing to share their experiences of handling agents in the spirit of my further education?

Cheers all.

[Romeo Romeo]

When I went to Leeds a couple of years ago I had to deal with a handling agent because I was going onto the main apron to pay my landing fee. All that happened was that whilst I was taxiing, a bloke came out waving his ping-pong bats - presumably wanting a game. I tried to run him over and after I'd stopped he mooched off inside and that was that. I didn't have to pay for this, but I think that's what you would pay your £15 for.

Bargain!

[foxmoth]

For light aircraft at most fields, handling agents are there to take yet MORE money off you and little else. At places such as LGW they will be needed to get from the aircraft to somewhere non airside and back. requiring handling at places like CWL is I think just designed to deter light aircraft.

[QNH 1013]

At one time handling agents used to waive their fees for very small aircraft and hard-up pilots if you spoke to them nicely. Now, head-office intervention seems to have removed that possibility.

Handling agents can do a lot for you and in my experience are very helpful. They will often save you the cost of a taxi by driving you a short distance off the airfield, eg to a station. They can often get hotels at discount rates. They liase with the refuelers, file your flight plans, get you the weather for anywhere and (certainly at Birmingham) provide excellent free tea and coffee.

If you are going into a main airfield, learn your marshalling signals thoroughly and remember that at many large fields you have to call the ground frequency for permission to start engines. With my Jodel, this then entails walking round the front and swinging the prop. Something of a rare sight at Birmingham I understand.

Oh, nearly forgot, the handlers will pull the chocks for you too if you ask.

[tacpot]

There was a letter to the editor of Pilot Magazine a while back regarding one PPLs visit to BHX, that required them to employ the services of a Handling Agent. The letter was very complimentary of the service they received. I don't remember the handling agent involved, but I thought I would report it as the feedback so far has been a bit negative.

[formationfoto]

I think they are called handling agents because they handle your money. The Business model is simple. If it normally costs around £15 for a landing fee a handling agent will multiply this by a number usually based on their hat size and then charge you this new number. If you have parked within five yards of the terminal building they will bring a transit van to you and drive you half a mile round the airfield until you are as far away as possible from the taxi rank or train station. Apparently this is to ensure you feel sufficiently handled. On the way you may be exposed to the hangar full of expensive Citation jets which you are contributing to the upkeep of.
This of course is not based on any personal experience and the example above does not refer to any particular handling agent.
I frequently fly a twin which apparently requires more handling than a single and most modest sized airfields now insist on handling for twins. Increasingly this is being extended to singles.
Where you need a service, want transport to the nearest public transport facility, want the weather ready for you for the return trip, and want the aircraft refuelling whilst you are away I have found many handling agents (although not all) to be very good. What I object to is being made to pay for a service i don't want - reminds me of the joke about service at restaurants and the charge the customer wanted to levy for makiong love to his wife - a very 1990s joke so if you haven't heard it I won't repeat it here in case I start to sound like Jim Davidson.

[distaff_beancounter]

Rote 8

One point to bear in mind, is the charges that some handling agents make. At some airports these can be as high as £50 for a S/E light aircraft!

If you just want to get practice at regional airports, where fellas in yellow jackets wave table tennis bats at you, there are several that do not insist on handling agents. For instance, when I went to Norwich last month, the landing fee for an AG5B was about £13.50.

As you taxi in, the marshaller drives out to you in a minibus, jumps out & waves the bats about. When you have parked, he drives you to the terminal & drives you out again, on the return trip. All at no extra charge.

At the other end of the country, I think that Exeter still does not require handling agents & the landing fee is about £15 for a light single.

If you are now going further airfield, it might be worth buying a flight guide such as Pooleys or your flying club may have one. These guides give all the info for all airfields, including cost of L/Fees & whether handling agents must be used, & if so, they give the name & tel number of the agents.

Have fun exploring new places :)

[formationfoto]

DistBeanCount
Yes Norwich are really good and as you say don't fleece you of large numbers when practicing their bat ballet. Norfolk great place to visit. Try Old Buckenham for lunch Sundays, Cromer international (short strip with wind and slope things to consider) for a walk on the beach, and Seething for a friendly welcome and a challenge to avoid being photographed by the resident air and ground photo team. I am there most Sundays so call in.

[distaff_beancounter]

formationfoto

I went to Old Buckenham last Sat am, in a GA7 Twin.

For S/Es, I am mostly flying AA5B/AG5Bs at present. Just looked at Cromer in Pooleys & the grass runway looks a bit shorter than my STOL capabilities, in a Tiger! :rolleyes:

But I will try & get to Seething one Sunday, as it is one of the few airfields in East Anglia, that I have not been to, yet. :)

[FlyingForFun]

Or, if you want experience of big airports without paying for handling, go to America!

One of my favourite airports to visit (but unfortunately a bit too far to go for a quick burger!) is Tucson International, where you frequently get "handled" - they have Follow-Me trucks there, rather than guys with table-tennis bats, and then they'll drive you to the executive terminal in the Follow-Me. And you get to share the runway with F-16s! :D

No landing fees. No handling fees. I forget what the overnight parking fee was - I think it was $5 for a single.

In the UK, I interpret compulsory handling to mean "light aircraft not particularly welcome." This interpretation is not based on any experience whatsoever, so please don't read anything into it!

FFF
---------------

[WorkingHard]

One of the best is Newcastle at the Jet Centre. Agent is Samson and very professional without high charges.

[Flyboy-F33]

If you want to be 'well handled' ;)
Try Mahon International (Menorca) I went last year. Immediately
on turning off the main runway, I was greeted by a 'follow me' van
which took me to the GA parking area. Before we had got out, a mini bus had arrived, loaded our luggage, whisked us to arrivals
and we were out of the airport in under 5 minutes. Same service on the way out. All for the princely sum of about £7.00 which also included parking for 1 week. To cap it all, I had to pay .40 odd pence per litre for avgas! Is there no limit to the extortion in that country :eek:

Thats what I call 'handling'

[formationfoto]

Distaff
Just deleted a pic of you departing from Buck - not a comment on the aircraft but c**p photo. With over 400 pix on Saturday had to do some pruning I'm afraid. Decision on the AA5 probably right although if you get wind and gradient in the right direction you increase the margin. Seething is 800m of hard surface so fine for the Cougar or the AA5 - do you have shares in Grumman? (actually I know that they aren't in the market etc. etc.).

Would like to get some GA7 air to air for the PILOT archive library so would love to see you at Seething.

Ian Davies

[BRL]

Formationfoto.....You have any more piccys of Ditaff.??? :)

[distaff_beancounter]

formationfoto
No I don't have shares in Grumman, but I do fly with Cabair, which operates 10 x GA7 Cougars & about 30 x AA5A/AA5B/AG5B in its fleet of over 150 assorted aircraft.

Glad you managed to lose the piccy of me at Old Buck! I will remain incogneto (if only I could spell it!). NOW .... if you have got a nice piccy of the delectable Martin Shaw & his Stearman ... I could drool over them both ;)

I have not been to Seething, but from Pooleys that looks fine for a GA7 (afterall I am well used to the much maligned Elstree's 660m runway :D )

Big Red 'L'
I will keep well away from the cameras, when you lot are around!
As they say about TV Wanabees .... I have the perfect face .... for radio :D

[formationfoto]

As it happens I have plenty of pix of Stearman No 26 - the Shaw mount and did have a pic of Martin but I think I just got rid of that one. Sorry! Personally I find Vicky - Mrs Martin - a more pleasing vision - and she flies - what more can a man ask for.

[maggioneato]

:D would recomend Filton. Discount with Flyer card, ask when requesting PPR. Departed Sherlowe for Filton, cringed when the nice man with the bats turned up,don,t have much need for those at grass strips, chocks were placed by the same nice man,and transport provided to ops.Only paid about £12. 50. A nice gentle re introduction to bigger airfields. Weekends you self park by ops and walk.

[andrewc]

Used Execair handling agents on flights to East Midlands
and Cardiff. Very pleased with the service I got on both
occasions - taxi services arranged, aircraft refuelled,
notams, Metar's, coffee's etc - will use them again.

At Cardiff the handling agent lived up to his name, helping
my mum (75) up and in from behind while I pulled from the
front.

Yes its a bit more expensive but its not very much flying
time really and I must confess to feeling rather good having
my Cirrus lined up on the stands next to a set of jets:p.

-- Andrew