ANOTHER shocking example of Rip-Off GB
 

PA28

1 vectored ILS to land, vacate taxy via to H to park. Bus to BFC. Special Branch not interersted. Pay. Bus to a/c. taxy via H for an intersection departure. (Clues as to whereabouts!) Didn't even use the same bit of runway twice!

On the ground NO MORE than 15 minutes.

£150.00 - Yep One Hundred and Fifty Pounds.:=:=


PA28

1 vectored ILS to land, vacate taxy to LAP. Bus to terminal. Overnight. Collect from departure gate, bus to Ops office, Pay, bus to LAP. Taxy via D2 for a 24 departure.

Lots of interaction with Shannon Ground, Tower and Approach, lots of effort made on our behalf (very grateful!) to change plans at last minute. :ok::ok:

On the ground 18 hours.

49 Euro. Yep, Forty Nine Euro.

Just imagine if you had gone there to do a FI reval with the resident CAA examiner, the landings would have cost more than the test! Rather puts local schools at a financial advantage!

Landing fees
 

Europe Need learnts more about aviation fees from FAA rules.

From Spain AIP

ROUTE AND TERMINAL CHARGES http://www.aena.es/csee/ccurl/LE_GEN_4_2_en.pdf

Regards

Good Value, Eh!
 

Admittedly a few years ago, 1998 or so. Flying a Piper Saratoga from Rotorua to Ardmore (GA Airfield near Auckland) under VFR only to find Ardmore suddenly socked in. Heaps of fuel on board, so could easily have returned to Rotorua where it was 8/8 blue. Before I could ask, the Auckland controller offered me a diversion to Auckland International, which I gratefully accepted. Radar vectors to final, landed, taxied in and shut down. Saratoga parked there overnight and recovered to Ardmore the next morning. Total fees from Auckland International - Thirty Kiwi Dollars. Beat that for service.

Neppie
:ok:

Most weather diversions are free in the Uk.

Only because they were shamed into doing it.

On that point, Biggin-Hill's new idea appears to be that unless the weather conditions are below certain minima, they will charge £50 + VAT for an instrument approach.
I understand them wanting to discourage training approaches getting in the way of priority inbound IFR traffic, but it where the a/c I fly is based, and there are weather conditions when I would wish to shoot a vectored ILS rather than grope about in 'VMC'.
I am only an amateur, but INHO their approach does nothing for improving safety, apart from being a ripoff.

Flying is no different to most things in Socialist Britain...If people can get away with it, then they will make as much money as they can, with no shame at all... Flying has always been expensive, and people pay it because its the thing to do, or there's no alternative.

I give you as a small selection:

• Politicians - Noses in trough most of the year. Second home allowance, Attendance allowance etc etc. Pi$$takers all of them.
• Red roses - Negligable cost most of the year, Valentines day - £7 EACH
• Fuel - Very quick to rise in price, very SLOW to come down again...
• Council tax - Increases every year, services decrease every year.

If Landing fees are too high for you in the UK, vote with your feet and go elsewhere. In the last year, I havent paid more than £15 for the privelage of landing anywhere in the UK because I chose where I go based on the quality of the bacon sandwich and the cost of the landing fee. Which means I tend to go to the nicer places....

I think profit is the tidy sideline here - the main aim from such high fees is clearly to discourage GA traffic.

VFE.

I can understand LHR, LGW, MAN charging a fortune to discourage GA as their priorites lie elsewhere.

Its the wannabe regional airports that get my goat. They never appear to be busy, they insist on PPR, charge a fortune to land, charge you for a go around, insist on a handling agent and a bus to drive you across the empty apron.

The regionals are all geared up for expansion and an increase in traffic but the global recession is altering that outlook very fast so the more financially astute businesses out there are altering their gameplans quite drastically.

The "low co's, no-show's" are struggling and the reported thriving regional airports are becoming quieter. I doubt policy on GA traffic will change at these places because they're in business for the long haul (pun intended) and like our prime minister they all believe the boom recovery period is a-coming but sadly, for the foreseeable future, things are going to be very bleak..... but that's another topic entirely.

VFE.

There should be some regulation of this kind of thing bringing standard fees for services at all airports scaled for size and facilities. Did you know the costs before you went there?

Went about 5 or six years ago and got 'stung' for £50. Expected that to have go up a bit but not that much!

Duchess Driver,
I diverted in there because of proper 'orrible weather at my planned destination last summer. I needed to clear customs prior to heading on to my non-customs convenient alternate (where I made an indemnity landing out of hours). 10 mins on the ground and passports photocopied at BFC cost me £200. I understand the £200 was an out-of-hours handling fee (not landing).
They were perfectly charming but I won't be going back there again in a hurry unless (as on this occasion) I have absolutely no choice.

SB

I think biggin only bills folks if they are taking instrument approaches for training purposes. If you are an arriving IFR flight talking to thames then I'd be suprised if you are charged.

I havent heard of any weather minimums for ILS approachs.

Could be wrong though

Hi Coolbeans,

I think you may be.....

Belfast
 

Never mind Biggin, enquired yesterdayto take a Commander into Aldergrove and were quoted 460.00 quid. :bored: When suggested that it might be an error on their part they became quite shirty.:confused: Trip posponed, naturally.

I think you mean "MPs" not "politicians".

Most politicians in the UK are very firmly in the voluntary sector; if they're lucky they get their babysitter paid whilst they attend (unpaid) an evening council meeting, having done a full day's work in their day job, but that's about it.

Lived 2 years in the US, flew close to 1900 hrs, a gazillion (or at least that's how it felt!) landings, never paid a penny in landing fees.

I know a few FBO would charge for handling, but only if you didn't buy fuel. Even putting 5 gals of avgas in a 152 would sometimes yield a follow-me truck, red carpet, golf car to the FBO and courtesy car for dining.

No wonder I won't fly GA in Europe...

Crikey

My mistake then I thought the charge only applied if you booked a training slot.