Rip off airports - lets name and shame
Join Date: Aug 2006
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Bombay Airport (both Santa Cruz domestic and Sahar international). As there are no shops or F/B outlets landside, you have to go airside and pay the princely sum of Rs 350 for a 330 ml bottle of beer - that's US$ 8.50. Completely ridiculous, given the low labour cost.
A particular rip-off is airport parking charges and the way they are tapered.
Say it is £1 per hour up to 10 hours, levelling off there at £10 per day.
However if you park for just over 24 hours it is not assessed as 1 day plus the hours, but two days, so jumps from £10 to £20.
It is particularly significant because of the number of passengers who depart on an outbound flight, then return on the inbound working of that flighta day or so later, so they have parked for just over the 24 hours.
Say it is £1 per hour up to 10 hours, levelling off there at £10 per day.
However if you park for just over 24 hours it is not assessed as 1 day plus the hours, but two days, so jumps from £10 to £20.
It is particularly significant because of the number of passengers who depart on an outbound flight, then return on the inbound working of that flighta day or so later, so they have parked for just over the 24 hours.
Join Date: Jan 2007
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I do believe that ALL airports sell food/drink at completely over the top prices.
Join Date: Nov 2006
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I saw this thread and though ill put dalaman in, low and behold its already in!!
15 YTL for packet of crisps (roughly £7) but it was in their currency so you cant spend it on anything else when your leaving!!
Still they shouldnt be alowed, we saw many people just walking off when the fast food workers prepared their order then asked for the money, I couldnt work their because i honestly would be so embarassed to ask for that amount!!
15 YTL for packet of crisps (roughly £7) but it was in their currency so you cant spend it on anything else when your leaving!!
Still they shouldnt be alowed, we saw many people just walking off when the fast food workers prepared their order then asked for the money, I couldnt work their because i honestly would be so embarassed to ask for that amount!!
Join Date: Feb 2008
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Well, for parking I have to nominate BHX. Ever since Glasgow, there's been no drop off point at BHX, so what they did was convert what was the short stay open air carpark into an even shorter stay carpark. Costs £1 for the first 20 minutes (even if you just stay for 10s) and then £4 for every subsequent 20 minutes.
Join Date: Nov 2000
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Bucharest Otopeni
I wouldnt say that anything either food or duty free shops was expensive - but several of the Duty Free concessions will now only take Euros refusing the local Romanian LEI which is not a lot of use to me when I have pockets of LEI and UK Pounds to go home with (so why the 'ell am I going to carry Euros on that trip or pay on my CC in Euros at rubbish exchange rate?!) - the manager's answer to that when I finally had enough and threw a wobbler 'well u can go and change some pounds or LEI to Euros over there...'
I now boycott those particular shops - how can they be allowed not to take their own national currency - there has to be an Euro exchange rate price hike somewhere?!
I now boycott those particular shops - how can they be allowed not to take their own national currency - there has to be an Euro exchange rate price hike somewhere?!
Last edited by Boss Raptor; 22nd Aug 2008 at 09:37.
The outlet structures are physically owned by the airport. The operators are just brought in to do the day-to-day running of them. There are a range of styles of contract but commonly the airport will try to jack the rental up as high as possible, discussing on the basis that there is a certain passenger flow, an assurance that the airport will not allow a rival, etc, while squeezing the store operators margin to the minimum. The bulk of the operation's margin goes to the airport.
This explains why, despite sky-high prices in the catering premises, you are nowadays invariably served by a minimum-wage oik with little grasp of English or food presentation.
An alternative is for the airport to take say 90% of the margin (yes, that high), after the operating expenses (stock, staff, overheads, etc). The operator gets 10% of the margin. THis is more tedious for the airport as they have to scrutinise the detailed operating costs, but can give them a still greater total take. There are a range of approaches for the pricing to be determined. Things like magazines with a price printed on them invariably get sold at standard price (apart from foreign ones with no UK price shown), everything else is a commercial judgement.
Car parks are invariably priced by the airport, despite them saying NCP, BCP, or whoever. They is just the actual day-to-day operator. "For the environment" has been a heaven-sent opportunity for airport owners to jack car parking prices sky-high and then say its for your own good.
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Yes I know that, I wasn't falling for anything just pointing out the fact that the Airport don't actually sell anything.
Since LOCO ops the airports have had to respond to the airlines demands for lower costs by obtaining revenue from other sources....If the public want LOCO then this is the only alternative for airports.
Since LOCO ops the airports have had to respond to the airlines demands for lower costs by obtaining revenue from other sources....If the public want LOCO then this is the only alternative for airports.
