Re: Leeds Bradford - General Thread

Can somebody from LBIA (maybe Tony Hallwood) please justify why 1. the drop off parking has gone up by 50%.
2. the fast-track was increased last year a couple of times.


Why is there a dedicated Police video van preventing passengers being dropped off on the road?

LBIA say there is a free drop off in the long stay car park. Why do they give a free drop off half a mile from the airport??

At LBIA Customer is NOT king but a cash-cow. Shame on the dinosaurs who run LBIA.
 
Re: Leeds Bradford - General Thread

stevemej said:
Can somebody from LBIA (maybe Tony Hallwood) please justify why 1. the drop off parking has gone up by 50%.
2. the fast-track was increased last year a couple of times.


Why is there a dedicated Police video van preventing passengers being dropped off on the road?

Not dedicated , just a convenient place to park. It is an area of double yellow lines after all

LBIA say there is a free drop off in the long stay car park. Why do they give a free drop off half a mile from the airport??

Just checked on google maps. It's about 400m

At LBIA Customer is NOT king but a cash-cow. Shame on the dinosaurs who run LBIA.
I'm always amazed that people think the airport shouldn't try to make money! It is a private business.
 
Re: Leeds Bradford - General Thread

quik123 said:
stevemej said:
Can somebody from LBIA (maybe Tony Hallwood) please justify why 1. the drop off parking has gone up by 50%.
2. the fast-track was increased last year a couple of times.


Why is there a dedicated Police video van preventing passengers being dropped off on the road?

Not dedicated , just a convenient place to park. It is an area of double yellow lines after all

LBIA say there is a free drop off in the long stay car park. Why do they give a free drop off half a mile from the airport??

Just checked on google maps. It's about 400m

At LBIA Customer is NOT king but a cash-cow. Shame on the dinosaurs who run LBIA.
I'm always amazed that people think the airport shouldn't try to make money! It is a private business.


If the free drop-off is so close why is there a shuttle bus provide every 15 minutes. I really think LBIA are taking the micky. Everybody is entitled to make a profit but to continually increase prices because you have a monopoly will just p**s customers off. It's not surprising there are so many complaints about the place.
 
Re: Leeds Bradford - General Thread

stevemej said:
quik123 said:
stevemej said:
If the free drop-off is so close why is there a shuttle bus provide every 15 minutes. I really think LBIA are taking the micky. Everybody is entitled to make a profit but to continually increase prices because you have a monopoly will just p**s customers off. It's not surprising there are so many complaints about the place.

No shuttle bus to the free area. Shuttle bus is for Long stay only. There has been one price increase in the drop off charge since it was introduced. Hardly "continually" is it.
 
The only problem I have with the increased parking charges are they were introduced after I booked my holiday so even if I wanted to "vote with my feet" I don't have the option now.
 
at least dick turpin wore a mask.
sm1
ps use of toilets 50p next??????????????? :plums:
 
Just checked on Manchester's prices for comparison, £2.90 for 30 minutes and £5.20 for 60 minutes however I think I am correct that a simple 'drop off' is free?? Someone will know for sure but I get the feeling the parking charges are comparable - it's a simple drop off that LBA is out of line with.
 
michael said:
Just checked on Manchester's prices for comparison, £2.90 for 30 minutes and £5.20 for 60 minutes however I think I am correct that a simple 'drop off' is free?? Someone will know for sure but I get the feeling the parking charges are comparable - it's a simple drop off that LBA is out of line with.

Correct Michael, drop off at Manchester is free, inside the multi story car park and within yards of the check-in desks. No getting wet in inclement weather.
 
The majority of people who use the airport have a choice of how to get there, public transport, drive themselves or drop off. I do not have a choice, I can't get there by public transport, no one will drop off/pick up as I live too far away, so I have to drive.
I park off-airport and then dropped off "free of charge" by the Car Park company right outside the front of the terminal - brilliant!!
People are quite happy to pay thousands of pounds on a holiday plus spending money and then "moan and groan" when they have to pay a drop off fee after a friend/family has taken them to the airport, usually FOC.
To those who do not wish to pay a drop off fee - use the bus or one of the many car parks. I can highly commend the one I use.
 
I agree to an extent Seasider but at what point does the charge become excessive and disproportionate when people pay "thousands of pounds" for their holidays? I recognise the airport is a business and I want to see the business grow but as the majority of people arrive by car because it is their only choice, why should they have to pay for a "kiss and fly" pick up and drop off? Prior to the Glasgow airport attempted bombing people used to be able to drive to the front of the terminal building at all UK airports. Had that not happened it would have been unlikely these charges would have ever been introduced. Yes airports would have to look else where to recoup the money but charging as they do amounts to an airport tax. As for your offsite company you use, they will have incorporated the pick-up and drop-off charge into your parking charges which is fine because you are aware when you buy that there will be no additional charges.
 
I have a lot of empathy with Seasider's point.

On the one hand it could be said that airports are taking advantage of the terrorist climate to make extra money (as I contend that so are airports that charge for fast track security), yet on the other many smaller regional airports around the UK now have networks undreamed of 20 years ago and at fares much lower than in those days.

Would those who moan about paying to drop off passengers rather go back to those days of high fares and few services? If an airline put a couple of quid on a ticket price few people would blink so long as the fares were still relatively low (compared to yesteryear), yet put the same sum on car parking and people complain bitterly. The only difference is that in the first instance the money goes to the airline and in the second to the airport.
 
Remind me never to accidentally drop a £1 coin near the terminal. It would be like the seagulls at Blackpool!!! Why all the fuss about £1..can't even buy a bag of chips for that these days!!
 
Hi Bigman, long time no see!

Many of the staff working at the airport are working for £6.50 an hour. If I were them I would be quite upset reading some of the comets on here.

For the majorty of people it's the surprise factor of the charge is that is immoral.

If the airport insists it needs the money to stay open then they should have a departure tax. At least that way people would have a choice at the point of purchasing their flights whether or not they want to fly from LBA.

Admittedly, the majority of people who already fly from LBA will continue to do so but it's all about transparency , being honest and up front with customers. Companies like Tesco and Morrisons are paying the price for ignoring the opinions of their customers.

Outside the aviation fraternity the flying public is showing a great displeasure towards the airport and it shouldn't be ignored or overlooked.
 
Bloody hell! Well it's not like you don't have a choice, the Airports customer has the option of either paying £3 to be dropped off out side the terminal building or instead opting to go into a FREE car park for up to 1 hour (Yes Free parking!) a short 150m distance walk.
Failing that get on a flying tiger bus service. If you over 65 you'll be able to use you free bus pass as well.
 
As you touched on the free parking, of course, it is great that the airport provides some form of free parking.

When I worked at the airport our parking was located in the same area by the airfield surface water run off storage tanks opposite the Travelodge. It wasn't (and still isn't) the greatest of spots to park by any standards. I can fully sympathise with the airport customers who are complaining about the pick-up and drop-off charge increases. It must be very difficult for a family with cases and small children to reach the terminal. Furthermore, it's not just £1 we're talking about because if you're dropped off you're picked up as well, so the previous £4 is now £6 for something that takes all of about two minutes to do.

I know LBAspotter and Bigman are avid bus fans and a respect your interest in buses but not everybody has the bus as an option because the routes or times don't always work.
 
Collected my wife and kids from Stansted yesterday. Cost me £3 for approx 20 minutes.

It's the norm at most UK airport's these days so although me might not agree with it, we'll just have to accept it unfortunately.
 
I have posted along these lines before, and usually get sarky comments from some, but what the hell - here goes yet again.

Firstly, this increase has never been discussed at the Consultative Committee, so I am surprised to say the least that there has been any increase, let alone 50%. I have no doubt at all it will prompt and lengthy and hostile debate at the next meeting.

Having said that, there is the free drop off area which is a 3 minute walk from the terminal - and the shuttle bus DOES pick up there! Passengers have a choice of walking up a dedicated foot route to the terminal or waiting for the free shuttle bus. Remember LBA had to spend a fair bit of money creating that area and the walkway to the terminal, which has just had suface improvements.

You cannot compare with Manchester. Large airports such as MAN that attract many more flights, larger aircraft and national carriers, earn huge amounts in landing fees. Low cost carriers pay very small and in some cases no landing fees. LBA do NOT dictate to the likes of Ryanair what they will pay to land - the fees are negotiated and small enough to get such operators to fly from LBA. Charge too much and they will be gone and with them your route options and a hefty chunk of passengers. Therefore LBA earns relatively little revenue from landing fees.

Larger airports such as MAN also earn far more than LBA from their parking charges. You don't have to be a genius to work out that the more passengers, the more revenue so they can afford to charge less. MAN does have free drop off, but if you go in the car park outside the terminal to wait for an arriving passenger, you do pay a fee and anything over 40 minutes was £4 as far back as 2012. Lets not forget either than MAN charges somewhere in the region of £8 (2012 prices) to go into their airport viewing area, which is always busy and provides them with a sizeable source of income.

It is the presence of the off site parking companies that is, in part, causing LBA to charge what they do. They lose a proportion of their expected parking revenue to these companies. That forces them to compete (a good thing, and preferable to a monopoly) but the fact is that a lot of people do not park at LBA so their income is reduced. Leeds City Council recognised that when the refused their planning consents and it was the inspector (on appeal) that overturned that refusal, allowed them to trade, and single handedly removed a proportion of LBA's annual income.

Car parking for LBA (and many other regional airports) is now THE main source of income. Second comes retail fees. Landing fees are well behind other than at major airports. As I have posted before - LBA is loss making. Yet, all of us on here want to see considerable investment in the terminal, apron, taxiways, runway, ILS, covered walkways and God knows what else. Where do we think the funds will come from? This is about pulling in funds to enable future developments to be made. The Masterplan is due out shortly and I am waiting for a date to attend the airport and see what is in it. Rest assured, anything in it will be expensive and has to be funded by LBA from its own income stream. So perhaps, this increase in parking is firstly to recover some of the cost of providing the free drop off zone (which in itself reduces airport income) and to start building capital for future investment. The recent papers logged with the council have already stated that improvements airside (aprons, taxiways) are a priority under the Masterplan and clearly they are going to have to do something pretty soon if LBA's future development isn't to stall. Personally, if paying £3 helps the airport to develop, then bring it on! It isn't even a price of a pint these days. I don't particularly like paying that much, but nobody is making me go in there and there is an alternative that is free and a short walk away.

If anyone can dream up alternative ways for LBA to generate the funds needed to spend vast amounts over the next 10 years on airport infrastructure (things we are constantly complaining about on here), I am sure they would be happy to hear people's ideas. I am happy to pay provided that the money does go towards such developments and in due course we end up with an airport fit for the Leeds City Region.

Finally - the question was asked (of LBA) why there are Police vans on Whitehouse Lane to stop people dropping off on there. Whitehouse Lane is not controlled by LBA. Any enforcement action being taken is by Leeds City Council. It is their road and their yellow lines. However, an issue people forget is that the CAA have a lot to say about airport access roads, which must be kept clear. Failure to maintain clear access could, in extreme circumstances, result in an airport losing its licence. People constantly stopping on yellow lines to avoid paying the kiss and fly tax (which they don't actually have to pay anyway) causes obstruction and increases the risk of an accident. The ridiculous thing is that some stop on yellow lines just as far from the terminal as the free drop off zone!! Frankly, they should change the yellow lines to red - and then stopping at all would be an instant fine.

OK - tin hat back on.
 
Its the lengths that people go to avoid paying thats my bug bear. High value cars doing ridiculous things and risking life and limb make me cringe.
 
I can appreciate the points raised with regards to the airport needing the additional funds to expand and it must be a mammoth task for the number crunchers to raise income for the airport business. Unfortunately the points raised don't do anything to alter the perception of the airport by the flying public. During continued periods of austerity when the majority of people on this forum of working age will be lucky to receive a 2% pay rise this year, a 50% hike in pick-up and drop-off fees seems excessive to say the least.
 
Aviador said:
I can appreciate the points raised with regards to the airport needing the additional funds to expand and it must be a mammoth task for the number crunchers to raise income for the airport business. Unfortunately the points raised don't do anything to alter the perception of the airport by the flying public. During continued periods of austerity when the majority of people on this forum of working age will be lucky to receive a 2% pay rise this year, a 50% hike in pick-up and drop-off fees seems excessive to say the least.

So Aviador how would you cover the airports estimated £20 million yearly operating costs without losing any flights or having to put up the car parking prices? As I'm sure the airport owners would listen and be open to new idea's...
 

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