In what I can only describe as “you have to be kidding me”, the Association of European Airlines (AEA) slammed European airports for increasing the fees they charge for the right to use their facilities.
These fees are passed on to passengers in the form of “passenger facility charges”. The airlines claim that increasing these fees is not fair in this current economic climate, and that the fees will only hurt them even more, especially since air travel is at an all time low.
What they really meant to say is that they should be the only ones that are allowed add ridiculous fees to their tickets.
It boggles the mind that the very same airlines that are introducing baggage fees, booking fees, airport check-in fees and other insane charges don’t want to allow airports to recoup some of their investments by raising their prices.
The airport fee hikes are used to improve facilities, add more gates and expand when needed. Unlike the airlines who use these fees as nothing but a new money making scheme. If adding a couple of bucks to my ticket means I get a better airport, I’m 100% for it – I wish the same could be said for the fees the airlines charge – I pay more, but on many carriers I get the same crappy service.