Pay to play in Aussie airport parking lots

by Tom Johansmeyer on

For the past decade, Australians have griped about the escalating cost of short-term airport parking. Accusations of monopoly pricing were leveled, and a year ago, the government got involved, having the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) keep an eye on parking lot fees at the country’s five largest airports. The results are amazing.

Airports pull in 11 percent of their revenue from parking. In Melbourne, it’s a whopping 21 percent, while Sydney‘s airport pulls in a more modest 7 percent of its financial take from the parking lots. Since no government agency is willing to put its head on the chopping block the ACCC would only say that this is “consistent with airports having a monopoly position.”

Of course, there are perks to paying. People parking at the Melbourne airport were the most satisfied customers, with those frequenting Sydney’s lots at the bottom.

But, convenience always wins.

The Sydney airport is only 10 kilometers (a little more than 6 miles) from the city, and only 13 percent of passengers use the airport’s parking lots. Melbourne’s airport is more than twice as far away, making airport parking more sensible.

Turkish Airlines plane mistakenly lands at Georgian military base

by Scott Carmichael on

Woops! A Turkish Airlines 737 on its way from Turkey to Tbilisi, Georgia (yeah, that Georgia) took a wrong turn somewhere and landed at a military airbase instead of Tbilisi International airport.

The 2 airports are just under 5 miles apart, but in the world of aviation I’d say that is far enough apart to be called a pretty big mistake.

According to reports, the military airbase has a similar runway pattern to the commercial airport, and that this is already the 5th time a passenger plane landed at the wrong location.

The source article mentions that the choice of runway approach may (or may not) have been influenced by the recent crash involving a Turkish Airlines jet at Amsterdam airport.

Luton Airport charges a passenger drop-off fee

by Annie Scott on

Want to be a good sport and drop off a friend at London Luton? It’s gonna cost you.

Luton’s really starting to nickel and dime passengers. First, there was the £1 trolley (cart) usage fee. That seems pretty reasonable; I’ve been running around checking cart coin slots for quarters since I was a kid. But they also charge £1 for clear plastic bags, should you need one to get your deodorant through security.

So … is there any way around the fee? According to the BBC News: “The airport said passengers could be dropped off at the mid-term car park to catch a shuttle bus to avoid the fee.”

Hassle much? Like you want to lug all your worldly belongings onto a shuttle bus — which you probably have to wait for — after your friend already drove you there!

There’s also a ten minute drop-off time limit. Why not just make people pay £1 for every minute over 10 minutes they spend, unless the passenger being dropped off has special needs?

The company which runs Luton, Abertis, also operates airports in Belfast and Cardiff. Watch out!

More airline employees with sticky fingers

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Did you lose a bag at Philadelphia International Airport? Well, there may be a reason. An American Airlines baggage crew chief was arrested and charged with stealing clothes from the luggage he handled. The game appears to have been: (1) steal the clothes, (2) return them to a department store and (3) don’t get caught.

That last one’s the hard part.

A passenger on Flight 892 from Dallas to Philly noticed four articles of clothing missing – with a total value of $550. It was easy to reach that amount; the tags were still on the items. Later, the clothing, which was purchased at a Nordstrom in Dallas, was taken to a local Nordstrom.

If it seems to easy … well, handcuffs are there to tell you that it is.

This is just the latest instance busted up by police. A TSA official was fired from his job in Philly for lifting passenger belongings, and a theft ring in St. Louis was discovered – after around 900 items were alleged to have been stolen.

JetBlue to cut (profits) back in Long Beach?

by Tom Johansmeyer on

If you haven’t taken advantage of JetBlue’s cheap flights between San Francisco and Long Beach, you may want to act quickly. The low-cost airline is considering scaling back service through the latter, which is its hub on the west coast. The slow pace of improvements at the airport, which is city-owned, is the driver behind this decision.

There’s no cause for alarm just yet. JetBlue doesn’t have any formal plan to make the move, but it has announced that it is considering reducing or shifting Long Beach flights. Los Angeles International Airport is among the possible winners, as it would pick up some traffic from the changes.

Of course, Long Beach Airport is protecting itself. Spokeswoman Sharon Diggs Jackson said last Thursday that JetBlue hadn’t indicated that it was heading for the exits. In fact, she noted that the airline is planning to add another flight in May.

Three million passengers pass through Long Beach Airport every year – and JetBlue has the largest presence there. It’s also a profitable spot for the airline.

So, we’re clearly looking at a battle over leverage. Only time will tell the victor.