Security is a good keyword.
Just use Heraklion airport with the Airlines 2 or 3 times every year, coming form Munich, and you will know what this hystery is all about. The last time my son had (unknown to me, he just made a mistake) his metal BB gun in the hand luggage. Think they would have found it? Now try that in Munich.
Lately we have stories that pilots (i think it was some german airports) were not allowed to bring a bottle of mineral water to their own planes.
A friend of mine (and former president of our flying club) is the Top Manager of Logistics of Security at Munich Airport. A funyn test is to ask him about the rule that you have to put fluids in a extra plastic bag. YOu think he would know why that enhances security? He says: “I have no idea, we were told by Bruxelles we have to do it this way”.
Want more? :-)
Sure, with the AOPA discount, they are a fair deal.
Now they only need to do away with PPR refusals, lack of Avgas, weird airport opening hours and implement Schengen for air travel. 
Oh, and adopt the german airspace structure.
By “traditionally, all aviation was done via handlers” I meant (as I wrote) most aviation above light/piston GA used handlers, and they still do.
It is not “right” that using handlers makes life easier (because of the normally high cost) but it is the reality.
Actually, in Greece, I find that Olympic or Swissport cost hardly anything and are really good. The real ripoffs are elsewhere, and all over N Europe too.
An interesting question might be why does airport management give exclusive rights to a handling company. We had this at Shoreham, where somebody got the sole rights to traffic above (I think) 2500kg. At c. £150, it killed most piston twin business, immediately. The airport loses in every way. Yet, they continue to do this.
If you were running say a zoo, would you force everybody going in to buy a cup of crappy coffee from a franchise coffee shop? In fact the franchise coffee shop is a stupid idea in itself because it’s no rocket science for the zoo to find a coffee shop manager (surely you can find one with an MBA 
) and then the profit goes to the zoo, not to the franchise holder. I read the other day that Britain’s richest (by some measure) man owns the duty free franchises at the big airports.
Because, traditionally, all aviation was done via handlers.
Too general a statement for me. To the contrary, I remember 15 years ago, in Europe, one could fly to even the very big airports and the they didn’t even know what the term “handling” was in the GA context. Just a turnstile gate somwhere and that was the end of the story. All ine had to pay was a “landing fee”.
Today, even some grass airfields like Venice Lido have a “handling fee”.
Of course, a lot of that has to do with 9/11 and the subsequent “security” charade. But other than that – and there I agree – handling is just about making some more money.
I agree that it’s more likely to arrange yourself with Greek bureaucrats than with Italian or Spanish ones. In my experience the Spanish were the worst too. Croatia, on the other had: Zero problems. I do not remember that I had ONE problem there. Okay, once a Controller gave me the “1 position report per minute” treatment, but after my third “say again, please” he gave up :-)
Very well said Peter, right to the point
The difference, in my experience, is that in Greece you can pick up the phone and call them in English, and perhaps use your judgement as to whether what they are telling you is going to be valid.
In Italy or Spain the result is likely to be different. With some airports there I have found any English communication completely impossible.
A very interesting story from Kyp about Santorini. I do wish the UK AOPA tackled UK airports about pointless PPR in the same way.
I know for a fact that in some cases if you speak to the airport office you might get “no parking, 5 days PPR” or whatever (and cost say €30), or you can speak to the handler, you get “plenty of parking, you can fly today, welcome” (and cost €100). A variation of that theme is played out all over the aviation scene, to varying degrees.
Why?
Because, traditionally, all aviation was done via handlers. The handler has the “social connections” at the airport and can arrange PPR, PNR, Customs, taxis, with just a phone call. And in any country they will speak English. And, in some cases, the handler arranges “lubrication” of airport officials which is an option that cannot be made available to a visiting pilot because in the EU it is not really quite exactly legal.
Bizjets and above tend to use handlers without question (not always, I know, but usually). It is only light/piston GA that is perfectly reasonably looking for a better deal and they try to talk to the airport directly. Sometimes the aiport doesn’t like that, or is simply not set up for it. I think this is why “we” so often struggle. If you were flying on business and somebody was paying for everything, you would just phone the handler every time and have an easy life. Many airports have difficult officials but the handler will insulate pilots and passengers from them.
You should see the opulence of Harrods Handling at Luton – yours for a mere €600 or so. I am sure they also “take care” of the 24hr PPR. But you get free coffee and croissants, and they aren’t Lidl croissants microwaved for 20 secs. Very smartly dressed staff, too Luton has about 10,000 yellow jackets, mostly trying to look busy, and I bet their chief of staff wears his yellow jacket in bed. But you never see that if you fly to Harrods Handling.
But I think this aspect of flying is improving all the time. My last TB20 trip to Greece was actually very complicated (going to Samothraki, boat timetables, etc) but went totally smoothly at all airports.
The problem is that costs tend to go up as a result – because what is driving the improved service is €€€.
No,
- i contacted all airports by phone and mail
- i flew on a flight plan
- i had read all the Notams
There simply is no good reason for the behaviour described above. And i have had it in Italy too. Once i asked for a receipt (!) at Brindisi airport, for fuel, and it was denied (“computer is broken”). When i said that i would not pay without a receipt (they denied to hand write it!) – they let us wait for 30 minutes at the holding position of an airport without traffic.
I love Greece and Italy too, but i do not have to make up excuses for this.
Also PPR is common in Europe.
Airport management generally is stuck in a time warp of Arthur Scargill working practices, with the local government unable to do anything about it (because the word “safety” is used to counter anything that threatens the status quo) and PPR is used to underline the power of the airport manager.
However I think we need to be careful and not propose a situation where it is reasonable, in terms of prudent preflight planning, to just fly to any airport without contacting the airport first. I don’t think anybody “higher up” (e.g. bizjets) has ever done that and traditionally you contact the handling agent in that case. If you do choose to fly somewhere without a check then you need to accept that the place may be closed for whatever reason and you have to go elsewhere. I know many people will disagree with that, and it probably doesn’t matter if you are just doing a €100 burger run because you can just turn back.
The problem described here is abuse of the PPR system i.e. a pointless long notice, and/or unjustified refusals.
The worst PPR incident I have ever had was at Zaragoza, Spain, whose office cancelled my Eurocontrol flight plan to make sure I did not fly there, just as we were about to taxi out. That was after the Granada airport office phoned them to arrange the permission, but (I guess) the Zaragoza manager decided that was not good enough.
You have a point there! I will not let them destroy the fantastic experience of flying in this beautiful area. While i DID explode on the spot – a little later it was only a, more or less, funny anecdote.
In Kerkyra, on the way back, when i was already a bit more experienced, i told them that they could call police and get me arrested – but that i would not pay 9 times the landing fee i had paid two days earlier. They reacted shocked and told us to leave without paying anything. Haha!
Lesson: stay cool and insist to see price lists etc.
