We would loose the case at LFMD. They can reasonably demonstrate limited capacity on the hard parking in the summer, and as you say there’s the grass option.
Great news about AOPA Greece, petakas.
It is exactly what we need, approach from EU and national level. The lawyers I am talking with were (although primarily) suggesting preparations for such an approach.
So it looks we have number of suggestions for Greece and local support from there.
Lot of pointing at Spain, with Sevilla or Ibiza suggested, please let’s think if there is a chance for any form of legal support from that country.
We also have plenty discussion about England, but with the thrilling stories about local barristers fees…
Although it looks like not being the most problematic country in terms of fees, we can also consider Poland, with Wroclaw as a pretty simple target. Local legal support is not a problem here.
We keep getting new surveys, there are over 70 of such already, I will try to make some graphical updates the afternoon, we should get some extra information from that.
but with the thrilling stories about local barristers fees
I very much doubt a top class lawyer will be any cheaper anywhere in the “developed world” which is basically most of what we call Europe. In 1991 I was paying £470/hour plus VAT to a “top class accountant” – I believe it was at Price Waterhouse. Was he good? I don’t think he was… he talked mostly in vague and not very useful terms (I knew enough about the subject to see that) but he would have been expected to know the current state of play. Engaging a top lawyer (I don’t mean one of the household names like say Princess Diana might have used to negotiate a divorce) has for many years cost about 10k for the basic preparation and a day or two in court.
Establishing and driving a criminal (as in illegal monopoly etc, or criminal behaviour by an individual) aspect is much more cost-effective.
I am not that experienced, but the few times I landed in Poland, I paid fair prices. For example, one may find EPWA expensive, but viable alternatives are given nearby, EPBC or EPMO. Same in Krakow, but even there EPKK is far from being expensive and lots of alternatives around.
On my perspective, we cannot fight ‘open market’, we have to go through a way where, because there are no alternatives, operators take advantage of such dominant position to increase prices into a level that GA cannot support. But I am not a lawyer……
Petakas: As a member (not part of the direction board) of AOPA Cyprus, if somehow support is needed, please don’t hesitate to ask, we have an obvious interest on what’s going on in Greece.
Lot of pointing at Spain, with Sevilla or Ibiza suggested, please let’s think if there is a chance for any form of legal support from that country.
AOPA Spain is represented at Aero, I’ll have a chat with them.
Please find below the updated results of the survey. 73 surveys have been filled till now.
Regarding landing/ handling fees in Poland – I kindly disagree that prices here are at a low level.
I am in a process of gathering data from airports here, to be able to make some comparisons (below 2t, 24h parking, 2 crew 2 pax, including handling). You will be surprised…, time of inexpensive Poland has gone, tbd latter.
But at the end we may decide that we have some better examples of price exclusion than the ones from ie Poland. No problem with that, just let’s do the job of well presenting some sheer anomalies, after having that – than the decision which ones to try to fight at the beginning.
I am bit puzzled how to treat airport fees vs. handlers fees. To me it looks that the handlers are some extension of airports pricing strategy, where the airport can’t or does not want to act directly. The mandatory handling prices may well double or triple the landing fees. This issue of how to cope with such “duo action” needs to be address with legal advisors, that’s for sure.
If handling is done by a separate company, the issue is that you are forced to buy a service you do not want at a monopoly price, so I would attack the fact that it is mandatory.
Interesting thread without time to read all the background what general European law are we suggesting is being broken please?
