Before our fly-in at Roskilde (EKRK) I visited some relatives living in Sodertelje and I picked Skavsta (ESKN) as reasonably close airport. After landing I parked close to fuel pump and bowser came for refueling. Two policeman came to check the documents and I guy from airport explained me where to exit once I’m done. After refueling I pushed the aircraft to close by apron, secured it with MY chokes and left the airport through some small door few hundred meters from the apron. No handling, no help, no service, nothing was received from airport staff. When I came for departure, I contacted airport security and they gave me 300 meter car ride to operations office (they just told me invoice would be sent to my address) and apron. Again, no handling or any other help was asked or delivered.
However, when I received the invoice, besides earlier confirmed landing and parking fees, there was handling fee 350 SEK (35 EUR). It’s not that much but I wonder why I should pay for non-existing service. Total bill was 957 SEK (96 EUR) – 300 for landing, 350 for handling and 307 for parking. I sent an e-mail with my complaint and I’m waiting for their answer.
Maybe I complain too much about airport fees but I very often find non-existing services to be charged. I always make comparison with some airports where there’s real service like Bergamo (LIME) where 80 EUR covers landing and (one to two days) paking fees, proper handling, securing the aircraft and all help you need.
Emir wrote:
Maybe I complain too much about airport fees but I very often find non-existing services to be charged.
It’s amazing what we put up with. If any of us ever visited a shop and then received an invoice for something that we never requested or received, we’d just throw it in the trash. Even if they had a sign on the door that there was a fee for entering the shop, it wouldn’t be enforceable. Culture is a funny thing though. When I first visited France and French was still a foreign language, I was always amused by the “entree libre” sign on the door of a shop.
I went to Skavsta a couple of years back because the hotel looked to be very convenient. I also exited through a small gate.
However, I was made well aware of the charges before going there. And I was told that at the time of my arrival, there would be an airshow in progress! “No problem, come anyway, ATC will fit you in”. So I got to park next to a Spitfire and most of the audience assumed I was part of the show!
So yes, it was expensive, and the hotel not quite so convenient because of the palaver getting back to the plane. From now on, I always go to lovely Vasteras.
But for those bemoaning the rip off European airports, consider this: I just landed at Fayettville, NC, to consider my options before deciding to continue to Myrtle Beach. I walked into the Signature FBO and availed my self of a cup of lemonade. On deciding to depart 20 mins later I was shocked to be handed a $50 invoice for ‘handling’ plus $5 ‘Security’!!! Aargh!!! And a cocky line guy even said “have you never been to an FBO before”. He quieted down after I filled him in! However if I took 7 galls of fuel, they’d waive the fee. So I got 7 galls of expensive fuel. Grrr…
There’s a whole stink about Signature’s business practices that even AOPA is now fighting in the US. Unsurprisingly, Signature is owned by a British company and has all the hallmarks of the “european” way to charge for non-existent service. Bleed them dry and make sure they have nowhere else to go, is the business model. There will probably be anti-trust lawsuits against them and the cities that allow them to operate as single FBO’s (where they rent all hangar space to keep competition out) on publicly funded airports.
Sad to hear about your bad experience at Skavsta. It is a typical manner of larger Swedish airports unfortunately. I understand your aircraft type might not allow smaller fields but I always try to choose them since it is for free and there is always a way to arrange transportation in one way or the other.
It’s not only the problem of the field size or type. Usually, it’s immigration I need arriving outside Schengen area. On top of this, flying six hours to find that some small field without instrument approach is not VFR at time of arrival, is not funny at all. So I have at least 3 good reasons to fly to mid-sized airports but that doesn’t mean that I have to be ripped off. There are plenty airports of that size running sustainable business with modest prices for GA.
And again, I don’t think that prices at Skavsta are high (30 EUR for landing is OK); the problem I pointed out was charging service that hadn’t been delivered.
I am sure they would consider driving you back and forth to the plan as “handling”. Why don’t you query them about it?
Nobody drove me from the plane. They only drove me to the plane. I’m still waiting for the answer and I won’t pay the invoice until I get exploration.
Let us know how it went. Maybe some Swedish forumite may help by making a phone call?
Emir wrote:
until I get exploration.
I meant “explanation”.
