Every time I meet a handler I tell him I do not need him and want to do without handling.
What I dislike very much is handling agents not saying what they are. In Switzerland a guy came to the aircraft asking if we needed something. He we looking very handling like so I got rid him of as fast as I could. But if we had asked him for chocks I’m sure 30 minutes later he would have run to use with a 500 CHF handling base charge bill…
Handling is not a bad thing in itself but please come to the aircraft say who you work for and offer your services. But if they somehow try to pretent to be airport staff I get in rage.
I fly to Antwerp regularly, and there is no handling for GA. Just park your aircraft at the GA parking, put on your yellow vest and walk to the exit.
They might charge you handling if you don’t have this yellow vest!
Pay your bill when you return at the C Desk.
Taxi’s are waiting outside of the terminal building. It is around 15€ to the city center.
I paid around 60€ for landing + 1 night parking + 2 PAX last month. The PAX fee of 15€ per person is relatively high.
That’s great info, I will definitely wear my HiViz !!
I forgot about the hiviz. They complained when I didn’t have mine too. Only place on the continent I have had that.
“Handling is not a bad thing in itself but please come to the aircraft say who you work for and offer your services”.
This reminds me about landing in Santo Domingo. The handling agent (among a million other Immigration, DEA, and Policia) came to greet me and was quite honest about handling not being mandatory. But this being the Caribbean, I didn’t see myself running from office to office like a headless chicken to get the XYZ amount of stamps needed. In St. Vincent this had taken me 45 minutes and it’s a chicken coop size airport.
So I asked how much? To which the agent’s answer was a memorable “Cuanto piensa usted que vale su tiempo?” – how much do you think your time is worth? They tried to fleece me of 100 USD on account of a guy with a Baron having paid that. I said well I only have one engine so if anything my time is worth only half as much :)
I forgot about the hiviz. They complained when I didn’t have mine too. Only place on the continent I have had that.
Try Oostend EBOS. They even screen your bag for an intra-Belgium leisure flight. And the handling agent refuses to shake hands saying that if he does that, he would have to go through security screening. Maybe that’s just with me? 
The high-viz jacket was required to walk from the door of my Cessna to the door of his handling van, parked 2 meter from the Cessna. It was not possible without he said.
My theory is that this airport is so devoid of traffic that slapstick procedures like this is the only way to keep the staff awake. Great airport though, good prices and everybody is very nice.
Quote Try Oostend EBOS. They even screen your bag for an intra-Belgium leisure flight. And the handling agent refuses to shake hands saying that if he does that, he would have to go through security screening. Maybe that’s just with me? The high-viz jacket was required to walk from the door of my Cessna to the door of his handling van, parked 2 meter from the Cessna. It was not possible without he said.
My theory is that this airport is so devoid of traffic that slapstick procedures like this is the only way to keep the staff awake. Great airport though, good prices and everybody is very nice.bq. Quote
To clarify for others: the person you met, was the marshaller, and his department provides the (free) shuttle service airside from general aviation parking to the main terminal. Handling is not mandatory at EBOS. The high-viz on the other hand is, yes, mandatory…
regards,
