Galway Airport New Charges

Aerohead

Airport Facilities Fee (What a Load of Rubbish)

Galway Airport is introducing a departing passenger fee effective from Monday, November 1st 2010. This fee will be known as the Airport Facilities Fee or the AFF and is set at €10 per passenger. The AFF will be charged on all passengers departing from Galway Airport aged 12 years and over.

The key purpose of the AFF is to support the provision of passenger services and facilities, on-going maintenance and the operation of this airport. The services include terminal facilities, safety and security services, air traffic control services, runway navigational systems, aircraft parking, and Rescue Fire Fighting services.

All airlines and air service operators have been notified of the introduction of the AFF and have been requested to make passengers aware of it before booking travel out of Galway Airport. We have advised them to publish it on all their relevant communications including their websites,

http://www.galwayairport.com/airport_info/Airport_Facilities_Fee_AFF/47

nag

Will this just be for commercial air travel or will it apply to GA aircraft too?

xflyer

They're automatically assuming there will be passengers to fleece after tomorrow when Aer Arann's fate is decided. So remind me, what does it cost to get the Citylink or Gobus to Dublin? Sometimes it's less than a tenner?

Jim236

And to top it all off, Brussels have said the reduced departure tax from Irish regional airports is illegal, so people will be paying €10 instead of €3 I think it was to depart from Galway, so €20 altogether. What a joke...

smellslikeshoes

This decision is really going to make the Dublin, Waterford and Belfast routes a much less attractive prospect.

Lapin

To hell with this.
I use GWY 3 times a week.

Suddenly the M6 to DUB looks a lot more attractive.
So will SNN when the Gort bypass opens.

Stovepipe

Hi all,
Kerry have been doing this for years, so it's no surprise and quite simply,you don't have a choice.they will not let you board unless you pay it.To hit back, simply do not ever buy anything from any shop or concession stand at the airport or, if you can avoid it, pay for car parking, all of which contribute to the airport's upkeep.Bring a sandwich and a drink from home and use the bus.
regards
Stovepipe

xflyer

I spoke to someone who regularly flies Dublin - Galway. At least in part because of low fares offered by Aer Arann. This new tax prices her out of it. She was already paying silly money to park in the airport or fork out premium prices for Taxis. She will probably revert to the buses or her car. There are three good bus services direct to Dublin airport in comfortable coaches with wi fi and all facilities. They are direct competitors to Aer Arann which is one of only two operators in Galway airport. Plus since the motorway opened it's only a one hour forty minute drive from the M50 to Galway. An hour and a half if you, ahem keep the speed up. But watch out for the traffic cop who always lurks on the Loughrea on-ramp:rolleyes:

Galway airport has to be in trouble if they are desperate enough to resort to this.

clarat

Galway Airport employs a managing director, financial controller, operations manager, marketing manager and a bar/shop manager. In addition to this there are 9 duty managers and a board of directors all pulling good money out of the coffers so wonder not as to why they are charging this fee. They of course dispensed with the services of a lot of ordinary employees to save money but throughout all of the redundancies not one member of this expensive management team had their position threatened. Can such a small airport afford or sustain the salaries of such an expansive management team and board? What are they all needed for? The passengers are paying for it.

smellslikeshoes

xflyer wrote: »

I spoke to someone who regularly flies Dublin - Galway. At least in part because of low fares offered by Aer Arann. This new tax prices her out of it. She was already paying silly money to park in the airport or fork out premium prices for Taxis. She will probably revert to the buses or her car. There are three good bus services direct to Dublin airport in comfortable coaches with wi fi and all facilities. They are direct competitors to Aer Arann which is one of only two operators in Galway airport. Plus since the motorway opened it's only a one hour forty minute drive from the M50 to Galway. An hour and a half if you, ahem keep the speed up. But watch out for the traffic cop who always lurks on the Loughrea on-ramp:rolleyes:

Galway airport has to be in trouble if they are desperate enough to resort to this.

This post sums it up pretty well.

Also when you consider most days there is 4 flights from Galway to Dublin out of about 11 flights total it's really going thin out the traffic.

Manic Moran

Maybe the directors have shares in Iarnroid Eireann?

NTM

996tt

Stovepipe wrote: »

Hi all,
Kerry have been doing this for years, so it's no surprise and quite simply,you don't have a choice.they will not let you board unless you pay it.To hit back, simply do not ever buy anything from any shop or concession stand at the airport or, if you can avoid it, pay for car parking, all of which contribute to the airport's upkeep.Bring a sandwich and a drink from home and use the bus.
regards
Stovepipe

big difference between kerry and galway airports is the approximity of galway to dublin(by my reckoning this is the main route for galway airport). With the recent opening of the new motorway it only takes about 2.15 to drive from galway city to dublin city. So very little saving in flying versus drive/get the bus(non stop motorway all the way)/train

Flight:
Galway city to Galway airport=15mins
wait for flight=45mins
flight=45mins
dub-city=15mins

So i think its good night galway airport, I wont miss it, few times ive used it flights are usually delayed and an expensive taxi each end makes it very expensive to use.

IMO I would like to see it downgraded to a weston type airport, then it might allow shannon a better chance of survival.

xflyer

When you think about it. The west coast is well supplied with airports, oversupplied maybe. Start at Shannon, drive north for an hour and a bit an you have Galway, another hour or so brings you to Knock, a bit further again and you have Sligo. Meanwhile on the east coast you have Dublin all alone with Waterford a good way south. Considering the population differences that's a big discrepancy.