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| Foreign air travellers to Vancouver International Airport get improved services - but don't pay a cent for Airport Improvement Fee - that's a privilege reserved for British Columbians only! Drewski 2012 photo |
- Author Richard Gordon, Doctor In The Swim
Vancouver International Airport's controversial Airport Improvement Fee jumps by 33 per cent today -- but British Columbians will overwhelmingly be paying it, while international connecting travellers will get all the benefits without spending an extra penny.
Vancouver
International Airport says it needs to increase the Fee by $5 to $20 per
passenger on flights leaving B.C. to pay for $1.8 billion worth of improvements
-- most of it to reduce connection times for travellers passing through YVR -- including
high-speed baggage systems and moving walkways.
Those
international connecting passengers will be the big winners as they zoom through YVR to
and from primarily Asian destinations -- and are completely exempt from the
Airport Improvement Fee.But people who actually live here - or tourists who visit Vancouver beyond YVR - will pay the freight through the higher AIF for another decade, despite the fact it was supposed to end in 2002.
And
like it or not, you have absolutely no say in the matter -- other than to not
fly out of YVR airport.
YVR
'out of control'YVR is a strange non-profit entity that answers to no member of the public or to any level of government -- and their decision is already final.
Consumers Association of Canada president Bruce Cran says YVR is "out of control" with the latest AIF increase.
"It's absolutely outrageous we're being charged another $5 tax to subsidize connecting passengers," Cran said in an interview Monday. "I don't think YVR serves the public of British Columbia well."
"We never asked for aquariums or shopping centres at YVR," Cran said, referring to the costly airport infrastructure that included paying the Vancouver Aquarium over $321,000 in 2010 for "aquarium maintenance and servicing."
But you can at least express your anger in two ways.
If you feel ripped off, join my Facebook.com protest page -- titled No Way YVR.
And if you can, attend YVR's annual public meeting on Thursday, May 10 at 3:30 p.m. in the East Concourse, Departures Level of the International Terminal, conveniently timed to exclude as many members of the public as possible!
Cran also points out that: "There's never been any real consumer representative on the YVR board of directors."
Business flying away
YVR's higher AIF is part of increasing costs that are enticing many B.C. air travellers to cross the U.S. border and fly out of Bellingham or Seattle, Washington in record numbers.
That's
partly why Seattle's airport had a record 32.8 million travellers in 2011 --
almost double Vancouver's 17 million.
And
why Bellingham airport is undergoing a $30 million expansion and hosts
808,000 passengers a year already.The Canadian Airports Council estimates Canada loses nearly 5 million passengers a year to U.S. border airports.
YVR will argue that their higher AIF is still lower than some other Canadian and U.S. airports and that VYR was voted "airport of the year" for the third time in a row -- so suck up the fare increase and shut up.
But Vancouver ought to learn a lesson from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, Europe's fifth biggest, which introduced a ticket tax of between $14 and $58 per trip in 2008 to raise $457 million annually.
Schiphol was forced to repeal the tax in less than a year after it lost nine per cent of all passengers and was forced cut its work force by 10 to 25 per cent as passengers fled to other, cheaper airports.
YVR,
global organization
And
don't think that YVR is a friendly little locally run airport that's done good.
In fact, YVR is an international operation that runs Vantage Airport Group,
which manages 12 airports in three continents, including those in Santiago,
Chile, Nassau, The Bahamas, Montego Bay, Jamaica and Liverpool, England.The Consumer Association's Cran says that while YVR is involved in other foreign airport management through its subsidiary Vantage, it lost the opportunity to have Emirates Airlines fly out of Vancouver. That airline instead chose Seattle's Sea-Tax Airport as its hub, costing B.C. hundreds of jobs.
Meanwhile, don't bother asking Premier Christy Clark for any help. She wants to "commend Vancouver Airport Authority for its long-term vision in keeping YVR competitive" without even mentioning the higher fee.
And B.C. Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom is even more oblivious to the extra cost to travelers, stating: "It is exciting to see the Airport Authority investing significant funds like this in YVR's infrastructure."
Fees
without end?
Once
upon a time, then-YVR chief executive officer David Emerson said in 1996 that
the AIF would end
by 2002.
"We
always said the fee was attached to this project, so once enough people go
through the turnstiles to pay for the terminal and runway and retire the debt,
then that fee is history," Emerson said then. "To be on the safe
side, I would estimate that to be somewhere in the neighbourhood of six
years."
Of
course, that would be the same Emerson who, when campaigning to be elected a
federal Liberal Member of Parliament in Vancouver-Kingsway also said he would
be "Stephen Harper's worst nightmare" as a critic
-- until days after the election he instead crossed the floor to the
Conservatives and became Harper's newest cabinet minister. His word is less
than his bond.
Will
this finally be the last Airport Improvement Fee increase at YVR? When pigs
fly.
** NOTE: This is a corrected version of my column - I regret that I originally wrote "only British Columbians" would pay the AIF when in fact any visitors who leave the confines of YVR will also pay it - only connecting passengers are exempt. Other sections of the original column should have made that clear but I apologize for the error on my part, which was unintentional - Bill Tieleman
** NOTE: This is a corrected version of my column - I regret that I originally wrote "only British Columbians" would pay the AIF when in fact any visitors who leave the confines of YVR will also pay it - only connecting passengers are exempt. Other sections of the original column should have made that clear but I apologize for the error on my part, which was unintentional - Bill Tieleman
.
21 comments:
Geezus Bill, you've been down that flight path before this year.
Ever stop to think that those improvements create jobs, and yes even Union ones such as the airport crews and maintenance of aircraft crews, the air traffic controllers, support staff etc. etc.
Too bad these jobs are in Bellingham and Seattle.
YAWN. Come up with some new to complain Tieleman
no one is forcing anyone to flyout of YVR. So who cares.
No one is forcing us to flyout of YVR but we should not have to fly out of another airport because the one where we live is too expensive.
The issue for many is we are paying for foreign persons travelling through the airport. They aren't stopping & shopping. They aren't visiting. In short they are in no way contributing to B.C. & its economy. They simply want a shorter time period to travel through the airport.
There is no reason we should have to pay for that.
As to providing jobs, we have no way of knowing who will get the contracts to build the new facilities. Much of the equipment will be purchased outside of Canada & the workers may in fact be brought in from out of Canada.
This is an additional tax which is being imposed on the people of B.C. by non elected persons. That in my opinion is the issue. The board which controls the YVR is not responsible to us the citizens of the lower mainland or B.C.
"No one is forcing us to flyout of YVR but we should not have to fly out of another airport because the one where we live is too expensive. "
So who is saying it is too expensive? There are many domestic and intra-continental trips originating from YVR. It may be expensive for you, but obviously not for others.
"The issue for many is we are paying for foreign persons travelling through the airport. They aren't stopping & shopping."
How do you know that? There's a 90 minute to an hour cycle time possibly a bit more so during that wait, people do shop and eat at the facilities available. If they didn't all you would see is rows and rows of plastic bucket seats.
Have you checked the retail flow in regards to transferring passengers?
You're also forgetting the labour involved on those flights that the foriegn arrivals pass onto. Baggage transfer, air ground handlers, etc. etc.
"They aren't visiting. In short they are in no way contributing to B.C. & its economy. They simply want a shorter time period to travel through the airport."
Actually they are contributing to the BC economy. The airport has employees and they work, pay taxes. Additional traffic volume means more employment.
"As to providing jobs, we have no way of knowing who will get the contracts to build the new facilities."
There's much more to it than that. There's the construction jobs, the additional employment the facilities will bring in.
"Much of the equipment will be purchased outside of Canada & the workers may in fact be brought in from out of Canada."
Much of that specialised equipment is not manufactured in Canada.
You don't know specifically if the outside workers are the case. If it is it may because of the fact that locals may not want to do the work. Cite where the as you state
outside workers would be brought in for construction at YVR.
This is an additional tax which is being imposed on the people of B.C. by non elected persons.
Not on the people universally. Only those who use YVR.
That in my opinion is the issue. The board which controls the YVR is not responsible to us the citizens of the lower mainland or B.C.
and why should it be? Cite? Reasoning?
So Bill when are you going to correct the orange lettered title at the top of this blog page?
it is wrong, and you know it.
and why the second flight on this issue.
We flew this route in January before you took off to Mexico.
Anon 10:10 - thanks - good point and I have corrected the headline - forgot about that when I fixed the column post.
The "Eye" flew out of Bellingham earlier this year and found the airport quite good. No frills and friendly service and so easy parking!
I was picking up a friend at YVR and found the colossus just too large to navigate. Signage is poor and when I went to an information kiosk, the attendant could not speak English!
The "Eye's" rule for YVR, avoid at all costs.
Apparently the Eye is blind when it comes to reading symbols and signs. Few have gotten lost at YVR and who wants to be stuck in border line ups?
I think they should double the improvement fee. It's too cheap.
I think they should double the improvement fee. It's too cheap.
Might have a point there. Compared to the 1968 terminal, the current one is alot better.
But Bill here wants to go back to the plain old terminal, a few plastic seats, piping hot watery coffee out of vending machines and one counter for the ticket agents for every four airlines that use YVR.
Sort something that he sees upon landing at Puerto Vallarta.
Airports do NOT need aquariums,or water falls. What they do need is good and safe maintenance of the aircraft. Something that an AIF will not help.
Bill - you are clearly upsetting neoliberals with these yvr stories. Please think about their feelings before simply reporting the truth.
Who are you people that are cheerleading paying extra fees? Could the rest of BC pass on our msp" premiums" to you?
"Airports do NOT need aquariums,or water falls. What they do need is good and safe maintenance of the aircraft. Something that an AIF will not help."
Actually it does. Improvements aren't limited to aqauariums. There's equipment for maintainence, aircraft
and baggage handling and the like.
Widen your peripheral vision in regards to what YVR is beyond waterfalls aquariums and black jade boat carvings.
Who are you people that are cheerleading paying extra fees? Could the rest of BC pass on our msp" premiums" to you?
Who are you people whining and complaining about fees for upgrading and enhancing employment at YVR?
No one is forcing you to use YVR.
You can go to Abbotsford or saulk in a border lineup if you want.
Bill - you are clearly upsetting neoliberals with these yvr stories. Please think about their feelings before simply reporting the truth.
Doesn't apply to "neoliberals". The only truth in this new blog item is that Bill is whining over something that he's already whined about this year.
He's turning into a fine BC whine.
If this is boring one of you, then why are you still posting?
Why are you posting?
Why would neoliberals care??? It's chump change. For fun on Saturday, I wiped my arse with a $10 bill. We all thought it was funny.
If this small fee keeps the low lifes out, we are all for it.
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