Is it time to start holding airports accountable for "extra fees"?

[RoAF-Mig21]

I think Canadian airports are abusing passengers' rights by charging an exorbitant amounts of money for "Improvement Fees" and others.

For those of you who regularly commute from YUL to YYZ, you'll find yourself paying about 65% of your fare to Airport Improvement Fees. That works out to $70 per round trip. That's absolutely mental. Where is this money going to? Who is keeping track of how these fees are being implemented and spent?

Toronto Pearson was voted "The Worst Airport in the World" last year for delays. Is this the same airport that charges these fees? YES! What can we, as flying public do? Canadians deserve better and I think we're being taken for fools. Transportation, telecomunication, groceries are monopolized by a few entities with almost no oversight from our political entities.

What can we, the flying public, do aside from "not fly"? I'm writing to my local MP, though I'm not sure he will be able to help (He's a Liberal and taxes are his favorite thing).

As a side reference:
https://simpleflying.com/toronto-pearso ... light-cap/

[link821]

Agreed…airport CEOs make millions per year yet the conditions at and efficiently at our airports has continues to get worse. A lot of improvement fees for not a lot of actual improvement.

[braaap Braap]

I think Canadian airports are abusing passengers' rights by charging an exorbitant amounts of money for "Improvement Fees" and others.

For those of you who regularly commute from YUL to YYZ, you'll find yourself paying about 65% of your fare to Airport Improvement Fees. That works out to $70 per round trip. That's absolutely mental. Where is this money going to? Who is keeping track of how these fees are being implemented and spent?

Toronto Pearson was voted "The Worst Airport in the World" last year for delays. Is this the same airport that charges these fees? YES! What can we, as flying public do? Canadians deserve better and I think we're being taken for fools. Transportation, telecomunication, groceries are monopolized by a few entities with almost no oversight from our political entities.

What can we, the flying public, do aside from "not fly"? I'm writing to my local MP, though I'm not sure he will be able to help (He's a Liberal and taxes are his favorite thing).

As a side reference:
https://simpleflying.com/toronto-pearso ... light-cap/

I know many of the jumpseat coordinators at some of the ALPA shops are tackling this issue. Seems to be lead by a certain Westjet pilot who recently transitioned out of the jumpseat chair role. Don't know/can't remember all the details but it involved a new class action lawsuit filed in British Columbia (the previous one was filed somewhere that limited it's ability to apply country wide (I wanna say it was Alberta).

Along with the letters to your MP I think reaching out to your Jumpseat chair/committee could be a good idea for context and to show support.

[rando]

User pay system is the best way to do it. If you don’t want to pay, don’t use the airport. At the very least everything is more transparent when you see what you spend and what you get. If we socialize airports lots of tax dollars will go missing into the abyss. Maybe everyone will love it because it’s “free” like healthcare. Hold airports accountable the same way you hold anyone else accountable you make financial transactions with.

[5degrees]

User pay system is the best way to do it. If you don’t want to pay, don’t use the airport. At the very least everything is more transparent when you see what you spend and what you get. If we socialize airports lots of tax dollars will go missing into the abyss. Maybe everyone will love it because it’s “free” like healthcare. Hold airports accountable the same way you hold anyone else accountable you make financial transactions with.

What?? you literally just described the current system but added socialize to it. How is a pilot supposed to not use an airport to commute to work? Airports are a key component of our infrastructure same way our highways are. We pay some of the highest fees in the world for the most sub par return thanks to privatization , including our Nav Canada set up.

[Inverted2]

Yes airports like YYZ are a disgrace. You pay $35 for broken escalators, filthy washrooms, long lineups, lack of good food choices and delayed flights due to “airport limitations”.

[RoAF-Mig21]

Yes airports like YYZ are a disgrace. You pay $35 for broken escalators, filthy washrooms, long lineups, lack of good food choices and delayed flights due to “airport limitations”.

How long has that automated walkway at T1 - E gates been broken for? I think it's been more than year, hasn't it?

[rookiepilot]

Yes airports like YYZ are a disgrace. You pay $35 for broken escalators, filthy washrooms, long lineups, lack of good food choices and delayed flights due to “airport limitations”.

Cleaner washrooms in the third world.

[FL030]

Cleaner washrooms in the third world.

I mean some of that is on the airport users too though. It's not hard to take a leak and wash your hands without making a huge mess.

[rookiepilot]

Cleaner washrooms in the third world.

I mean some of that is on the airport users too though. It's not hard to take a leak and wash your hands without making a huge mess.

In third world airports, there are staff to clean the sh—-ters.

Here, everyone is too good for that now. No staff.

EVERY young person should start out with a job where they have to clean Sh—-ters.

Builds character.

[Inverted2]

Yes airports like YYZ are a disgrace. You pay $35 for broken escalators, filthy washrooms, long lineups, lack of good food choices and delayed flights due to “airport limitations”.

Cleaner washrooms in the third world.

I saw a third worlder washing his feet in the sink at a washroom in YYZ recently. Made a hell of a mess.

[Inverted2]

Yes airports like YYZ are a disgrace. You pay $35 for broken escalators, filthy washrooms, long lineups, lack of good food choices and delayed flights due to “airport limitations”.

How long has that automated walkway at T1 - E gates been broken for? I think it's been more than year, hasn't it?

That’s been broken for like 5 years. It’s boarded up now.

[rookiepilot]

Yes airports like YYZ are a disgrace. You pay $35 for broken escalators, filthy washrooms, long lineups, lack of good food choices and delayed flights due to “airport limitations”.

Cleaner washrooms in the third world.

I saw a third worlder washing his feet in the sink at a washroom in YYZ recently. Made a hell of a mess.

Maybe you should apply for a job and clean up after him?

I did that kind of job when I started out.

Builds character.

Less Crypto traders. More janitors.

[Inverted2]

Cleaner washrooms in the third world.

I saw a third worlder washing his feet in the sink at a washroom in YYZ recently. Made a hell of a mess.

Maybe you should apply for a job and clean up after him?

I did that kind of job when I started out.

Builds character.

Less Crypto traders. More janitors.

What kind of stupid comment is that? I’ll leave that to you. You seem to be full of shit anyway.

[‘Bob’]

What?? you literally just described the current system but added socialize to it. How is a pilot supposed to not use an airport to commute to work?

By driving to it or taking transit.

Or getting the company to pay for it when they get you to deadhead.

Nobody forces you to commute.

Don’t take jobs that require you to unless you’re willing to pay the cost.

Can you imagine what the airlines would have to do if every commuting pilot refused to do so? You’d never worry about paying airport fees again.

Airports are a key component of our infrastructure same way our highways are. We pay some of the highest fees in the world for the most sub par return thanks to privatization , including our Nav Canada set up.

And highways are free and par? Very few Canadians miss the massive amount of tax that get added on to gasoline and diesel but they seem to miss what it’s paid for.

Privatization is always going to be sub par in absence of competition because there’s no motivation to do better other than keeping budgets balanced. When airports and highways were government run and maintained it was with debt.

Canada simply doesn’t have the population density required to maintain all of that even with exorbitant fees and taxes.

[Invertago]

I heard WestJet management was offering up their pilots to clean the YYZ shitters as an act of good corporate PR.

[averageatbest]

Yes airports like YYZ are a disgrace. You pay $35 for broken escalators, filthy washrooms, long lineups, lack of good food choices and delayed flights due to “airport limitations”.

Cleaner washrooms in the third world.

Seriously... who is the a-hole who puts those urinal pads in upside down? Spraying like the Maid of the Mist.

[cjp]

Yes airports like YYZ are a disgrace. You pay $35 for broken escalators, filthy washrooms, long lineups, lack of good food choices and delayed flights due to “airport limitations”.

Cleaner washrooms in the third world.

I saw a third worlder washing his feet in the sink at a washroom in YYZ recently. Made a hell of a mess.

I saw this in the Maple lounge not too long ago....and was absolutely flabbergasted. Borderline disgusted. They too left a very soggy mess of paper towel and puddles and then proceeded to walk away.

I get a part of being a Canadian is being open to other cultures and religions, but when are we going to turn things around a little and say being Canadian is not thinking washing ones feet in a public sink is perfectly ok to those coming to Canada.

[photofly]

Maybe an international airport should provide reasonable facilities for foreign visitors and foreign cultures and the common practices of major religions. Besides, what’s wrong with wanting to wash your feet after a long flight?

[RoAF-Mig21]

I wonder when Canadians go to Japan, how long before we do something "socially offensive" to the Japanese, like blow your nose while riding a train?

We'll file this under "cultural differences". Canadians, also think it's not okay to wear an ADIDAS track suits to a wedding. I think it's perfectly okay, as long as it's your "Sunday track suit" not the one you actually go drinking with on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Also, for those of you interested, ADIAS, (Eastern Europe's favorite track suit brand and "national icon") was named after its founder Adolf Dassler (1915), who went by the nickname of "Adi", hence "ADI-DAS".

Adolf Dassler, founder of Adidas.


Anyway, I think we're diverging from the topic at hand. Airport improvement fees are way too expensive, especially in Canada.

[Bede]

Maybe an international airport should provide reasonable facilities for foreign visitors and foreign cultures and the common practices of major religions.

We do. It's called the airport hotel.

[digits_]

Besides, what’s wrong with wanting to wash your feet after a long flight?

Nothing. But if the facilities to properly do so aren't there, you probably shouldn't attempt to do so.

I'm sure some travellers would like to use a bidet after using airplane lavatories and airport bathrooms as well...

[photofly]

Maybe an international airport should provide reasonable facilities for foreign visitors and foreign cultures and the common practices of major religions.

We do. It's called the airport hotel.

Why is washing your feet different to washing your hands or face? We provide free facilities for the last two. Perhaps we don’t provide the first facility only for western cultural reasons. A major international airport is one place where maybe we should, if that’s what foreign visitors expect and want to use.

I don’t see the need to be gratuitously exclusionary about it, we either want foreign visitors or we don’t.

[vanislepilot]

I think we forget that south of our border, every pilot gets to jumpseat for FREE.

Better yet, pretty much all Canadian airline pilots get to jumpseat in the USA for free too.

Let that sink in.

A country you don't live in allows you to travel for free but the one you do wants you to pay nasty AIFs and taxes (Which I'm sure is just pure mafia)

Better yet in ORD I can get a mchicken for 2.99 AND get an airline discount versus a 17$ burrito at YYZ with a "do you think u get deserve special treatment in those barsie bars of yours?"

Btw-Shoutout to Air Transat who does allow free jumpseating. You guys are underrated and awesome.

[RoAF-Mig21]

I think we forget that south of our border, every pilot gets to jumpseat for FREE.

Better yet, pretty much all Canadian airline pilots get to jumpseat in the USA for free too.

Let that sink in.

A country you don't live in allows you to travel for free but the one you do wants you to pay nasty AIFs and taxes (Which I'm sure is just pure mafia)

Better yet in ORD I can get a mchicken for 2.99 AND get an airline discount versus a 17$ burrito at YYZ with a "do you think u get deserve special treatment in those barsie bars of yours?"

Btw-Shoutout to Air Transat who does allow free jumpseating. You guys are underrated and awesome.

Hear hear! 100% agree