[Anonymous]

[VintageKrug]

…or so says Willie Walsh after the CAA mandated a 1.3% below RPI rise in landing fees at Heathrow for the next five years.

Heathrow wanted 5.9% above inflation, while BA and others were pushing for a real terms reduction of 9.8% below inflation to boost passenger numbers and growth.

How much do we each pay as passengers in fees to formerlyBAA when we depart LHR?

[BigDog.]

Pretty much already covered in the thread below which includes various links to media articles…

http://www.businesstraveller.com/discussion/topic/Capacity-at-Heathrow?page=2#last_post

[VintageKrug]

I’ve done some digging, and it looks to be about £30 per passenger on a shorthaul flight, which is astronomical as a proportion of the fare!

“BA said the Heathrow landing fee per passenger on a £121.69 return flight from Manchester would rise over five years rise by around £2.80 – from £28.30 to £31.13. Rises for long haul flights would be even greater, it said.”

Looks to be about £40 on a longhaul flight.

[AnthonyDunn]

What an interesting business model. Just imagine that Westfield or Brent Cross, to name but two, were to charge you over £30 for stepping foot inside one of their shopping centres…

Yes, yes, I know, I am being totally unfair….

[VintageKrug]

Well, they do charge £5 to park the car at a weekend; more if you valet.

I’ve no objection to paying for a quality service. T5 has delivered a quality environment (within significant site and planning imposed constraints) but formerlyBAA has completely failed to succeed in delivering its single most important customer facing aspect and that’s a great security experience for everyone.

I usually get through in under five minutes, and once waited ten (on a Bank Holiday weekend transfer). Others aren’t so lucky.

Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

However, one does have to appreciate the gross underinvestment when it was state owned, and the catch up is better privately funded than a further drain on our taxes.

[Henkel.Trocken]

Well for once Walsh is in tune with the majority.

LHR is an overpriced disgrace. It’s just a pity it took him so long to realise.

[VintageKrug]

There is, however counter-intuitive this may seem, significant advantage to BA in operating as the dominant carrier from a high demand space constrained hub, and especially so with the current slot trading regime in place.

[FormerlyDoS]

“Overpriced, over-rewarded and inefficient”

I would say this is a fair label for Heathrow’s largest user, too.

Time to eliminate YQ and sell realistic fares.

[JordanD]

FormerlyDoS – 01/05/2013 13:31 GMT “Overpriced, over-rewarded and inefficient” … I would say this is a fair label for Heathrow’s largest user, too.

Indeed – a fair way to describe some parts of the British public. Wait … you didn’t mean them? 😉

[BigDog.]

FDOS – +1

Though I believe the sentiments are more applicable to original quotee himself – certainly overpriced, over-rewarded and inefficient – but also dour, unreliable and oppressive.

[VintageKrug]

The few times I have met him, I’ve found him anything but dour.

He is as reliable as clockwork when it comes to addressing knotty problems at IAG.

Unless you count inflicting hats on certain members of crew, there is no evidence whatsoever to justify him being described as “oppressive”. Far from it, he has empowered BA’s employees to assert their own freedom of choice and own their own careers through improved performance management and progression structures which simply did not exist previously.

[esselle]

Sadly, though, he does not seem to understand the concept of “customer”, and that weakness permeates through the whole management structure.

[VintageKrug]

I understand why you may suggest that’s the position, but whenever I have spoken with him he has been very customer-focussed. He appointed van der Post, after all.

It’s fair to say that WW has had other battles to fight to rescue the airline from Union-induced bankruptcy, and that has meant some customer compromises in the short term; however, that was the right strategy at the time, and my first hand experience is of daily improvements in the customer experience and the new fleet will be a watershed moment which will drive continued improvements as FvdP starts realising many of his plans.

[FormerlyDoS]

Wow, that is such a relief.

All will be well tomorrow, praise the Lord!!!!!

[Author]

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