i belong to AOPA UK and AOPA USA (because I fly an N plane).
For all their imperfections, they are one of the few bodies that are at least doing something for GA.
Some people are critcal of them like they are of Charities: Unless they are 100% perfect, they refuse to contribute . . . The result is that they never contribute, ever. They just constantly moan and do nothing.
Life is too short for that attitude . . . as are the needs of GA.
jmuelmen wrote:
All I can find is a trivial discount (5%) on the premiums
It’s what I remembered from my last stay in the US, where I decided that it was too short a timespan to sign up for AOPA first, but made a note to myself to do that before the next stay. But about the height of the discount, I must have dreamed that, or maybe it is what I was told by the FBO. Obviously then not anywhere near 50 %.
Peter,
the discount IS big, i think. At Kerkyra or Heraklion the difference can be around € 100 for handling. Landing fees are dead cheap though and AOPA makes no difference.
i belong to AOPA UK and AOPA USA (because I fly an N plane).
For all their imperfections, they are one of the few bodies that are at least doing something for GA.
Some people are critcal of them like they are of Charities: Unless they are 100% perfect, they refuse to contribute . . . The result is that they never contribute, ever. They just constantly moan and do nothing.
What do you think they should do, Peter?
the discount IS big, i think. At Kerkyra or Heraklion the difference can be around € 100 for handling. Landing fees are dead cheap though and AOPA makes no difference.
I have just been through my recent receipts and can’t find actual figures but my recollection is that the discount at say Samos was about €10-20.
Sitia LGST Handling €35 (Skyserv) and Samos LGSM was something similar.
Peter wrote:
The discount is not big – about the cost of a fish
Raw from a fish market, or on a plate in a restaurant?
The handling fee for both Heraklion and Kerkyra is around € 120 without AOPA card, and it was € 24.60 this summer with AOPA card!
Peter wrote:
Peter 06-Aug-15 21:10 #06
For the Greek handling discount any AOPA will do – even my US one was fine with Swissport, and they do check it is valid so bring the current confirmation with you. The discount is not big – about the cost of a fish. But most Greek airports are pretty cheap, in the context of a trip.IMH
Well Im not sure what Michelin you go to but, the last time I was in Corfu Swissport would have charged me 125 Euros instead of 25 Euros they did charge without my AOPA card. Thats 100 Euro savings. Converting that to $ even with the new exchange rate of 1 Euro= $1.09 I would rather buy 100LL with the money.
By the way, these are the price reductions for AOPA members at Bulgarian airports:
Lesnovo LBLS: 50% landing fee
Sofia LBSF: Handling 18€ (use Sofia Airport Handling)
Primorsko LBPR: 50% landing fee
Burgas LBBG: Handling 35€ (use Goldair, not Fraport!)
Varna LBWN: Handling 35€ (use Goldair, not Fraport!)
Some of this is reported here:
http://www.aopa.bg/en_EN/index/new
AOPA Bulgaria has set up a nice little bi-lingual website. Kudos, considering how small a GA scene there is there. In the meantime, rich countries like Belgium or Ireland don’t to even manage to set up any AOPA at all…