Mandatory going through VIP terminal if you don’t need any service from there is what makes this practice unacceptable.
Emir wrote:
It seems that practically all airports in Croatia (except Lošinj LDLO and Brač LDSB) became places to be avoided.
Is Pula still OK? I used it several times last year and over the winter and the fees were very low, just a few 10’s Euros, for a 1.97 t PA46.
The beauty of a monopoly, customers are not offered a service, it’s shoved down their throats.
Very disappointing, we are too small a group to matter, apparently. The larger airports often see everything <2t as a hassle or distraction.
175 for something that you don’t even use is ridiculous.
Reminds me of the safety pylons in EDDL…;-)
Is Pula still OK?
I think the price list on their website is a bit outdated – I remember paying slightly more last time few months ago. However, PPR for any operation and probably no parking due to apron limitations at incredibly big airport.
I havent had any problems getting parking at Pula so far. But that has been out of peak summer season.
Do you think it would help if we, at irregular interval and separately (so it does not look too coordinated…), requested quotes from them and when they present something like Emir’s invoice, we actually replied and explicitely told them that we don’t need any VIP terminal, and hence will go find a more welcoming destination elsewhere to spend our money?
Arne wrote:
we actually replied and explicitely told them that we don’t need any VIP terminal, and hence will go find a more welcoming destination elsewhere to spend our money
They could not care less – they issued NOTAM and Croatian CAA let them operate like that so for them it’s end of story. A friend of mine, who flew with me the other day, called operations manager and he said no exceptions even they know each other very well. With 15 Ryanair flights every weekday and 20 over the weekend plus some Eurowings, Lufthansa, LOT and TUI, they are more than OK and simply don’t care about GA. When high season passes they will cut the staff, close GA terminal and hibernate.
On weekends they have 50+ CAT operations and some GA and for them it’s super-busy, too much stress, and to many people in the main building. Funny… they should be sent to some serious airport to see what busy means.
As I wrote previously, they charge GA terminal for every usage, so if you’re unlucky to arrive on Sunday, leaving following Friday, you’ll be charged additional €350 on top of usual airport fees. When I landed there few weeks ago, I double checked how they’d count my usage (landing, doing immigration and taking off) and they told me one usage if I don’t leave GA terminal building otherwise two. So I skipped coffee in the restaurant in the main building and left immediately after border police check.
I wonder if they leave the “VIP” designation off of the VIP Terminal header if it might be cheaper? These guys think they are running a strip bar where they can soak anyone in the “VIP” section for all they can rob from them.
That was a sarcastic comment just so there is no offense to the easily offended.
C210_Flyer wrote:
I wonder if they leave the “VIP” designation off of the VIP Terminal header if it might be cheaper?
And they could visit some real VIP terminal to check what is supposed to be offered in such places. To avoid repeating myself, I’ll just mention XLR at EGBB: food, drinks, showers, room for nap…
