YXS Airport Improvement Fees and Parking Rates Going Up – Update
Prince George, B.C. – Passengers flying from Prince George to other destinations will have to start paying a higher Airport Improvement Fee starting January 1, 2016.
Fees will increase by $5 for tickets purchased starting December 1, 2015, bringing the AIF at YXS to $25 (the last increase was in 2012).
Prince George Airport Authority president and CEO John Gibson says the increase is to help pay for the airport’s long term infrastructure capital needs, including repaving of runways, road rehabilitation and replacing aging emergency response vehicles and snow removal equipment.
“We just don’t have enough capital infrastructure funds for over the next 10 years without either government support or an increase in the AIF,” he says, noting they’ve been working on gaining such support the past five years.
“So in discussions with the airlines we agreed to go ahead with a $5 increase at this point even though we’ve been contemplating a $10 increase.”
Gibson says YXS is challenged by the fact its located on federal land and therefore not eligible for federal rehabilitation funding.
He hopes the recent change in government helps their cause.
“We know they’ve (Liberals) got a very major infrastructure funding program that is public, it was part of their platform,” says Gibson. “I won’t say we’ve been told they we’re going to get the issue resolved but just because of the climate with the Liberals and the fact that we’ve got Transport Canada bureaucrats on side I think everybody should be supportive of this happening.”
In addition to a higher AIF, parking rates will go up for the first time since 2010 – daily rates from $11 to $13 with weekly rates increasing from $55 to $65.
The increase in parking rates will pay for improvements to the airport’s parking lot.
“There’s a few things that we want to do in association with the parking lot that over the next two or three years are going to cost some money in terms of automation and we’re looking at some accessibility solutions.”
Parking rate increases will go into effect starting January 1, 2016.
Comments
“The increase in parking rates will pay for improvements to the airport’s parking lot.”
Do they have any specific improvements in mind? Is this filling a fund which may not be used for a decade, or is it paying for improvements which have been made?
At one time they were going to expand the departure entry area. Whatever happened to that proposal?
We keep hearing about the increased passenger numbers. Shoulldn’t that have already increased their revenue without boosting the fees? Considering the distance to Vancouver flying isn’t always a luxury for people that have to attend appointments or treatments, it’s a necessity. IMO there should be a different rate for those flying within BC and those flying outside the province. YVR is $5 in BC/yukon and $20 for the rest.
There going to start paying for all those international flights to start landing here as in their great envisioning
I guess this is the result of them spending all that money trying to lure in airlines that aren’t interested in our little airport.
Even at free gas and no landing fees I doubt the big ones are going to spiral down from 20-30 thousand feet to land here.
or
Does the CEO need a pay raise?
I would suggest that they spent all their money on the fuel tank farm that never gets used, and on building a 25000sq ft warehouse that will be leased out, but take at least 25 years to pay off, plus it will not generate one penny in additional revenue for the Airport.
The CEO has been doing quite well for pay raises in the past few years.
Great to see YXS keeping up with the rate of inflation. Inflation supposedly under 2% but if you have been grocery shopping lately that 2% number is hard to believe.
So here we have the airport increasing departure fees by 25% and parking by nearly 20%. Must be nice to have a captive market with no other choice.
Very surprising all the landing fees from the big cargo jets landing for re-fueling have not filled the coffers to overflowing. I wonder what it cost a year to have a highly paid group of people on the payroll promoting the new super runway. Of course that figure will never be released.
Just this morning a story on the web had Canadian airports as the 5th most expensive out of a total of 140 countries. Looks like we could be number one soon.
So if there is 450,000 people flying in and out. The YXS collects over 11 million dollars a year. Do they really make $11,000,000 worth of improvement into the airport every year. I think a lot of it disappears into general revenue. Just saying.
He spoke. Airport Improvement Fee’s are charged on outbound passengers only. So the passenger count for outbound would be closer to 200,000 passengers. In any event here is the revenue figures for 2013, 2014 for AIF’s and Parking.
2013 Airport Improvement Fee’s $3,723,366.00
2014 ” ” ” 3,871,215.00
2013 Parking $1,448,252.00
2014 ” 1,535,762.00
2015 Revenue will be much higher because of the winter games. So where’s the beef.?
Victorias Airport had 850k departing passengers 4x what we serviced yet there AIF is only 15 dollars something is definitely not passing the smell test
I agree proudtobepg. Someone needs to take a good look at the PG Airport operation over all, with a view of keeping costs in check.
The problem with the Airport Improvement Fee’s is that they can be easily increased without (to the best of my knowledge) any accountability to the people who pay the fares, or to the tax payers that own the airport.
Hey there John and Cuyler, just wondering what happened to all them there big cargo planes that were supposed to be landing here last year. Figgered with all them big bucks us taxpayers are giving you folks, you would have made some money on our taxpayer investments by now. Too bad, yer both fired!
Christmas is coming. Management needs some extra bonus money.
Hey John, Time to open the books to scrutiny and show us that you are not asking the flying clientele that use your facilities to merely bend over and grab their ankles because you can, The Airport authorities demand for an increase is probably more attributable to malfeasance than an actual effort to improve the flying experience but then again I dont really expect a legitimate response
I think they have an annual report that is published
Annual report is on their website.
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