Airport Fees

dell30rb

dell30rb

Final Approach
Joined
May 18, 2011
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7,147
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Raleigh NC
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Display name:
Ren
Is $20 a night tiedown fees for a publicly owned GA airport seem ridiculous? As a newer pilot I don't have much experience with these things. KMRH wants $20 a night and they'll waive a night if you buy 15 gal of gas.

I won't use 15 gallons flying there in a 152 (not even close). If I stay for a weekend the cost of my transportation goes up almost 50%.

Can anyone give me an idea or baseline of fees to expect when traveling around?

Thanks,
Ren
 
dell30rb said:
Is $20 a night tiedown fees for a publicly owned GA airport seem ridiculous? As a newer pilot I don't have much experience with these things. KMRH wants $20 a night and they'll waive a night if you buy 15 gal of gas.

I won't use 15 gallons flying there in a 152 (not even close). If I stay for a weekend the cost of my transportation goes up almost 50%.

Can anyone give me an idea or baseline of fees to expect when traveling around?

Thanks,
Ren
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I don't think there is a baseline. Such a huge variety in fees and just depends on the airport. I have seen everything from a $500 landing fee (at KBOS) to lots of airports that do not charge for landing or tiedown. $20 a night seems slightly high (most that I have seen charge run from 5-15 a night), but I don't think it is unreasonable.

Unfortunately, the 152 doesn't help you much. 15 gallons to waive the fee is fairly reasonable for most planes.
 
I have found that most/many FBOs generally have a vague requirement for a fuel purchase. They may say "buy some" fuel. Ten gallons for a Cessna 172 usually satisfies them. But FBOs have to pay their bills too and if us poor pilots are too tight, the "free services" they provide may begin to dissappear. I kind of like those courtesy/crew/staff cars, or the free ride to the restaurant or hotels (and the return pickup service), and the free battery boosts in winter and the free advice and free coffee and cookies and bottled water etc.
 
Depends on the place. I don't mind paying to tie down at a big city airport. Parking a car would run more. The suburban airport where I visit my brother tried charging me $25 basically for using the loo. I told them they could have it, once.
 
$ 10-20 has been the range at small airports I have used to tie down for the night unless I buy "x" amount of 100LL.
 
There is no charge here or for many of the places in our area but then we aren't that busy either.... and there is usually lotsa room
 
I "think" my airport is $5 or $10 but I only saw the collection box the other day and I don't remember exactly how much it was. I could not tell if anyone ever checks the box or how they would know which airplane you were paying for since they did not provide envelopes, pen, paper, anything! Looked to me like an "on your honor" system sort of thing. This is at O69.

Kimberly
 
To me, $600 a month for a tie down is a gouge. I try to go to podunk airports that charge $0.

$20 is fair, for a hangar for the night. When I go to Baton Rouge (Class C), it's $6 for a tie down on the ramp (up to a max of $45) and $20 a night for a hangar.

Also, as a general rule, I try not to go to airports that don't allow comments in Airnav.
 
its $20 for a ramp tiedown. Its podunk too! no tower and not very busy. but unfortunately the only airport in the area I need to go.

This airport has also caught some bad press lately because the FBO pulled a fuel truck in front of a running king air to stop it from departing because the pilot did not pay the bill. (it was on the ramp, not the runway or taxiway to be fair)

I understand the fbo needs to make money but paying alot just for space on the ramp seems ridiculous. Considering this airport is public and is built and maintained with taxpayer money. And its not anywhere near a big congested city
 
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You don't mention where this airport is. Near a larger city?
I flew across the country and back last year and paid $0 in ramp/tie down fees. But then again I was buying about 30 gal or more of 100LL at every stop.

Local airports are upping their fees to the vicinity of $20 for 6 hrs or less, and $24/day, or buy 20gal of fuel.

Airports across the country are losing revenue with the current economics and are doing everything to raise needed revenue.
 
If $20 is causing angst, prepare for a lot of angst in your flying career.
 
JohnAJohnson said:
To me, $600 a month for a tie down is a gouge. I try to go to podunk airports that charge $0.
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Who charges $600 a month for an outdoor tiedown???

The 5-20$ per night tie down fees that people are talking about are short tem. Every place I have ever seen that charges a nightly tie down fee has a much discounted rate if you are doing long term(ie monthly).

Even in SoCal, $600 a month will get you into a very nice hangar.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Who charges $600 a month for an outdoor tiedown???

The 5-20$ per night tie down fees that people are talking about are short tem. Every place I have ever seen that charges a nightly tie down fee has a much discounted rate if you are doing long term(ie monthly).

Even in SoCal, $600 a month will get you into a very nice hangar.
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Sorry, but $20/night = $600 a month in my book. Call it short term if you like, but the FBO is making $600/month on a tie down and someone or a group of someones is paying it.
 
JohnAJohnson said:
Sorry, but $20/night = $600 a month in my book. Call it short term if you like, but the FBO is making $600/month on a tie down and someone or a group of someones is paying it.
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I think the operative point being if you were going to park for a month, you would get a long term tie down spot - you wouldn't keep it in transient for a month. Most of the airports in my area charge $47 per month for an outside tie down.
 
JohnAJohnson said:
Sorry, but $20/night = $600 a month in my book. Call it short term if you like, but the FBO is making $600/month on a tie down and someone or a group of someones is paying it.
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How is that any different than the way hotels price rooms? You might be willing to pay $100/night for a night or two but not $3,000/month for the same room.
 
JohnAJohnson said:
Sorry, but $20/night = $600 a month in my book. Call it short term if you like, but the FBO is making $600/month on a tie down and someone or a group of someones is paying it.
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You're making a pretty BIG assumption that the transient tiedown has an airplane in it every night.
 
All good points ya'll (especially the hotel reference, Everskyward), but if it is okay with you, I'll stick to my opinion that $20/night is higher than the norm, especially when the cost at many [most?] public airports is $0, or $6/night at many D's and at least a couple of C's that I've been to. If we accept $20/night as fine and dandy, it will cease to be an outlier.
 
JohnAJohnson said:
All good points ya'll (especially the hotel reference, Everskyward), but if it is okay with you, I'll stick to my opinion that $20/night is higher than the norm, especially when the cost at many [most?] public airports is $0, or $6/night at many D's and at least a couple of C's that I've been to. If we accept $20/night as fine and dandy, it will cease to be an outlier.
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I don't think we said it was the norm, just not out of the ballpark high. For a small GA airport, I'd say it is a little high, but not ridiculous. I'd expect to pay around 20 at a class B/C airport.
 
There are times I get annoyed by these fees also. Usually, if I ask, they'll nicely explain why there are what they are. Some of the bigger FBOs are less flexible and the person with which you actually interface may have little knowledge.
Many FBOs are in a bind; they offer a lot of services for their customers. If you just pop in and don't buy anything, it's hard on them. Just like stores that offer restrooms to clients. Some have significant investments in buildings and facilities and have to staff them.

I usually try to buy fuel at each stop if I can so the FBO at least gets some business.

Some fees are over the top. I'm paying $30 a night for a ramp tie down at Charleston Executive for a week. No choices around there but Signature. OTOH, they are a nice FBO that offers great service; OTOH, all I need is a place to park where the plane is safe. $60 ramp fee there if one doesn't purchase fuel and this is at an uncontrolled airport that's not real busy. Still, more convenient for me than going quite a bit farther away and driving more. There is nothing worse than leaving a plane and coming back to find it's been tampered with; so, security alone is worth something.

Best,

Dave
 
How does the system work with public airports anyway. The airport property, taxiways and runway is built and maintained with public money correct? FBO's lease ramp space and facilities from the gvt?

I'd like to start an FBO at this airport and just charge $15 for a tiedown, no other services. Maybe i'll put in a few porta potties. Super low overhead!

I get that FBO's need to make money and charge for services rendered but i'm ticked these guys get to charge $20 a night for a tiedown at an airport built with taxpayer money. If it was in a high crime area and they had a 24/7 guard I wouldn't be complaining, because they are providing me with a valuable service. But this is not the case. The only real service they will be providing me is about 11 gallons of $6 per gallon avgas.

I can whine all I want to but i'll probably be forking over the money this weekend. :mad2:
 
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That is what I like about my home state, only a hand full of airports have landing and tie down fees. Most airports here are un-maned and have either self service pumps or a number to call for fuel.
 
dell30rb said:
How does the system work with public airports anyway. The airport property, taxiways and runway is built and maintained with public money correct? FBO's lease ramp space and facilities from the gvt?
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Depends, sometimes it is driven by the FBO. In many cases it is driven by the city/county...etc
 
dell30rb said:
How does the system work with public airports anyway. The airport property, taxiways and runway is built and maintained with public money correct? FBO's lease ramp space and facilities from the gvt?
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Our airport is owned by the county, and the only FBO is the county. Grass is mowed by local guys for the hay. We pretty much break even off hangar rentals. Gas is marked up $1 and covers maintenance and upkeep of the infrastructure. The airport commission (3 of the 6 are pilots with planes on the field) realizes the value of the airport in regards to tourism and business flying, and fortunately does not see it as a revenue stream.

Past major projects like sealing the asphalt, adding hangars, expanding the runway or ramp have been helped tremendously by federal grant money.
 
The charge that is usually called a "landing fee" most of the times goes to the airport authority, city, county or whoever operates the airport. The "facility fee" goes to the FBO. Generally you cannot waive the "landing fee" with a fuel purchase but many FBOs will waive the "facility fee" with a minimum fuel purchase.

Taxpayer funding for airports is a political argument. On one side there are people who think everything should be funded publicly and some think the user should bear part of the costs.

As far as the FBO goes, they are a business and they need income or they won't be around. The best situation is if they make enough money on fuel and other things so they don't need to nickel and dime the transient pilot who is out on a pleasure flight.
 
JohnAJohnson said:
Flippin, Arkansas, KFLP
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For you, I know.
(I see that the proximity of my post to yours made it unclear whose airport I was asking about...of course, in my mind it was perfectly clear, since I didn't quote you. :rolleyes: ;) :) )

For the OP...which airport had the gall to charge you such a fee?
 
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You lucky guys ;-). In Switzerland there is no such thing as an airport with no fees. Landing fees on ANY airport are somewhere between 20 and 60 USD. Courtesy cars or drinks or anything alike doesn't exist at all.... That's one of the reasons why I like flying in the US.

Rgds
Stephan

... And avgas is around 15 USD a gallon
 
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