Charges for huge airports

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soaringhigh650

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soaringhigh650
Hey,

Someone told me that the really big and busy airports charge money.

Is that true?

If so, can someone point out where I can find the tariffs for JFK, LAX, La Guardia and San Diego? Do I just pay landing and parking or is there anything more?

Thanks
 
Sadly I've found this information can be hard to find without picking up the phone. Most postings on the internet I've found about big airport fees are stories written up by people that visited the airports. You can always call the FBO at the airport. They should know.

Usually the fee schedule depends on the number of engines and aircraft weight.
 
It completely depends on the airport. Some big airports like BOS charge ridiculous landing fees (around $500 just to touch down). Some like LGA require an advanced reservation just to get a clearance to get into the airport.

And then there are others like PHX were the landing fee is about 15 or 20 bucks and they waive it if you purchase fuel.

Sometimes you can find out by looking up the comments for the airport on Airnav.com, but as Dan mentioned above, it is usually best to call the FBO first.
 
Fearless Tower said:
It completely depends on the airport. Some big airports like BOS charge ridiculous landing fees (around $500 just to touch down).
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Was just there last week in a single engine and it was $230.
 
Usually, wherever there is a large class B airport, there are plenty of small class D airports nearby, so why even bother tangling with all that big iron when you don't really need to?

John
 
It doesn't have to be a big to charge big fees. The NY airports have pretty hefty surcharges in prime time but aren't too bad others (and I believe Kennedy even has a way you can get on and off the ramp without having to go to an FBO and get gouged by them for the privilige of walking through their building as happens many other places).
Dulles fees for their two spiffy FBOs are lower than armpits like Rochester, NY.
 
The big airports I've been to have been on average the same cost as the small airports but with much better services. If you try fly into Memphis when FedEx is on the move, you are in trouble. Any other time of day, you have a Bravo airport nearly to yourself.
 
NYC area has this amazing little field (Linden) that charges arm and a leg. It got so bad that I've heard pilots report themselves as field-based aircraft just to avoid the fee. It's a small uncontrolled field, and landing fee is somewhere around $30.
 
I, no N-number here...., had flown into Boeing Field several times when I found a big announcement that they were eliminating the landing fee...:eek:

What was I missing...?
 
John Baker said:
Usually, wherever there is a large class B airport, there are plenty of small class D airports nearby, so why even bother tangling with all that big iron when you don't really need to?
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Depends on the mission. I fly into PHL fairly regularly, typically because it's the closest place to where I'm going or (even more frequently), because I'm picking up or dropping off someone for a commercial flight into/out of PHL. Yes, it is a higher landing fee, but the hassle and expense of a cab ride to one of the neighboring airports makes it worth it.

What's worth noting if you're going into one of these busy airports is that you should be up on your game and willing to shoot approaches faster than normal for an aircraft. I shot the ILS 26 into PHL last night at 170 KIAS, made them happy.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
What's worth noting if you're going into one of these busy airports is that you should be up on your game and willing to shoot approaches faster than normal for an aircraft. I shot the ILS 26 into PHL last night at 170 KIAS, made them happy.
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Exactly. I'm typically doing 150-160 on final in the Duchess or 210 when I go into PHX.
 
I flew into KTPA last fall and was doing 120kts almost to the threshold in a 172. that's all I can do trying to keep up with the big iron. No landing fees there though, and great service from Signature.
 
Meanee said:
NYC area has this amazing little field (Linden) that charges arm and a leg. It got so bad that I've heard pilots report themselves as field-based aircraft just to avoid the fee. It's a small uncontrolled field, and landing fee is somewhere around $30.
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$30 for that? WOW
I used to fly in that area and the only reason why I never landed there was because it's just a bad airport. If you loose an engine (single engine aircraft) you wont have any place to land, at all. The FBO also sucked.
 
Fearless Tower said:
And then there are others like PHX were the landing fee is about 15 or 20 bucks and they waive it if you purchase fuel.
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I found that it depends on the time. A few years back I wanted to land at JFK (don't remember why), done some research on the landing fees there. At 0600 it was free but at 1800 it was over $200.
 
Any idea what the landing fees are for a piston single at PHL are? I'm looking to just do a landing and taxi around for departure, no FBO services needed. Need to knock out a few XC hours to wrap up some transition training I'm doing, and PHL's the right distance. Otherwise I might head to ACY or AVP.
 
soaringhigh650 said:
Hey,

Someone told me that the really big and busy airports charge money.

Is that true?

If so, can someone point out where I can find the tariffs for JFK, LAX, La Guardia and San Diego? Do I just pay landing and parking or is there anything more?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Several layers of fees to watch out for, so be sure you are getting the information you need.

Landing fees, charged by the airport owner (but most likely collected by the FBO).

FBO Ramp fees - just for the service of having the rampie wave his red wands and guide you in.

Parking fees...

Overnight fees...

And sky high fuel prices.

This is all because the airport and the FBO are trying to discourage you from landing there. You take up a valuable slot in the conga line, and valuable space on the ramp. The profit from your 15 gallons of 100LL won't pay the mortgage, they really want you elsewhere so they can cater to the bizjet crowd where the profits are much higher.

They can't regulate you off the airport property. So instead, they make it economically painful to keep you from going there unless you really need to be there.

-Skip
 
No real reason to do it except to say "I landed at a class Bravo".

For example, I really, really want to do a touch-n-go at SFO, but am worried about getting a $200 bill in the mail later for the privilege. Anyone know if there's a way to arrange something like that, maybe at off-peak times, without the landing fee?
 
We've done it at O'Hare with no fees. Just called up the tower ahead of time, came in IFR. (they said they wouldn't take us VFR). This was after 10PM on a Saturday.
 
About 5 years ago I went into Cleveland Hopkins late one night just ahead of a line of CB... This was in an Apache and they put us in a hangar (we fit nicely under the tail of a G-V)... My daughter schmoozed with the line boys and we got out for just a $70 airport fee that there was no way to waive - I did buy gas which caused a sort of "you want whut - hey Frank do we have GAS?" reaction...

denny-o
 
onwards said:
For example, I really, really want to do a touch-n-go at SFO, but am worried about getting a $200 bill in the mail later for the privilege. Anyone know if there's a way to arrange something like that, maybe at off-peak times, without the landing fee?
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The telephone is your friend. Call the tower chief and find out what he says. Same with the FBO.

-Skip
 
onwards said:
No real reason to do it except to say "I landed at a class Bravo".
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Depends alot on your reasons for flying there in the first place.

I fly to Phoenix regularly for personal business and land at PHX almost always because it is the closest and most convenient airport to where my business is. It is so much easier to get in and out of Cutter at PHX and alot quicker to fly in and out of there GA from San Diego than it is to fly the aluminum tube.
 
Mike I said:
Any idea what the landing fees are for a piston single at PHL are? I'm looking to just do a landing and taxi around for departure, no FBO services needed. Need to knock out a few XC hours to wrap up some transition training I'm doing, and PHL's the right distance. Otherwise I might head to ACY or AVP.
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I called somewhat recently and remember the FBO telling me it was ~$40 which included the ramp and landing fee. That wasn't waived with fuel purchase. You might want to call and get an updated number.
 
Drew, I did end up calling Atlantic at PHL this morning, and they indicated that the landing fee was $10 and the ramp fee was $20-$30 if under/over 15 minutes. Pretty reasonable. If I end up there tomorrow, I'll report back.
 
Back from PHL, landed there this afternoon/evening. It was pretty simple coming in. I was given Runway 26, the shorter GA-centric runway. There was a DC-10 on a parallel approach to 27L, and I held my speed up until short final (about 135kts in the SR-20) for traffic behind me. DC-10 was impressed that I was matching his speed on approach. I pulled into Atlantic, right by Rwy 26, and stopped in for coffee and physiological break. $10 landing fee plus $20 "drop-off" short turnaround fee (didn't take fuel), and I was back in the plane. Clearance delivery was quick with VFR routing, Ground got me right over to Runway 35 (no departures from 26, I was told). Intersection departure from 35 at Kilo, and I was on the way. Had to climb to 4000' northwest bound before proceeding on course northeast.

Almost more fun was on the way down to PHL, I overflew Manhattan at 6500' in the NYC Bravo. I've circled the island at 2000', but it's a pretty different view from directly over the top.
 
Thanks for he report - sounds like a pretty fair deal, and good handling. You got a little of that "brotherly love."
 
I initially requested a touch-and-go... that did not stoke the "brotherly love" for them, nor did requesting a full-stop taxi back. Approach suggested I take my business elsewhere unless I was doing a full stop and taxi to parking.
 
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