Ramp Fees

On Aug 28, 6:07*pm, "Robert M. Gary" wrote:
On Aug 28, 2:44*pm, "JGalban via AviationKB.com" u32749@uwe wrote:



noname wrote:
I landed at Bridgeport airport in Connecticut to pick up a friend and
ended up at Atlantic Aviation Services. I was trying to get on the
other side of the tarmac to where my friends plane was parked but it
was blocked. The FBO guy waved me in to park and with nowhere else to
go I parked. Before I got off the wing of my plane, I was told to pay
ramp fees of $20.
I told him I was going to leave and he insisted that I go inside and
pay or I would get billed via N number. I went in and complained and
they insisted again.

I paid and commented on their policy which left them surprised.

Is this legal to not have the ramp fees posted and demand payment even
though I offered to leave their ramp immediately?

I think that it is entrampment by having the ramp blocked and the ramp
rat guide me to parking.

* Are you sure that wasn't the landing fee? *Both the A/FD and Airnav list
the following :

Parking fee all acft after 2 hrs. Ldg fee all acft except
solo students.

* *As for unposted ramp fees, I don't like 'em either, but they do exist.
Seems to be mostly an Eastern U.S. thing. *I rarely see them out in the West
unless I'm going to a large class B or C airport, or if it's an FBO like
Millionare or Signature, which are somewhat famous for charging ramp fees.
When in doubt, I usually call ahead and ask, or check Airnav.

I use Millionare and Signature all the time. I decided awhile back
that the extra fees are more than worth it for the extra help you get
for the rental car, service, etc when flying with the family. I know a
lot of guys who's family (wife, etc) won't fly with them because they
see it as a hassle. Spend the few extra bucks and have Signature fill
up your plane rather than make your wife get into a hot airplane, taxi
over to fuel, get out, get back in, etc. Just makes everything easier.
I usually buy gas, O2 and snacks, etc. I don't mention the tie down
and they often forget to charge me for it so its often not an issue.
These "top grade" FBOs are also great when the rental car company
screws up your car (which is frequent), because they will drive you
over to the rental car lot or even to your hotel for free.


The other thing is that when you divert to the nearby class C at 1:00
am because your home airport fogged in, guess which FBO is going to be
the only one available to help you? You're not just paying for the
red carpet service, you're also paying for the availability at odd
hours when you might need it someday. I didn't begrudge them their
fees or even towing the airplaine to the far corner when that happened
to me, I was grateful to have a place that could get me a cab home,
including driving me over to the main terminal to pick up the cab.
That costs money to maintain.