19 November 2010

Airport Pickups = Cash for Snow

19 November 2010 | deezagood

So, the new airport terminal has opened. An interesting feature about the new terminal is the clever way that Mr Snow has managed to completely remove any option for a curbside pick up after passengers have landed (okay, the signs said that you weren’t supposed to do this before, but everyone did). So – to pick up a passenger, close to the terminal, you now have no choice but to enter the multi-story car-park and pay the associated fees. Apparently the first ten minutes of parking are free, but I certainly had to cough up $1.80 on Monday when I tried to quickly pick up my passengers…. it takes a good ten minutes just to enter the car-park and drive around to find a place to wait.

Okay, $1.80 is small change, but it is extremely inconvenient for passengers, especially disabled, elderly or those with multiple bags to have to make their way onto the elevators and into the car park – when once they could have just walked out of the terminal and been picked up from the curb.

The crap about curbside pickups being a ‘security concern’ doesn’t gel, as most Australian airports actively accommodate the ability to pick up passengers quickly, efficiently and for free, and have designated pick-up zones for this purpose. Surely drop offs are actually more of a security concern – but these are apparently still permitted. I’m sorry Mr Snow – but this is bullshit … profitable bullshit for you I’m sure, but bullshit all the same.

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Rawhide Kid Part311:32 am 13 Aug 11

Skyring said :

JC said :

Doc Dogg said :

security issues? Have I missed something here, what threat does a car stopping to pick someone up pose

It has been a security issue for years. Why is anyones guess, because it is ok to stop and drop people off, but not to pick-up, so half the argument automaticly goes out the window.

Well, no. Drop-offs are fine. The car pulls up, the intrepid flyers get out, unload their luggage, maybe kiss the lonely driver goodbye and both parties separate. A few seconds.

But when the driver turns up at the scheduled time and can’t find his passengers, he’s likely to leave his vehicle to see if he can find them or the cause of the delay. Result, an unattended car beside the terminal and that’s what gets the coppers itchy.

Apart from that, you get enough people parking on the pickup or drop-off area, whether they stay with their car or not they are still clogging up the limited kerbside space and other vehicles have to load or unload in the roadway, which is a safety concern.

What I’d like to see here is the cellphone area system they have in America. You arrive to pick up your arriving passenger and park in a free lot a minute or so away. Sometimes there are indicator boards showing the times of arriving flights. When your passenger arrives, gets their bags off the conveyor and is ready to roll, they call you, and you come in to pick them up in a designated area. Any cars waiting empty are moved on – or towed away.

The current arrangements at the airport are crap. All people want to do is whip in and pick up their arriving friends and rellies, but instead they have to hunt for a paid carpark, have grandma and the toddlers walk a long distance, park unsafely in the roadway or pull some stupid stunt about oil lights or whatever. The attendants aren’t fooled, BTW, they have heard it all before and while they generally just move you on, they can and will book dickheads who want to argue their foolish excuse.

There are genuine security and safety concerns, but there’s also a desire on the part of airport management to have people use the paid parking. It could be handled better.

Don’t worry. When the VFT comes through then the parking at the airport wont be an issue.

Skyring3:41 am 13 Aug 11

JC said :

Doc Dogg said :

security issues? Have I missed something here, what threat does a car stopping to pick someone up pose

It has been a security issue for years. Why is anyones guess, because it is ok to stop and drop people off, but not to pick-up, so half the argument automaticly goes out the window.

Well, no. Drop-offs are fine. The car pulls up, the intrepid flyers get out, unload their luggage, maybe kiss the lonely driver goodbye and both parties separate. A few seconds.

But when the driver turns up at the scheduled time and can’t find his passengers, he’s likely to leave his vehicle to see if he can find them or the cause of the delay. Result, an unattended car beside the terminal and that’s what gets the coppers itchy.

Apart from that, you get enough people parking on the pickup or drop-off area, whether they stay with their car or not they are still clogging up the limited kerbside space and other vehicles have to load or unload in the roadway, which is a safety concern.

What I’d like to see here is the cellphone area system they have in America. You arrive to pick up your arriving passenger and park in a free lot a minute or so away. Sometimes there are indicator boards showing the times of arriving flights. When your passenger arrives, gets their bags off the conveyor and is ready to roll, they call you, and you come in to pick them up in a designated area. Any cars waiting empty are moved on – or towed away.

The current arrangements at the airport are crap. All people want to do is whip in and pick up their arriving friends and rellies, but instead they have to hunt for a paid carpark, have grandma and the toddlers walk a long distance, park unsafely in the roadway or pull some stupid stunt about oil lights or whatever. The attendants aren’t fooled, BTW, they have heard it all before and while they generally just move you on, they can and will book dickheads who want to argue their foolish excuse.

There are genuine security and safety concerns, but there’s also a desire on the part of airport management to have people use the paid parking. It could be handled better.

georgesgenitals9:25 pm 21 Nov 10

If a buck eighty is the difference between feeding your kids or not, get the paerson you’re picking up to walk over to the servo and pick them up from there.

As to the bagging John Howard comments, I don’t love the guy either, but some of the comments I’ve read on this thread are ridiculous, considering none of these commenters could do the job of PM.

deezagood5:47 pm 21 Nov 10

Morgan said :

My my, Canberrans are so cheap. If you cant afford to pay for parking then you cant afford to fly.

Morgan – you’re missingthe point of my post. It isn’t the money, it’s the massive inconvenience. I would happily pay $10.00 if it meant I could grab my passengers from the curb and not *&*#$% around with entering and exiting car parks. Maybe Snow should implement this as a scheme??

vg3:10 pm 20 Nov 10

D2 said :

John Hunt the Coward flogged off the airport – a monopoly which should never have been put into private hands. Nationalise it. Give Canberra airport back to Canberrans as an essential piece of monopoly public infrastructure, not a money tree for Liberal Party mates. If there’s compensation to be paid, make John Hunt the Coward pay it

All the major airports are now privately owned Einstein. You’d poop your pants if you met him in person

I-filed2:17 pm 20 Nov 10

Get your friend to hobble to the disabled spot. They surely can’t require someone picking up a disabled person to have a sticker!

KB19711:57 pm 20 Nov 10

Morgan said :

My my, Canberrans are so cheap. If you cant afford to pay for parking then you cant afford to fly.

Hahahahahaah, will you shout me a beer on Wednesday night????

Morgan12:37 pm 20 Nov 10

My my, Canberrans are so cheap. If you cant afford to pay for parking then you cant afford to fly.

Me no fry11:51 am 20 Nov 10

Pork Hunt said :

I’d rather be related to Ivan Milat than John Howard…

Yeah, who wouldn’t? Can you imagine having John Howard around at family gatherings, like Christmas? He’d be trying to give people copies of his lame-arse attempt at rewriting history, and making a hash of playing backyard cricket. On the up-side though, you’d get to see in person the mouth that was used to kiss Bush’s backside on Australia’s behalf.

vg9:19 am 20 Nov 10

Just drop off and pick up at the front of the terminal. No one is going to do anything about it. If confronted pretend not knowing how to speak English, get in your car and drive off

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