Auckland Airport removes departure fee, airlines to carry the cost instead
The hassles of the $25 international departure fee imposed upon passengers leaving Auckland Airport has finally been eliminated, as CEO Don Huse announced Wednesday morning, at a media breakfast in Rotorua, at Trenz 2008.
The anticipated transition to a new departure fee collection process has commenced, and on or after July 1, 2008, Auckland Airport will levy the necessary fees upon airlines, rather than travellers.
The new Passenger Services Charge (PSC) will bring the practices of Auckland Airport in line with other major gateways in the world. Huse discussed the importance of this, as he claimed “Auckland arguably is the gateway to all of New Zealand.�
He explained that “Airport and airline customers have been telling us for some time that the old departure fee process was a genuine hassle.�
“We are now looking to taking the old collection process link out of the chain from July and simplifying travel for everyone.�
Huse continued, noting that the improved services ought to allow airline passengers to “have a much easier and more streamlined departure experience.�
However, Huse did not mention the fact that the new system, where the PSC charge of $13 for departing and incoming passengers, will actually cost $26 instead of $25.
The airlines will not be absorbing these fees, which is understandable given the current climate.
Norm Thompson, deputy CEO of Air New Zealand, said in an interview with eTravel Blackboard that the change would have “no increase in costs to consumers.�
He did note that the difference would be that passengers would no longer be aware that their payment was going towards the airports, as the cost would be lumped into their fares.
There are other changes occurring at Auckland Airport, such as anticipation regarding the new international arrivals Pier B at Auckland Airport in October 2008, which will also “greatly increase capacity and access for aircraft handling at Auckland,� George Hickton, the CEO of Tourism New Zealand claimed.
The combination of the PSC and the new Pier B continues the “longstanding and deep commitment to continually improving the New Zealand arrival experience,� according to Hickton.
Projections have indicated that Auckland Airport ought to prepare for 24 million passengers annually by 2025, which for Huse means “a never ending programme of activity that includes a major international departure area redevelopment, the already completed domestic terminal extreme makeover, an airport hotel development, and significant progress on a new northern runway and north airport services complex, to name but a few.�
The airport also has a new Smart Gate system on trial, which ought to smoothen the aircraft handling process further.
As a platinum sponsor of Trenz 2008, Huse commented that “Auckland Airport and our tourism partners are all working hard to bring more people to New Zealand and to give them some special, exciting memories to take home.�
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