21 June 2022
By Kirsty Johnston, Editor
IATA’s Chief Executive, Willie Walsh, has said that passengers are being “punished” for no flying after airports lobbied for big fee increases to help recoup their lost revenue.
Mr Walsh said plans to hike fees were, in effect, punishing consumers for their inability to fly during the pandemic.
He claimed that more than half the world’s top 100 airports had announced fee increases for 2022 and 2023, “expecting their customers to make up for revenues they did not get during the pandemic”.
“Try that in a competitive business. ‘Dear Valued Customer, we are charging you double for your coffee today because you could not buy one yesterday.’ Who would accept that?,” Mr Walsh said.
Heathrow has reportedly been allowed to increase charges by 50% and was still asking for more, while Dublin wants an 80% hike over 2023-2026.
Mr Walsh said too many airports “are addicted to a ‘spend big and cream it off the customer’ mentality”.
