Perth Airport (Revenue Raising) Parking Debacle

Crazy Dazz · 06-07-2019, 08:06 PM

Just when you thought the **** couldn't get any worse, there's this.

I did think the situation at the Qantas terminal was bad enough. If you are waiting there after hours to pick somebody up, there is an abundance of parking in the office blocks, where you can wait until they call you. Except the airport has employed a bloke to drive around and tell you off. So they are spending money just to be ****ers.

But the debacle at the "Regional" terminal (used by the Virgin & Alliance FIFO flights) takes the cake. It is beyond freaking belief.

The terminal has a large pickup loop, which has always worked fine. But now they have decided to charge you $6 if you take longer than 5 minutes to make the loop. The stupidity of this is unbelievable.

The loop is large, and at peak times it could take you 5 minutes just to drive around, without even stopping. But what makes it worse is the ridiculous way they have implemented it. There are cameras going in, and boomgates going out.
The boomgates stop EVERY car, and you then have to wait till they go up, so even at its best it slows down traffic.
If the camera doesn't read your rego plate, you're stuffed. I've been stopped twice for that.
What most people don't know until they get caught, is that if you try to drive around, you get pinged. If you re-enter the loop with 10 minutes of exiting, you are immediately pinged $6.
When you get caught, you have to exit your car and pay at the machine on the side, which of course holds up traffic even more. And yes, wait for it, it can delay the drivers behind who then get pinged through no fault of their own. Yes, that also happened to be. Old mate in front couldn't get his card to work then spent several minutes trying to feed his cash into the machine. So I refused to pay, creating even more delays for those stuck behind me.

This system must have cost them millions, and why? Just so they can be ****ers.

Yellow_Festiva · 06-07-2019, 08:24 PM

Seems crazy.

Sydney airport at least has 15min free pick up parking.

Airport parking is a huge money maker for airports - Sydney to the tune of around $100mil profit per year!

Citroënbender · 06-07-2019, 08:39 PM

The idea of airports generally being nice to people, seems to have been abandoned.

Quote:

Sydney ...around $100mil profit per year

Unsurprising! I'm waiting for them to make the "free pickup" area in Sydney a parking offence if you overstay, not just a payment.

If these mongrels ran the supermarket chains your trolley would be charged by time out, there'd be self-checkout only, and if you didn't scan at a certain rate (or above) you'd be pinged a congestion charge for slowing up the works.

Yellow_Festiva · 06-07-2019, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

The idea of airports generally being nice to people, seems to have been abandoned.

Unsurprising! I'm waiting for them to make the "free pickup" area in Sydney a parking offence if you overstay, not just a payment.

Someone told me that there are waiting spots at Sydney airport where they have toll scanners at the entry and exit like on the freeways and they bill you via your toll account.

Actually, in the scheme of things Sydney isn't that bad. I recall the free pick-up time being 10 minutes. Now it's 15. Probably because so many people get lost trying to find the bloody thing

Franco Cozzo · 06-07-2019, 09:20 PM

In Melbourne just hang about the airport viewing area outside the airport and enjoy the lovely smells from the Airport Icecream and Kebabs food truck thats lit up like a Christmas tree - worst Halal Snack Pack ever.

Then when they call you waiting at the pick up zone, drive in and out and GTFO.

devilcv8 · 06-07-2019, 10:20 PM

Canberra doesn’t even allow pickup at the terminal. Upstairs is drop off only and is policed heavily. Downstairs is taxi and comcar only. Everyone else has to walk away from the terminal to get picked up on the side of the road.

**aussiblue** · 06-07-2019, 11:19 PM

The explanation:
https://www.facebook.com/TodayTonigh...5758022349083/

...but they went too far.

eb2fairmont · 07-07-2019, 02:20 AM

Actually before the gates went in everyone was treating it like a car park. Endless times while waiting to be picked up I saw twerps sitting there doing nothing.

And when my lift arrived there was no parks there due to these selfish knobs. So had to walk out of the road to get in.

So agree on the implemented solution being crummy, but was the result of people taking the urine regardless.

falconhell74 · 07-07-2019, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

Just when you thought the ****ers couldn't get any worse, there's this.

I did think the situation at the Qantas terminal was bad enough. If you are waiting there after hours to pick somebody up, there is an abundance of parking in the office blocks, where you can wait until they call you. Except the airport has employed a bloke to drive around and tell you off. So they are spending money just to be ****ers.

But the debacle at the "Regional" terminal (used by the Virgin & Alliance FIFO flights) takes the cake. It is beyond freaking belief.

The terminal has a large pickup loop, which has always worked fine. But now they have decided to charge you $6 if you take longer than 5 minutes to make the loop. The stupidity of this is unbelievable.

The loop is large, and at peak times it could take you 5 minutes just to drive around, without even stopping. But what makes it worse is the ridiculous way they have implemented it. There are cameras going in, and boomgates going out.
The boomgates stop EVERY car, and you then have to wait till they go up, so even at its best it slows down traffic.
If the camera doesn't read your rego plate, you're stuffed. I've been stopped twice for that.
What most people don't know until they get caught, is that if you try to drive around, you get pinged. If you re-enter the loop with 10 minutes of exiting, you are immediately pinged $6.
When you get caught, you have to exit your car and pay at the machine on the side, which of course holds up traffic even more. And yes, wait for it, it can delay the drivers behind who then get pinged through no fault of their own. Yes, that also happened to be. Old mate in front couldn't get his card to work then spent several minutes trying to feed his cash into the machine. So I refused to pay, creating even more delays for those stuck behind me.

This system must have cost them millions, and why? Just so they can be ****ers.

Yep I totally agree its a pain in the a$$ , Im in the same position FIFO
I get the wife to park in the long term parking as it is free for the first hour , then call here after I have gotten my bags.
But as you said the boom gates take forever and are a continual stuff up thus causing extra fines and head aches all round.
They need to do away with the boom gates to allow for traffic flow and just use the exit camera to send the fines,

marty351 · 07-07-2019, 09:26 AM

Beat the system...

Romulus · 08-07-2019, 08:32 PM

Dazz, it appears the $5/hr ‘security guards’ weren’t doing their jobs in the first instance by moving on the vehicles that were either loitering or spending too much time waiting for their passenger.

I too have noticed the extended build up of traffic to T2, now understand why. The boom gates are causing the delay.

I would be interesting to see what occurs if someone simply refuses to pay and hold up the traffic. I know from other venues the parking operations have had to yield and open the gate to relax the traffic congestion.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

TheInterceptor · 08-07-2019, 10:37 PM

WA is very much become a revenue state, this doesn't surprise me one bit sadly...

Fev · 09-07-2019, 10:07 AM

Where does Sydney have 15min pick up parking?? every time i've had to pick up my missus i've had to go to the Express pick up zones at the domestic airport it charges you like $8 for 8 minutes or some crap and doubles every minute after iirc

**aussiblue** · 09-07-2019, 10:11 AM

Quote:

WA is very much become a revenue state, this doesn't surprise me one bit sadly...

It's the people who mange the airport not the State Government that manages the parking. And if you want to blame a Government blame the Commonwealth as since 1997, it has been operated by Perth Airport Pty Limited, a private company (formerly Westralia Airports Corporation Pty Ltd) under a 99-year lease from the Commonwealth Government.

And if we got our fair share of GST or even commonwealth collected tax proportionate to our state's export earnings we would be in clover.

**aussiblue** · 09-07-2019, 10:14 AM

The Metronet 8.5 kilometre Forrestfield-Airport Link with stations at Redcliffe, Airport Central and Forrestfield, construction underway, scheduled to open in 2020 should also ease the airport parking issues.

Citroënbender · 09-07-2019, 10:22 AM

In Sydney, the “free” pickup is (deliberately?) poorly signposted and is on the right side not far from where you drive into the domestic airport. You still need a ticket to get through the boom gate but there is slight latitude on the allocation of time.

Ground level, this GPS reference: (-33.9339919, 151.1842403) Take the rightmost lane, then turn right at the building corner.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fev

Where does Sydney have 15min pick up parking?? every time i've had to pick up my missus i've had to go to the Express pick up zones at the domestic airport it charges you like $8 for 8 minutes or some crap and doubles every minute after iirc

**Mechan1k** · 09-07-2019, 10:47 AM

Last time I had to commute from GC to Sydney.
I used an Uber .... it was much easier .... stuff driving in and out of that place.

TheInterceptor · 09-07-2019, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aussiblue

It's the people who mange the airport not the State Government that manages the parking. And if you want to blame a Government blame the Commonwealth as since 1997, it has been operated by Perth Airport Pty Limited, a private company (formerly Westralia Airports Corporation Pty Ltd) under a 99-year lease from the Commonwealth Government.

And if we got our fair share of GST or even commonwealth collected tax proportionate to our state's export earnings we would be in clover.

So privatisation is causing issues yet again. Govornment can set regulation so not just one entity is to blame.
But yes, you are right.

Crazy Dazz · 12-07-2019, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eb2fairmont

Actually before the gates went in everyone was treating it like a car park. Endless times while waiting to be picked up I saw twerps sitting there doing nothing.

And when my lift arrived there was no parks there due to these selfish knobs. So had to walk out of the road to get in.

So agree on the implemented solution being crummy, but was the result of people taking the urine regardless.

Nobody hangs around the airport because its fun. But planes get delayed, and that is always going to create problems.

Crazy Dazz · 12-07-2019, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aussiblue

The Metronet 8.5 kilometre Forrestfield-Airport Link with stations at Redcliffe, Airport Central and Forrestfield, construction underway, scheduled to open in 2020 should also ease the airport parking issues.

I'm not sure who their target market is, but the only terminal actually serviced by "Airport nowhere-near-Central" is the International. It's going to be a quite a walk to T2, and not direct as the "Sky Bridge" (aka "We put the traino in the wrong spot" only connects to the International.

And if you're one of the Majority that uses Qantas, or the Regional & FIFO airlines, then you have to catch a bus from the Redcliffe station.
(Even though the line goes right under the end of T3.)

Romulus · 12-07-2019, 01:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

I'm not sure who their target market is, but the only terminal actually serviced by "Airport nowhere-near-Central" is the International. It's going to be a quite a walk to T2, and not direct as the "Sky Bridge" (aka "We put the traino in the wrong spot" only connects to the International.

And if you're one of the Majority that uses Qantas, or the Regional & FIFO airlines, then you have to catch a bus from the Redcliffe station.

(Even though the line goes right under the end of T3.)

Hopefully when the CEO from Qantas gets the sack Qantas will move to T1/T2 and the old T3 & T4 will be freight only.

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**aussiblue** · 12-07-2019, 01:58 PM

Quote:

I'm not sure who their target market is, but the only terminal actually serviced by "Airport nowhere-near-Central" is the International. It's going to be a quite a walk to T2, and not direct as the "Sky Bridge" (aka "We put the traino in the wrong spot" only connects to the International.

If you look at the PDF's here https://www.metronet.wa.gov.au/proje...d-airport-link there will also be a station (Redcliffe Station) at the domestic airport at the Corner of Dunreath Drive and Brealey Avenue and the line will essentially link the two airports with underground rail.

bungarra · 12-07-2019, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romulus

Hopefully when the CEO from Qantas gets the sack Qantas will move to T1/T2 and the old T3 & T4 will be freight only.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

QANTAS not moving domestic operations or London direct flights to T1/T2 anytime in the next 4- 5 years under a new agreement with Airport management.
They will move when the new runway is completed and a new Domestic Pier is built (expected 2023/4 if no delays).

happy1 · 12-07-2019, 08:33 PM

Parking revenue is near the only thing thriving in Perth at the moment.
An article in West Australian today described that City of Perth is earning $76 Million annually on parking and infringements. Shop owners are begging for parking fees to be cut in half or removed, as some CBD retailers have recently experienced $0 days, where not a single customer comes through their shop door.

bungarra · 14-07-2019, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aussiblue

If you look at the PDF's here https://www.metronet.wa.gov.au/proje...d-airport-link there will also be a station (Redcliffe Station) at the domestic airport at the Corner of Dunreath Drive and Brealey Avenue and the line will essentially link the two airports with underground rail.

Redcliffe Station is about 800mt from T3/4. Original plan was for it to be at the corner of Brearley and Gt Eastern Hwy near the motel and another station at the end of T4 (logical choice) but bean counters got in the way again.

Franco Cozzo · 14-07-2019, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aussiblue

It's the people who mange the airport not the State Government that manages the parking. And if you want to blame a Government blame the Commonwealth as since 1997, it has been operated by Perth Airport Pty Limited, a private company (formerly Westralia Airports Corporation Pty Ltd) under a 99-year lease from the Commonwealth Government.

And if we got our fair share of GST or even commonwealth collected tax proportionate to our state's export earnings we would be in clover.

How quickly WA forgets it's been subsidised by the Eastern states for the past 170 years or so - you're just starting to pay off your debt to us with your mining boom

**aussiblue** · 14-07-2019, 12:21 PM

Quote:

How quickly WA forgets it's been subsidised by the Eastern states for the past 170 years or so

Simply not true. Noting unlike other states, we were a separate colony (New Holland) until federation and not part of NSW. Western Australia gained the right of self-government from the UK in 1890, and stupidly perhaps joined with the five other states to form the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.

**aussiblue** · 14-07-2019, 01:01 PM

Oh and it was only in 1942 that the Commonwealth took over the collection of income tax and disbursement of Commonwealth revenue to the states. The graphs in this very biased eastern state's view of the world are still telling https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-...-alone/6393196

Itsme · 14-07-2019, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aussiblue

It's the people who mange the airport not the State Government that manages the parking. And if you want to blame a Government blame the Commonwealth as since 1997, it has been operated by Perth Airport Pty Limited, a private company (formerly Westralia Airports Corporation Pty Ltd) under a 99-year lease from the Commonwealth Government.

And if we got our fair share of GST or even commonwealth collected tax proportionate to our state's export earnings we would be in clover.

Correct, all airports come under the control of the commonwealth government.

Crazy Dazz · 14-07-2019, 02:13 PM

The "Redcliffe" station was moved from the planned location at the Qantas terminal. Qantas flyers will now have to catch a bus from the terminal.

Qantas isn't moving anytime soon. They just spent up big to move their International Flights to T3, and upgrade Business Lounges. There's also just not enough Space on the other side.

Plus you have the Skippers, Network, Cobham, and Mooroomba Terminals.