$12 fee, but B.C. flights are no safer Frank Luba The Province Thursday, June 13, 2002 Thousands of airline passengers paying the new $12 airport security fee aren't getting a nickel's worth of safety. The fee was introduced April 1 and, in its first month, tiny Hawkair, which flies two 37-seat Dash 8s, handed over $63,000 to Ottawa -- collected $12 at a time. Hawkair uses the South Terminal at Vancouver airport, where the security is exactly the same as it was before April 1 -- no screening of passengers, no metal detectors, X-rays or checks of carry-on luggage unless it's done by the airline. Hawkair's Dave Menzies says the $63,000 bought "nothing, absolutely, completely nothing." Gerry Lloyd of the B.C. Aviation Council canvassed members and found that flights in B.C. last April were down more than 14 per cent, compared with April 2001. He said the drop was "a result of the fee," although he recognizes the events of Sept. 11 also had an effect. The money paid out for no security changes is "staggering," he said. Lloyd estimated about 35 per cent of flights don't get any security despite the fee. Anthony Kuun, chief pilot of North Vancouver Air, says his charter-heavy business has dropped 40 per cent from last year. The fee, Kuun said, "is ridiculous. We're paying for a service we're not receiving." Some passengers are driving instead of taking a $100 return flight because of the extra $24 for security, he said. The Air Transport Association of Canada says the problem isn't limited to B.C. "I think the effects on small airlines are being felt right across the country," said association chairman Pat Kennedy of Vancouver. Yesterday at the South Terminal, New York resident Marie Dragan, when told there was a fee for non-existent security, exclaimed, "Ha!" "I'm just shocked, truthfully." Said Dragan's sister-in-law, Kori Dragan of Maple Ridge: "They could do something. I didn't even have to show ID to get my ticket. I could be anybody." Atlanta resident Tom Brown, going through the South Terminal after fishing in Campbell River, said: "We didn't feel comfortable without the security. We don't mind paying for it after 9-11." Vancouver airport president Larry Berg acknowledged nothing has changed at the South Terminal except the imposition of the fee. "There was no consultation at the time with either airports or with air carriers," said Berg, who is also chairman of the Canadian Airport Council. "Frankly, we were deeply disturbed by that. "We think if there had been proper consultation with the industry, they never would have come up with the flat $12 fee. "We certainly feel the flat charge of $12 was, No. 1, excessive. It's going to collect more money than required to provide the security that we need. "And No. 2, it would have been far more equitable to have it pro-rated ... as a percentage of an airline fee as opposed to a flat fee. What the flat fee does is penalize small carriers who are flying short-haul routes." COMING AND GOING The security charge is $12 each way for travel in Canada, $12 each wasy for travel to the continental U.S. and $24 each way for travel to a destination outside Canada and the continental U.S. Within Canada, the charge applies only to travel between the 89 airports that will benefit directly from security enhancements under the new Canadian Air Transport Security Authority. In B.C., there are 20 such listed airports: Abbotsford, Campbell River, Castlegar, Comox, Cranbrook, Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Penticton, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Quesnel, Sandspit, Smithers, Terrace, Vancouver International, Victoria International and Williams Lake. The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site: Roj (Roger James) *************************************************** escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: http://www.tntisland.com CBC Website http://www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ The Trinbago Site of the Week: (Robbie Greenidge) http://www.steeldrumband.net/greenidge/ (Robert Greenidge - Pan Arranger/Composer/Player) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************