I couldn't believe it, I just received a bill in the mail from High Level Airport in Alberta Canada. I had stopped their on my way back home to Northern California from Yellowknife, NWT. I fuelled up, as I try to do at each airport I visit (to be good to our aviation brothers) and on the deck no more than 20 minutes and then airborne south continuing my journey home.
The recent bill I received was made up of a landing fee, a usage fee (how could you use the field if you didn't land???? WTF), and a runway development fee. Unbelievable.
So I called up High Level City and suggested that if they were to continue this I would not land there next time. In other words, if you were running a business (not a government) and you wanted customers this is not the way to do it. They said the City Council government did this to generate more income.
The City doesn't get it...but over time they will with fewer aircraft landing there to fuel up. Once again big government thinking taxing brings in more money. Why don't they offer more services to bring in more money....Business School 101. venting.......Anyway heads up.

How much $$$ did they stick you for?

Fort St John does the same thing.

Gump

I'd be curious to know how much they charged as well. I'm about a 2.5 hr flight south in my Citabria. I stopped in Manning, Ab last Saturday for fuel but they wouldn't return my call, so I went to peace river instead. I know peace river has charges, but the thing I'm worried about was the sign at manning saying that they charge facilities usage fees. If I get a bill from them I refuse to pay, as the facilities, such as fuel, weren't there...
Next time you come through let me know and you can stop and fuel up at my place. Always looking to meet more fellow pilots. And I won't charge a runway improvement fee.

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That happened to me also, got a bill in the mail from one of the airports I landed coming down from Alaska. I can't remember which airport it was at the moment, but it was less than $30. I remember paying the bill and thinking not to land at the bigger airports if I can avoid it.

My route was:
Whitehorse
Watson lake
Fort Nelson
Dawson creek
Quesnel

Must've been fort Nelson or Whitehorse.

I got fuel at Abbotsford, CYXX, Williams Lake, CYWL, Prince George, CYXS, Ft St John, CYXY, Ft Nelson, CYYE, Ft Simpson, CYFS, Normal Wells, CYVQ, and Inuvik, CYEV, the second and third week of August.

I have yet to get any additional charges in the mail. In fact, I have yet to get either the coming or going fuel bill from Ft Simpson; they tried to call a guy to come provide fuel. When he didn't answer, they just gave me the keys and a log to fill out and told me I would receive a bill in the mail. They also made sure that I understood to turn the pump off when I was done.

-Dick

I doubt it was Whitehorse. I've landed there a lot and never paid any fees or seen a bill. Nominally they have some sort of fee, like most airports, but don't enforce it.

Stop at Atlin is a better place. Half hour SE of Whitehorse and fuel is MUCH cheaper in general. This summer Atlin was about $1.65 while WH was $2.15/liter.

Greg

So back to the original post...

How much did they stick you for?

Ft St John billed me $20? $30? Something in that neighborhood. Can't remember. The bill showed up in the mail a few months after I flew through. And, as I recall, I got a small bill from NavCanada for services also. Which I thought was weird as I did that trip VFR and only filed VFR flight plans, and didn't use any enroute services.

Gump

GumpAir wrote:So back to the original post...

How much did they stick you for?

Ft St John billed me $20? $30? Something in that neighborhood. Can't remember. The bill showed up in the mail a few months after I flew through. And, as I recall, I got a small bill from NavCanada for services also. Which I thought was weird as I did that trip VFR and only filed VFR flight plans, and didn't use any enroute services.

Gump

NavCanada has a quaterly "user fee" anyone using Canadian airspace gets to pay. i try not to have a trip that crosses two quaters (just cheep that way). The fee is supposed to support Canadas FSS services. Interesting on the other fees, i stopped in Ft St John a few times and never got a bill, or from any of the other places i stopped. Has been a couple years since i was last through.

Chris

Delayed....Was looking for the invoice.
High Level:

Landing fees $10
Terminal fees $12
Airport Improvement fees $20

RR wrote:Delayed....Was looking for the invoice.
High Level:

Landing fees $10
Terminal fees $12
Airport Improvement fees $20

Just like Mexico

I just received a bill for $40 from Fort St. John: landing fees of $20 on August 11 and August 15

I don't know whether Dawson Creek is equally welcoming but I'm happy to spread the word: avoid Ft St. John.

NOTICE: for any citabria or scout pilots who are tired of Canada, I have a 90 gal Sorensen belly tank that was used for AV gas?

rjb wrote:I just received a bill for $40 from Fort St. John: landing fees of $20 on August 11 and August 15

I don't know whether Dawson Creek is equally welcoming but I'm happy to spread the word: avoid Ft St. John.

I've landed at Dawson lots and never gotten a fee.

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rjb wrote:I don't know whether Dawson Creek is equally welcoming but I'm happy to spread the word: avoid Ft St. John.

Recommend Dawson creek over ft st John, they won't charge you anything but you will have to pay cab fare for a long ride to town, but that's par for the course in Canada. Not to mention a nice grass ramp to park on

I did complain and I got into an email exchange with the airport manager.

The next to last email I received stated that landing fees are assessed on planes over 1500 KG. I pointed out that my published gross weight is 1134 KG (2500lb) and was told to send them back my bill with make and model.

We always stop at fairview instead of ft st john now for that reason, they have a credit card machine and a washroom, all I usually need.