redder12 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 21, 2021 10:54 pm
I will be interested in the response from YYC. I have contacted ATAC asking the same question, and I am still waiting on a reply a year later...
Hi Redder and all others interested in this. Here is what I got back from a fairly helpful guy in the Calgary airport authority.
Me:Good day,
Online it says that the AIF is NOT charged for airline employees “on business” .If I am commuting from where I live, it is not on airline business as they magically believe that I reside in my home base (I do not), but it is on business (getting to or from my domicile to or from my airline base). Is the AIF charged for airline employees commuting to or from work on their own?
Thanks for the reply,
Them:Good morning,
Thank you for your message.
Your email has been forwarded to the right department.
Kind regards,
YYC
Dey Asis
Them #2 :Can you let me know what invoice # this is in reference to?
Thanks,
Michael Canas
AERONAUTICAL BILLING/ ACCOUNTING
Me:Good day Michael,
There is no invoice other than a booking reference / PNR and a ticket number and I suppose a record of charges which would look like this:
Total Government taxes 12.73 CAD
- CA4 7.12 CAD
- SQ 5.00 CAD
- XG8 0.36 CAD
- XG9 0.25 CAD
myIDTravel Fee 2.05 CAD
It is in regards to commuting pilots being charged an AIF when commuting on their own dime. I may be based at a large centre like Calgary or Vancouver but live elsewhere for economic and or family reasons and thus commute. Can you tell me if the AIF is charged to us when we book through a site called MyIDtravel (run by Lufthansa) for commuter travel? Is it part of CA4 , SQ,XG8, or XG9 as in the example?
Thanks for getting back and have a Merry Christmas,
Them:Unfortunately this booking has nothing to do with YYC airport as I have not heard or seen anything on MyIDTravel.
The fees noted are not to do with the airport. You may need to contact the site you booked this from.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Thanks,
Michael Canas
Me:Thanks Micheal for the quick response,
Are you able to tell me if the AIF is charged on all travellers or not and what the exemptions are and how those exemptions are specifically defined?
Thanks,
Them:Not a problem.
At YYC we bill AIF to all revenue passengers (but this is something the airlines report to us). The way they sell tickets may be different.
Thanks!
Michael Canas
I left it at that. From what I can tell, it looks like the magic formula is to not be charged even a token fare like WS did in the past. Will all the airlines participating in the JS program look to make the cost $0.00 to make costs less for commuters? TBD. It can be done. First Air was excellent. It was literally free. Not a cent. I think that the airline ops departments would like to be helpful to commuters but I am speculating that perhaps some beancounter decides that a even a token fare must be charged and that triggers the AIFs etc. As more people decide to go with their pandemic plan B as their new plan A (ie quitting as a few have that I know) and as suddenly the mythical pilot shortage becomes a reality, as we are seeing south of the border, then maybe this AIF business will see some more heat and light from the beancounters as they realize that the pool of experienced pilots is not as deep as it was in the past and "how can we make it better?". Even better would be if the USA CASS program were to come into being up here as it is in the states. Personally I'd rather perch on on an actual jumpseat with a coffee watching how another outfit conducts ops, and then have good chat once in cruise, than sit in the trunk with all the farting and snorting bad travellers and their howling children. To be fair, many are good travelers but it's the few who make it a misery for the many....anyhow, thread drift. Back to the topic of AIFs. IMO these should not exist for commuting aircrew (pilots and FA's) but I expect that only a prolonged labour shortage with this as one of the causes will make this go away for good.
Over to the crowd for their comments and Happy New Year.
Mijbil, the otter of Camusfearna.