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Landing fees approved for San Carlos and Half Moon Bay airports

Original post made on Aug 9, 2017

Landing fees that will offset some of the San Carlos Airport's additional operating costs incurred since Surf Air started using the airport for scheduled commercial flights in 2013 have been approved by the county.

Read the full story here Web Link posted Wednesday, August 9, 2017, 11:46 AM

Comments (11)

Posted by Well Done
a resident of Atherton: West Atherton
on Aug 9, 2017 at 1:31 pm

Thank you to the County Supervisors for their actions and for the Almanac's reporting.


Posted by gb
a resident of Menlo Park: Fair Oaks
on Aug 9, 2017 at 1:33 pm

Finally the Supervisors have stepped up to our suggestions, happy to see this change. I understand the skeptics who assume the county will enjoy the additional revenue and not take steps to modify the Surf Air Disruption.
It's a start toward gaining back the bucolic neighborhood we once knew and loved.


Posted by Gary Mull
a resident of Menlo Park: Fair Oaks
on Aug 9, 2017 at 2:46 pm

Glad to see action, but the fee will not deter Surf Air. They will simply pass the cost along to their customers. Given most of the Surf Air flyers are probably subscribed via business expense, it won't stop them from using the service. Now that the county has a new revenue stream, how likely are they to want to stop Surf Air from their continued nuisance flights over our homes?


Posted by common sense
a resident of Atherton: Lindenwood
on Aug 9, 2017 at 3:31 pm

I fail to see any victory here for those of us who have these noisy planes wake us up early every day, can't have conversations in our homes due to high noise levels, and keep us awake at night with their late night landings. Now the County will have no incentive to limit their flights since the County will now benefit from the new fees. I have never seen a government official who would take the side on the citizens over the revenue. Money is just going to be like crack cocaine to the County and I think we have just lost our battle. Surf Air will certainly opt to pay the fees and pass it on to their clients. I personally think we need to clean out the County Supervisors and replace them with more citizen friendly group.


Posted by Apple
a resident of Atherton: other
on Aug 9, 2017 at 4:30 pm

@Common Sense

Actually, it is a win for your side.

Higher costs means flights with less demand are now more likely to be eliminated. Those flights tend to be late evening or very early morning (i.e. the ones residents complain they are woken up by).

Moreover, the county now has a revenue source to pay for staff time to make San Carlos less hospitable for SA....uh, I mean to work on airport affairs.

And who says this will be the final increase. Next year, the supervisors will find costs have increased. Time for another increase. And another.

It's the slow turn of the screw.

At some point, SA may find another airport, such as Palo Alto, more welcoming of its business and just get out of San Carlos.


Posted by Menlo Voter.
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Aug 9, 2017 at 4:35 pm

Menlo Voter. is a registered user.

"At some point, SA may find another airport, such as Palo Alto, more welcoming of its business and just get out of San Carlos."

Not PAO. Runnway isn't long enough.


Posted by Jetman
a resident of another community
on Aug 9, 2017 at 8:14 pm

Just great. The County Supervisors take steps to make sure these two County owned and operated enterprises are compensated for the increased cost associated with Surfair's operations, but nothing for the citizens that are suffering from the noise.

These are the same County Supervisors that created the problem in the first place by selling their rights and responsibility to regulate these airports to the FAA.

And people thank them! Please sir can I have another one?


Posted by Know the facts
a resident of Menlo Park: Downtown
on Aug 10, 2017 at 9:25 am

Actually, PAO is long enough. PC-12's fly out of there all the time.

Yet another example of people commenting on these they don't know about.

Also, mean time between failure for a PT6 engine is about 300,000 hours. You're more likely to get hurt or killed by getting the mail than by an airplane overflying your house.


Posted by Peter Carpenter
a resident of Atherton: Lindenwood
on Aug 10, 2017 at 2:33 pm

Peter Carpenter is a registered user.

A PC-12 with the number of passengers being carried and fuel loads required for the destinations that it serves is at a gross takeoff weight which requires a longer runway than is available at Palo Alto airport.

PC-12s flying in and out of PAO are no fully loaded with either passengers or fuel.


Posted by Menlo Voter.
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Aug 10, 2017 at 4:29 pm

Menlo Voter. is a registered user.

Know the facts:

Peter beat me to it. Agree with you regarding the PT-6. Also the PC-12 is the safest single engine aircraft in the world.


Posted by Name hidden
a resident of Atherton: West of Alameda

on Sep 24, 2017 at 5:19 pm

Due to repeated violations of our Terms of Use, comments from this poster are automatically removed. Why?


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