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British response to FOI request about the airport
#104830
08/08/2016 05:21 PM
08/08/2016 05:21 PM
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Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 10,999 Macon, Georgia
GlennA
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While the BVI government has been reluctant to release any consultant reports on the Beef Island expansion, the British government did release their report as a result of a FOI request. Here is a link to their report. Interesting that I ball parked a $150pp usage fee and that seems to be the generally accepted number in this report.
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. - Mark Twain
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Re: British response to FOI request about the airport
[Re: GlennA]
#104831
08/08/2016 06:40 PM
08/08/2016 06:40 PM
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 8,530 Ya never know...
HillsideView
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That $150 fee is the nail in the coffin. " commercial acceptability of an additional $150 passenger levy (the Boyd Report suggests airlines may require an incentive rather than a levy). Gov't thinks they can collect an ADDITIONAL $150 when it's likely the airlines will expect a subsidy. That trans shipping port in Anegada is looking more reasonable by the minute <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />
Last edited by HillsideView; 08/08/2016 07:02 PM.
My foot fits right into my shoe and my shoe will fit right into your...
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Re: British response to FOI request about the airport
[Re: GlennA]
#104833
08/08/2016 07:29 PM
08/08/2016 07:29 PM
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Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 559 Apex, NC
agrimsrud
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Pretty cool how a FOI request filed on July 20 of this year has already been processed and responded to. Like that would even come close to happening in the US. Kudos to the Brits!
Life's short - sail more!
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Re: British response to FOI request about the airport
[Re: agrimsrud]
#104834
08/09/2016 02:50 AM
08/09/2016 02:50 AM
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 4,009 U.K. and Spain
Jeannius
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agrimsrud said: Pretty cool how a FOI request filed on July 20 of this year has already been processed and responded to. Like that would even come close to happening in the US. Kudos to the Brits! That'll be because they wanted it releasing. You try requesting something they'd rather keep quiet and see how long that takes <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />
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Re: British response to FOI request about the airport
[Re: GeorgeC1]
#104837
08/09/2016 08:14 AM
08/09/2016 08:14 AM
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,688 Memphis, BVI, CT
RatmansWife
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It wasn't clear, either, whether that was $150 each way, which would be $300 r/t. At that price, even more traffic would go to STT!
StormJib, we must have read a different report! It said this is "amber/red" because a private entity won't finance it and the government can't. They are already tapped out on borrowing under the Protocols. I doubt the Panama Papers have improved that.
What this does is provide cover for the government to postpone the project.
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Re: British response to FOI request about the airport
[Re: StormJib]
#104838
08/09/2016 08:19 AM
08/09/2016 08:19 AM
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 4,275 Vero Beach, Fl and South Sound...
tpcook
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Stormjib I for one am not interested in paying an additional $100 if I fly thru STT to come to the BVI. Why would I be interested in supporting an airport which would give me little in return?
Sounds like fixing the ferry service is the way to go for the BVI.
tpcook
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Re: British response to FOI request about the airport
[Re: tpcook]
#104839
08/09/2016 11:03 AM
08/09/2016 11:03 AM
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Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,049
StormJib
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If you are flying to STT, catching a taxi, then a ferry you are already expending in the area of +/-$100 to use STT as your transportation hub. When you factor in the lost vacation time. Time where many are spending great sums for every minute in the BVI. The costs to connect through STT or SJU are far greater. Many others on this forum post about spending the first and/or last night on St. Thomas as some expense. Direct jet service to the US mainland from the East Coast will increase the value of every villa in the BVI and the rental rates of every villa in the BVI. Without a competitive sustainable fix to ingress and egress to the BVI, property values and revenues will wither.
Last edited by StormJib; 08/09/2016 04:10 PM.
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Re: British response to FOI request about the airport
[Re: tpcook]
#104840
08/09/2016 12:31 PM
08/09/2016 12:31 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 191 Eastern MA
tothedogs
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I think that everyone in the BVI is going to end up economically supporting this whether they wish to or not. Returning from a recent charter on a flight out of STT, I ended up sitting next to one of the members of the House of Assembly. I could not resist bringing up the airport. According to him, this is a done deal and it is a matter of sorting through the bids and finding a way to pay for it.
It does not seem likely to me that the entire cost can be passed through to the traveler with the $150 subsidy, departure, and other fees on top of the air fare. This could make private water taxis from STT look cheap by comparison.
Last edited by tothedogs; 08/09/2016 02:58 PM.
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Re: British response to FOI request about the airport
[Re: GeorgeC1]
#104844
08/09/2016 05:43 PM
08/09/2016 05:43 PM
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 8,530 Ya never know...
HillsideView
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I'm sure the ferry and water taxi companies can't wait. They'll be able to jack their rates up $100 a ticket and still be cheaper,that is, unless the gov't decides to escalate ALL the departure taxes, regardless of mode of transportation.
My foot fits right into my shoe and my shoe will fit right into your...
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Re: British response to FOI request about the airport
[Re: GeorgeC1]
#104845
08/09/2016 09:05 PM
08/09/2016 09:05 PM
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 4,275 Vero Beach, Fl and South Sound...
tpcook
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So $300 for a r/t from Sju to EIS You got to be kidding! That will kill air travel from SJU to EIS. All of these costs are out of control. What are they going to charge a cruise passenger $15. Let them also pay the $100 entrance fee.
tpcook
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Re: British response to FOI request about the airport
[Re: tpcook]
#104847
08/09/2016 09:43 PM
08/09/2016 09:43 PM
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Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,049
StormJib
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tpcook said: So $300 for a r/t from Sju to EIS You got to be kidding! That will kill air travel from SJU to EIS. All of these costs are out of control. What are they going to charge a cruise passenger $15. Let them also pay the $100 entrance fee. For now there is a guaranteed contract both ways at $15 per head. The way the cruise ship industry works is the ship operators put their visits out to bid. Today and even more so tomorrow there will be more Caribbean births than ships. The results will be according to the sophisticated plans of the cruise ship operators. That plan is a world where ports or local governments bid to pay ships to visit their markets. If anyone pays for the airport expansion it will be through hospitality taxes or fees on overnight visitors.
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Re: British response to FOI request about the airport
[Re: NCSailor]
#104850
08/10/2016 11:13 AM
08/10/2016 11:13 AM
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Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,049
StormJib
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NCSailor said: The report seems to be two years old. Have any of the recommendations been adopted? I am not sure I understand the question? But, the VI local press has published several pieces on the report this week and more on the airport last week. Here is one sample and link: It also made six major recommendations as to how the BVI could have improved the project. "While it remains unclear if the BVI implemented all six recommendations, the NDP government went ahead with the general election on June 8 last year, without even signing a contract for the airport expansion project." http://bvinews.com/new/uk-averts-major-pre-election-blunder-in-bvi/
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Re: British response to FOI request about the airport
[Re: StormJib]
#104852
08/11/2016 11:07 PM
08/11/2016 11:07 PM
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,040 Charlotte, NC
NCSailor
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StormJib said:NCSailor said: The report seems to be two years old. Have any of the recommendations been adopted? I am not sure I understand the question? Ron, What part of the question didn't you understand? The part where I asked if the report was two years old? Or whether any of the recommendations were implemented? I guess its easier for you to just cut and paste instead of answering the questions I posed.
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Re: British response to FOI request about the airport
[Re: NCSailor]
#104853
08/12/2016 02:20 PM
08/12/2016 02:20 PM
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Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,049
StormJib
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NCSailor said:StormJib said:NCSailor said: The report seems to be two years old. Have any of the recommendations been adopted? I am not sure I understand the question? Ron, What part of the question didn't you understand? The part where I asked if the report was two years old? Or whether any of the recommendations were implemented? I guess its easier for you to just cut and paste instead of answering the questions I posed. You can find part of the recommended actions here: http://www.bvi.gov.vg/pub/BVI%20TBLIA%20...0May%202016.pdfWith the expansion of the Airport on Antigua and the pledge to double the hotel rooms there and the pending opening of the very large runway on St. Vincent. I do not know how anyone would produce an "investment grade" report on the future traffic for any area airport much less an unbuilt extension of a runway. While some press reports claim nothing has been done on the recommendation list. There appears to me some action on the list made available to the public. http://bvinews.com/new/american-airline-likely-to-return-signs-mou/The only rational path I see to "investment grade" anything would be some form of dedicated hospitality tax that would give a sovereign guarantee any new debts would be paid back. There is a "new" PwC report see link above. There is a non-binding MOU with AA.
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