Taxes going up on some long haul flights

Lucy1973

from monday. Can be as much as 55%. We are hoping to go to New York next year and wondered if anyone knew what long haul flights would be affected(Florida was mentioned). Thanks in advance.

whatmichaelsays

The system has changed so that it is based on distance from London to the capital city of the country that you are flying to. The problem with that is that you could fly to the Caribbean and pay more than what you would if you were flying to Hawaii, despite flying a longer distance.

The city you fly to in the USA is largely irrelevant for Air Passenger Duty - the tax is based on the distance to Washington DC. From November 1, this will be £120.00 per passenger over two years of age (up from £90 per passenger)

Barcode

Get a cheap flight to e.g. Amsterdam, pay the extra quid, then fly to New York with KLM. Somewhat inconvenient, but if time is not a factor, and you don't mind travelling. Suspect this is what I'll be doing should I go long-haul next year.

clarabelle41

I would also be interested to know coz I've already booked last month with Virgin for a caribbean hotel/cruise holiday August 2011, the cost of which is already stressing me out (deposit alone was £1200) & Virgin wanted ridiculous amounts of money to cancel/change only 72hrs after booking & it took them 4 weeks to send the booking confirmation. Don't think my pocket can take the strain....

davetrousers

So if I book flights today for next summer and pay in full, will I 'beat' the tax rise or will I have to pay an additional sum later?

I'm surprised there was no mention of this in the weekly email.

spiro

These increases were announced about 3-6 months ago, they have only just come into force today.

whatmichaelsays

davetrousers wrote: »

So if I book flights today for next summer and pay in full, will I 'beat' the tax rise or will I have to pay an additional sum later?

I'm surprised there was no mention of this in the weekly email.

No. The tax is based on the day of departure from the UK and will be built into your fare price.

davetrousers

From the Virgin Website

4.2 Taxes, fees and charges

Applicable taxes, fees and charges imposed by government or other authority, or by the operator of an airport, shall be payable by you. When you purchase your Ticket, you will be advised of taxes, fees and charges not included in the fare, most of which will normally be shown separately on the Ticket. The taxes, fees and charges imposed on air travel are constantly changing and can be imposed after the date of issue of your Ticket. If there is an increase in a tax, fee or charge shown on the Ticket, you will be obliged to pay it. Likewise, if a new tax, fee or charge is imposed even after the date of issue of your Ticket, you will be obliged to pay it. Similarly, in the event any taxes, fees or charges which you have paid to us at the time of issue of your Ticket are abolished or reduced such that they no longer apply to you, or a lesser amount is due, you will be entitled to claim a refund.

Incapuppy

spiro wrote: »

These increases were announced about 3-6 months ago, they have only just come into force today.

Unless I am getting it confused with something else, I thought that airlines had already been incorporating the increase into all advertised fares for departure after 1 Nov?

Moonchild

Incapuppy wrote: »

Unless I am getting it confused with something else, I thought that airlines had already been incorporating the increase into all advertised fares for departure after 1 Nov?

Correct. Booking in the next couple of days won't save you any money, unless you also fly in the next couple of days.

Lucy1973

So do we know yet which long haul flights would be affected with the tax rise. They said *some*,not all flights:question: