Can I claim back Air Passenger Duty on a non-refundable ticket?

hannahvictorius

Hello,

I've done some searching and can't find a clear answer.

I have a flight booked for 8th Nov to Johannesburg return, which is non refundable and I can't change the date. I now cannot afford to go but read somewhere that I should be able to claim back APD.

I booked with Kenya Airways through ebookers and have contacted both parties separately.

Ebookers told me I could get £25 back in APD but they would charge £25 for the privilege.

Kenya Airways said I wouldn't get anything.

Is this the case?

I booked on my credit card, and as far as I can see, if the airline resells the ticket, they would get double the APD.

Breakdown of costs is as follows:

Flight
Adult: 1 £121.00
Taxes and fees £164.50
Total trip cost £285.50

Thanks in advance,
Hannah

Westin

The APD will have been included within the Taxes and Fees amount of your flight cost breakdown. It is not the full amount of £164.50 but rather £71 if you are in the economy cabin.

You should be able to claim for a refund of the £71 amount but the agent is at liberty to take an administration charge. If Ebookers have said that their charge is £25 you should still be able to claim £46 back.

hannahvictorius

Thank you Westin! I will challenge them on that

Heliflyguy

Its not just the APD thats refundable the UK passenger service charge UB and all the South African taxes and fees are refundable.

The YQ/YR fuel or carrier imposed charge cannot be refunded but thats a common rule.

hannahvictorius

That's even better.

Is there a link to anywhere that stipulates this so I have proof if needed?

tomtontom

Heliflyguy wrote: »

Its not just the APD thats refundable the UK passenger service charge UB and all the South African taxes and fees are refundable.

The YQ/YR fuel or carrier imposed charge cannot be refunded but thats a common rule.

The airline/ agent is not compelled to refund the passenger service charge.

I'm not aware of the rules relating to SA charges, do you have any further information on these?

Heliflyguy

Sorry no only that we deal with a lot of bookings to/from South Africa and we refund all the taxes/fees (EV UM WC ZA ZV) and the UK UB, no airlines have ADM,d us yet.

Other than that the GDS tax pages where there is no mention of if a tax/fee is refundable/not refundable for ZA.

hannahvictorius

Ok, I've tried to contact the airline/booking company and this is the response I keep getting.

Do I have to keep pushing?

Also, my flight is due to depart next weekend, so I need to cancel it soon.

'Thank you for your mail,
According to the rules of your tickets shows the ticket and taxes are non-refundable.
We are working according to the rules of ticket you purchased.'

Caz3121

hannahvictorius wrote: »

Also, my flight is due to depart next weekend, so I need to cancel it soon.

'Thank you for your mail,
According to the rules of your tickets shows the ticket and taxes are non-refundable.
We are working according to the rules of ticket you purchased.'

you will not be able to claim anything until the ticket is no longer valid - either the flight is past or you cancel
ebookers T&Cs
1.6 No show
You will, however, be entitled to a refund of any departure tax you may have paid for your flight (excluding low cost flights). To process a refund for any departure tax, we will charge an administration fee of £25 per passenger.

APD is £71 so no idea why they stated £25....however they will only refund you what they get back from Kenya Airways - most airlines refund APD....did you specifically state that you were looking to claim a refund of APD?

hannahvictorius

Yeah I mentioned APD specifically to ebookers and Kenya Airways.

Caz3121

although an older article, this may help
http://www.skyscanner.net/news/apd-refunds-how-claim-back-airline-tax
interesting it states
How to claim APD taxes back
When your flight is cancelled, you are well within your rights to claim back APD tax. Airlines are required to pass on the tax to the tax authorities, but only after you actually fly. So if your ticket goes unused you are entitled to claim back the tax, otherwise the airline pockets it! This could be one of the reasons it’s not very easy to do.

If you’ve had to cancel a flight and have been told the fare is non-refundable, contact the airline’s customer service department to request a tax refund. Note: a non-refundable ticket must be cancelled before the travel date otherwise you will be deemed a ‘no show’ and you will not be entitled to claim back the tax.

Each airline should publish details of how to claim back APD tax on its website. If you cannot find this, call the airline and request details.