It seems British Airways is finally pushing “A Fair Tax on Flying” with a message that was sent out yesterday to UK BA Executive Club members:
Text:
In the last six years, Air Passenger Duty (APD) has risen more than 300 per cent on many routes – while inflation has increased barely 20 per cent.
Some customers are now paying £184 for a single journey, while the cost for families taking their annual holiday has sky-rocketed: In 2006, a family of four flying to the Caribbean would pay £80 in APD – today they would pay £324 in World Traveller, or £648 in World Traveller Plus, Club World, or First.
This level of increase has no justification and no international parallel. Yet the UK Government has firm plans to keep on raising APD every year to 2017.
This tax also acts as a brake on growth and jobs for the whole economy by making it more difficult for businesses to reach new markets, and making the UK less attractive to overseas visitors.
How can you help? Just take a few seconds to visit www.afairtaxonflying.org and key in your postcode. This will generate an automatic letter to your MP, calling for action on a tax that is now far too high and inflicting real damage on the UK’s efforts to move out of recession. Add your name, send and you’re done.
This is an important campaign – and I hope you will support us in it.
Now, I’m actually all for this campaign (see my writing about it here – and if you’re in the United Kingdom I’d urge you to fill the form out) and I’ve had an unsatisfactory response from my local MP that glosses over the subject and promotes her party ideology (but that is of course besides the point)
However there is one little thing that BA also needs to look at – the stupid fuel surcharges. What do I mean by that? Have a look at the breakdown for a trip from LHR-ORD-LHR in October:
Lets look at those numbers:
- £99 for the actual airfare
- Taxes and surcharges of £349.19
And here’s the breakdown:
But numbers are all fine – lets put this in a pretty chart:
Data: British Airways from BA.com.
Based on a single person departing LHR 17/10, Returning from ORD 22/10 on a sale fare, price quoted 30th September
Looking at the pretty chart there are three big lumps in it – the Air Fare (in yellow), APD (in a purple-y colour) and then in glorious magenta is the stinger of the Fuel Surcharge.
Now whilst there is no way round the surcharge in real terms (as fuel costs a darn lot – especially when you need to fill up a 777), there’s got to be a better way of factoring this into the airfare rather than keep it as a big blob to deal with…
However, mad surcharges aside, A Fair Tax on Flying is a campaign I’d urge you to support because Air Passenger Duty isn’t working and does damage to the UK Economy.
Head to www.afairtaxonflying.org to tell you MP what you think of those APD charges.
So there is a 43% tax on the ticket price (the fuel surchage should be included in the airfare, this is just a marketing ploy). Doesn’t seem that excessive if you compare it to others modes of transportation, especially since airplaine fuel is hardly taxed.
I commented this is a reason I avoid travel to England. I would love to go often but avoid with this much tax!
BA’s fuel surcharges are a reason I avoid BA. Call the fare the freaking fare and be done with it.