Industry fury over UK air tax hike
Threatened chaos at UK airports during a nationwide strike by public sector workers over pension reforms was avoided yesterday after extra staff was drafted in.
UK's major airports including Heathrow and Gatwick were all running smoothly even during peak periods. Some passengers said border controls were "better than usual".
Passengers did have some bad news to digest, however, after the British government increased rates for Air Passenger Duty (APD) from next April, and also confirmed passengers already booked to fly would have to pay the additional tax.
Long haul travellers are hit the hardest. Tax on departures to Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile and other destinations will rise from £85 to £92.
APD on premium economy and business class fares will be double these rates,
Virgin Atlantic chief commercial officer Julie Southern led a furious travel industry response to the backdating of the tax.
“It’s completely unacceptable that millions of passengers now face an additional tax bill on tickets they have already paid for.
“People would never be expected to pay extra duty for the petrol already in their cars or wine in their fridge. Why does the Treasury think it acceptable to retrospectively charge airline passengers?” she said.
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025