Virgin offers discount vouchers to counteract APD rise
Virgin Atlantic is countering the hike in Air Passenger Duty by giving discount vouchers to passengers who booked in advance of the December announcement by Chancellor Gordon Brown.
Passengers who are liable for additional APD because they booked their flight on or before December 12, and have paid it online prior to arriving at the airport, will be given a voucher at the airport which can be exchanged for £20 off a future Economy booking or £40 off a future Premium Economy or Upper Class booking.
The tax rises from £20 to £40 for Economy passengers and from £40 to £80 for Premium Economy and Upper Class passengers for travel after February 1.
The airline’s chief executive Steve Ridgway said: “Virgin Atlantic is really disappointed that Gordon Brown took the extraordinary measure of charging additional APD to passengers who had already booked their flights before the announcement was made.
“Therefore we have decided to offer those passengers paying their additional APD online money off a future flight with Virgin Atlantic. We, along with our passengers, will be very interested to see whether the additional taxes do indeed go into environmental initiatives as promised by the Government.”
Report by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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