Uk Air Passenger Duty

[UbonOz]

I have just been reading about the APD(Air Passenger Duty) which is charged for departures from the UK to non-EU countries. It is charged on the distance of the first leg from the UK. So, if flying LHR/SIN you pay more than someone flying LHR/DXB/SIN.

The fee can be in the vicinity of GBP200.00.

Apparently, Amsterdam does not have these fees.

Interestingly, I looked at Eva Air which can be booked online as an open jaw, ie. BKK/LHR & AMS/BKK and the fare is identical as BKK/LHR/BKK. Does this mean that Eva Air is ripping it customers off?

There has been discussion on TVF about this before, but has anyone actually proved that it is cheaper to fly into the UK and out of Europe.

I would be interested to know if other travelllers have actually used this method to avoid the taxes, or any other similar routing.

[cardholder]

Compare EVA flights with Thai and I doubt they could ever be accused of 'ripping off' customers.

If they are pocketing 200 Quid but still offering great value fares I will not complain.

[UbonOz]

Compare EVA flights with Thai and I doubt they could ever be accused of 'ripping off' customers.

If they are pocketing 200 Quid but still offering great value fares I will not complain.

I agree to a point.

What if a family of four is travelling, that is GBP800.00 more, a fair bit of holiday money down the pan. I can hire a car in the UK for six weeks for that sort of money.

[UbonOz]

Just looked at the taxes I have paid on return ticket BKK/LHR/BKK via CMB.

All in Thai Baht - 410 YR, 5780 YQ, 700 TS, 8170 GB, 1960 UB.

Double that for two passengers travelling. UK taxes are over 20,000 baht for the two of us.

[yermanee]

Just looked at the taxes I have paid on return ticket BKK/LHR/BKK via CMB.

All in Thai Baht - 410 YR, 5780 YQ, 700 TS, 8170 GB, 1960 UB.

Double that for two passengers travelling. UK taxes are over 20,000 baht for the two of us.

Just checked on Matrix difference for eva air for flights to LHR or AMS'

Ticket difference 4515,- Baht

LHR duties compared to AMS duties = 5515 for LHR and 1170 for AMS.

Other (fuel + BKK TAX) are the same.

Cheers

Yermanee

[roamer]

Just looked at the taxes I have paid on return ticket BKK/LHR/BKK via CMB.

All in Thai Baht - 410 YR, 5780 YQ, 700 TS, 8170 GB, 1960 UB.

Double that for two passengers travelling. UK taxes are over 20,000 baht for the two of us.

Just checked on Matrix difference for eva air for flights to LHR or AMS'

Ticket difference 4515,- Baht

LHR duties compared to AMS duties = 5515 for LHR and 1170 for AMS.

Other (fuel + BKK TAX) are the same.

Cheers

Yermanee

Just looked at the taxes I have paid on return ticket BKK/LHR/BKK via CMB.

All in Thai Baht - 410 YR, 5780 YQ, 700 TS, 8170 GB, 1960 UB.

Double that for two passengers travelling. UK taxes are over 20,000 baht for the two of us.

Just checked on Matrix difference for eva air for flights to LHR or AMS'

Ticket difference 4515,- Baht

LHR duties compared to AMS duties = 5515 for LHR and 1170 for AMS.

Other (fuel + BKK TAX) are the same.

Cheers

Yermanee

Is that really you Yermanee ? I only ask because your post made perfect sense

[steve187]

OP

APD is charged on the final destination, for the passenger. LHR/SIN would be the same LHR/DXB/SIN

the following text is copied from this link - http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageExcise_ShowContent&propertyType=document&id=HMCE_CL_000505

''APD is a duty of Excise which is levied on the carriage, from a UK airport, of chargeable passengers on chargeable aircraft. It becomes due when a flight with chargeable passengers occurs and is payable by the operator of the aircraft. The amount due is dependent on the final destination and class of travel of the chargeable passenger.''

if you book an economy flight LHR/AMS and then a seperate booking of AMS/BKK the duty payable would be £13, If the same journey was booked on one booking the duty payable would be £81.

I checked once for a BA flight from AMS/LHR/BKK was cheaper than LHR/BKK, BA would be giving you an extra flight AMS/LHR and the trip would still be cheaper.

Although AMS have no or reduced APD, airlines are normally charging the same or more for flights to the same destination,than if you flew from LHR, I think this could be due to there being a grater demand for LHR than from AMS, ie Cathay have 4 flights daily LHR/HKG and only one AMS/HKG

I am lucky to be in a postion to buy a ticket at a set price and then pay any applicable taxes on top, so by flying from AMS i could save £81 (or £162 business) by doing so.

The APD is only payable by the airline once you actually make the flight for which you have booked, if you do not make the trip you should be able to claim a refund of the APD

[tw25rw]

OP

APD is charged on the final destination, for the passenger. LHR/SIN would be the same LHR/DXB/SIN

Yes, it would have to be 2 tickets. A good excuse to spend a night in Amsterdam if you ask me.

[theoldgit]

@ UbonOz

You are charged to the final destination, if it's a connecting ticket from London, with a connection of less than 24 hours, you are charged APD to the final destination.

So in your scenario with Eva they are not conning you, if it's on one ticket they are correct to charge the APD to the final destination. To make matters worse, if you booked an economy to Amsterdam and then a premium seat to Bangkok, a premium seat is one with a seat pitch that exceeds 40 inches, then you pay the higher rate for the journey even though you flew out of London in economy.

Certainly the idea of a night in Amsterdam would work, it doesn't have to be two tickets, just a connection of more than 24 hours, though two tickets makes it easier.

Amsterdam did impose this tax at one stage and then realised that they were losing a lot of business so scrapped it, this fact seems to have been lost on the UK Government, who increase the tax every year regardless.

I have booked flights to Paris in the summer and have paid 24,000 Baht, the fare to London on the same date with the same carrier was 33,000 Baht, so quite a saving. We were going to Paris anyway so the 9000 baht saving will pay for our Paris hotels, our Eurostar tickets would need to purchased either way.

An interesting anomaly is that the band is calculated by the capital city of the destination not the destination itself, so a flight to LA, 5400 miles, would be in a lower band that one to Barbados, 4200 miles.

[UbonOz]

The article I read mentioned in the OP is obviously wrong. It did mention how much the UK had lost in flights and passengers by introducing the tax and the airlines are battling to have it withdrawn.

I suppose that is the current mentality of the government to cream in money at every possible opportunity.

I find it all rather distasteful.

[UbonOz]

I suppose the saying "Death & Taxes are the only certainties in life" is certainly true.

[RHCP]

The article I read mentioned in the OP is obviously wrong. It did mention how much the UK had lost in flights and passengers by introducing the tax and the airlines are battling to have it withdrawn.

I suppose that is the current mentality of the government to cream in money at every possible opportunity.

I find it all rather distasteful.

So true. The same could be said about the rip-off visa charges too. The UK government goes for the soft targets that will lose them very few votes.

[Ricardo]

The article I read mentioned in the OP is obviously wrong. It did mention how much the UK had lost in flights and passengers by introducing the tax and the airlines are battling to have it withdrawn.

I suppose that is the current mentality of the government to cream in money at every possible opportunity.

I find it all rather distasteful.

Wonder how long it might be, before we're also charged to get into the UK, as well as for escaping from it ?

[briley]

I look at using Amsterdam a few years ago, but found the cost of getting to Amsterdam outweighed the saving in the tax and subsequent airfare. Unless you are near London and use Eurostar to Brussels and then local trains to Schipol.

Also found that the Amsterdam fare higher than the Manchester fare despite the lower tax, my suspicion is that was due to the fewer people flying out of Amsterdam and hence lower loading on their flights.

[Maestro]

I have deleted an off-topic post about "all the Indians, Pols and upcoming Bulgarian and Romanians" and the replies to it.

[Maestro]

Just looked at the taxes I have paid on return ticket BKK/LHR/BKK via CMB.

All in Thai Baht - 410 YR, 5780 YQ, 700 TS, 8170 GB, 1960 UB.

Double that for two passengers travelling. UK taxes are over 20,000 baht for the two of us.

410 YR = Carrier-Imposed Surcharges

5780 YQ = Carrier-Imposed Surcharges

700 TS = Thailand: Domestic Passenger Service Charge

8170 GB = United Kingdom: Air Passenger Duty

1960 UB = United Kingdom: Passenger Service Charge

YQ/YR are usually so-called fuel surcharges

[Maestro]

From the OP:

Apparently, Amsterdam does not have these fees.

Amsterdam airport has the following fees (in Baht):

585 The Netherlands Passenger Service Charge (RN)

80 The Netherlands Noise Isolation Charge (VV)

485 The Netherlands Security Service Charge (CJ)

[theoldgit]

From the OP:

Apparently, Amsterdam does not have these fees.

Amsterdam airport has the following fees (in Baht):

585 The Netherlands Passenger Service Charge (RN)

80 The Netherlands Noise Isolation Charge (VV)

485 The Netherlands Security Service Charge (CJ)

Yes Amsterdam does indeed charge the figures you quote, but London also charges a Passenger Service Charge of 1785 Baht, which includes the cost of security, as against Amsterdam's total of 1150.

The point the OP is making is that passengers flying out of London to Bangkok have to pay 3720 Baht Air Passenger Duty in addition to the Passenger Service Charge, double in a premium cabin, this is a tax imposed by the Treasury and is over and above the PSC imposed by the airports and carriers, it's this tax that was scrapped by the Dutch Government when they realised they were losing business.