If you’ve ever researched, booked or flown on British Airways to the UK, you’ve probably been frustrated by their sky high taxes. Well you are not alone. The CEO of British Airways would like to change that situation too. A message from the British Airways CEO was sent notifying customers of a campaign for A Fair Tax On Flying.

Message from Keith Williams (British Airways CEO)

Dear Mr Weekly Flyer,

As a frequent flyer, you will know as well as anyone that taxes on air travel are higher in the UK than anywhere else in the world – so I wanted to tell you about a campaign aimed at changing that.

In the last six years, Air Passenger Duty (APD) – the paid by airlines for each passenger departing a UK airport – 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 from the UK 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 click on “Not a UK Resident?”. This will generate an automatic letter to the UK minister responsible for APD, George Osborne, 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.

Best wishes,

Keith Williams,
British Airways CEO

Interesting facts about the APD:

• Introduced in 1994, it was originally just £5 per person for short-haul flights, and £10 elsewhere.
• Since then, successive governments have increased APD, so that passengers can now pay up to £184 on some long-haul flights.
• A typical family of four will pay an average of more than £115 each year in APD.
• The British Chambers of Commerce found that APD could cost the economy a staggering £10bn in lost growth and up to 250,000 fewer jobs over the next 20 years.

Campaign Members

• ABTA – the Travel Association
• American Airlines
• Airport Operators Association
• Association of National Tourist Offices and Representatives
• Birmingham Chamber of Commerce
• British Airline Pilots’ Association
• British Airways
• BAA
• The Board of Airline Representatives in the UK
• British Air Transport Association
• Blackpool Airport
• BMI
• Bristol Airport
• Carlson Wagonlit
• Definitive Caribbean
• European Tour Operators Association
• Expedia
• Gatwick Airport
• Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce
• Guild of Travel Management Companies
• Jet2
• Lastminute.com
• Leeds Bradford International Airport
• London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• London City Airport
• London Luton Airport
• Manchester Airports Group
• Manston Kent Airport
• Monarch, Multicom
• Newcastle International Airport
• Newmount Travel
• Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association
• The Caribbean Council
• The Co-operative Travel
• Thomas Cook
• Tourism Alliance
• TUI Travel PLC
• UKinbound
• Virgin Atlantic
• Virgin Holidays
• Wales Air Forum
• World Travel and Tourism Council

Thought this was interesting to pass along in case you wanted to check out the Fair Tax On Flying campaign.

Follow us on Twitter || Like us on Facebook || Sign Up For Email || Tips & Tricks Page