Cancelling a flight... Am I entitled to some of the taxes and charges back?

[mikey0118]

I booked a return flight from London Heathrow to Orlando (via Amsterdam) and flew out at the beginning of the month. The return journey is booked for this coming Saturday but I am now need to delay my plans by approximately 6 weeks. Unfortunately, I opted for the cheapest possible fare, which does not allow for changes or refunds, so I am going to cancel the flight and re-book a one-way flight at a later date.

My question is, if I should cancel this flight, does anybody know if I am entitled to some of the taxes that were paid? Of my £373.00 fare, a mere £90.00 was the cost of the ticket, with the remainder as 'taxes and charges'. From experience, does anybody know if refunds are given on taxes, or am I wasting my time pursuing this? The airline has so far been of very little help to me, and despite four telephone calls, I am still no closer to having them answer the question.

[KARL]

Regrettably, I have to say your prospects are probably not good - but I would urge you to keep trying. While the airline is almost certainly entitled to refuse to refund the basic/pure airfare, it is not at all clear cut about the fees (some maybe, not all of them) and least of all the taxes. What I know of past practice points to airlines routinely pocketing the lot whereas the taxes are collected in advance for government agencies - in this the airline guards itself against liabilities arising once you fly. In actual fact, the airline pays taxes for the passengers actually on the flight that has taken off (not if the flight is cancelled and not for those who are no-show). In strict legal terms, the airline cannot justify charging taxes which they will not ever have to pay. I would suggest you contact any consumer organisation (Which, Citizens Advice Bureau, Consumer Direct, etc.) for advice because they may know of legal precedent in the courts, etc. I regard it significant that you have had no clear response from the airline - this sort of reaction is common among many companies, all sorts including credit card companies, they try to kill the claim with inertia. You should put your demand in writing (preferably by registered post) - when doing so ask for a full refund and let them cut it down to taxes only if they want. But after this you should have a response you can quote, or not if they fail to answer. Good luck.

[dzug]

Taxes are refundable but charges (and the fare) are not.

You may find (it varies by airline) that an admin fee cancels out the refund.

And your mention of rebooking a one way flight later rings (slight) alarm bells. Firstly, if you cancel the outbound flight, they will almost certainly automatically cancel the return as well.

And the US are fussy about you having a return ticket on arrival - unless you have a proper visa. Apologies if you knew all this

[dzug]

oops sorry - misread the direction of your journey. Ignore all but the first two lines of my post

In the UK direction actual taxes may well be minimal anyway

[mikey0118]

Thanks both for taking the time to reply.

Fortunately, there are no issues on the visa side of things. I have been in Orlando for a year now and have already made two trips home in that time. Aside from the ridiculous lines at immigration, there have never been any problems and never any questions asked.

Thanks again.