Airfare tax

[monruth]

Does anyone know how to check if the travel agent/airline has charged the correct tax ? Is there a website for this ?
I am paying a very large sum in tax and instinctively it feels too high.
Thanks

[Buenchico]

You've not stated where you're flying to (or, indeed, from). Taxes will vary from one country to another.

Economy passengers, departing from UK airports pay the following rates of Air Passenger Duty. (The three figures I've given are in this format: "Current / From November 2009 / From November 2010"):

Band A (Domestic and European destinations): �10 / �11 /�12

Band B (Up to 4000 miles, inc USA & Egypt): �40 / �45 / �60

Band C (Caribbean): �40 / �50 /�75

Band D (Australia & New Zealand): �40 / �60 / �85

Business & First Class passengers pay double those rates.

Sources:
http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebAp p/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_page Label=pageExcise_ShowContent&propertyType=docu ment&id=HMCE_CL_000505
and
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/3 514101/Pre-Budget-report-air-passenger-duty-to -rise.html

Chris

[monruth]

Hi Chris
Thanks for your reply. I am flying from Heathrow to Johannesburg then connecting to Cape Town. From LHR to Cape Town am in business class as used voyager miles to upgrade but return is ordinary economy class.
I was given the price of the ticket including taxes and then asked for an additional �81 for business class tax.
So even using points and only going b.c. one way the ticket is �1000.-

Maybe it is correct - I am used to paying around �500 and the upgrade is free hence my quering if I was charged the right price.

Maybe I am being opportunist in hoping for an error and refund.....

[Buenchico]

Thanks for the reply.

Assuming that the (undated) web page I've just consulted is up to date, and that there's no difference between economy and premium class flights, South Africa only charges 100 rand as its departure tax for international flights. That's about �7. (Information about the tax on internal flights is sketchy. Several sites quote figures but omit to state which currency they're in! However it seems clear that they're far less than for international flights, so probably only a pound or two).

So, assuming you're travelling before the November increases in UK tax, the total taxes you should pay, for the return trip, ought to have be in the region of �50 if you'd travelled entirely in economy class or �90 for your 'business out/economy back' route. It looks to me as if you may have been charged the extra �40 tax, which your outbounduse of business class incurs, in both directions, rather than in just one.

I suggest querying the additional amount that you've been charged.

Chris

[monruth]

Hi Chris
Thanks again. I have just received a breakdown of the taxes from SAA and before I query it with them would please like your opinion if there is any chance they made an error. I tried reading the website you gave but could not follow what they were saying.

here are my details leaving in February and returning in March this year.

LHR - JHB - CT - Class K economy
CT - LHR - Class V economy.
Fare was �624 plus �245 in tax = �869.

Points upgrade to Business Class E - on outbound
only. Additional tax paid = �81.

(I also paid extra because of telephone booking but n/a in terms of tax).

Maybe it is correct but one can only hope ....

Thanks for your time

[Buenchico]

(2-part post):

I was just off to bed when I spotted your post, so it looks like I'll be staying up a bit later. I've just tried to mimic your original journey plan, using Economy flights in both directions, on the SAA website. Using random dates of out on 10/02/09 and back on 10/03/09, and changing at JHB outbound but returning direct, the nearest fare and taxes I could get to your example was by selecting 'Economy (Classic)' in both directions. That gave me a fare of �632.00, with taxes of �239.80. The 'tax' breakdown was as follows:

� South African Air Passenger Tax GBP 8.10
� South African Passenger Safety Charge GBP 1.40
� South African Airport Tax GBP 12.20
� British Passenger Service Charge GBP 19.70
� British Air Passenger Duty GBP 40.00
� Fuel Levy(YR) GBP 158.40
Total Tax per passenger GBP 239.80

[Buenchico]

Switching to using Premium (Classic) for the outbound journey only, took the total fare up to �1652, plus �320.30 in taxes. The breakdown was as follows:

� South African Air Passenger Tax GBP 8.10
� South African Passenger Safety Charge GBP 1.40
� South African Airport Tax GBP 12.20
� British Passenger Service Charge GBP 19.70
� British Air Passenger Duty GBP 80.00
� Fuel Levy(YR) GBP 198.90
Total Tax per passenger GBP 320.30

That's an additional 'tax' burden of �80.50. It seems that the extra �81 you're being charged is made up of �40 extra in UK Air Passenger Duty, plus �41 extra fuel levy based on the extra fare you're theoretically paying by using your Voyager miles.

Er, now can I go to bed please? :-)

Chris

[Buenchico]

. . er, well I might be able to go to bed if I hadn't just spotted a minor typo. The return class I used for my example should have read 'Premium (Priority)', not 'Premium (Classic).

SAA describe their economy fares (in ascending order of price) as Saver, Plus, Classic and Select, with their premium fares being Priority and Premium. Their website doesn't refer to 'Business Class' (which gave me a headache when trying to work out what to input on their web page) and the only reference I could get to any 'lettered' classes was that 'Classic' is class S. (That didn't help much when I was looking for K, V and E!).

Oh well, c'est le vie!

Chris

[monruth]

Thanks ever so much Chris and hope you had a good night's (rather morning's sleep).
I will presume it is correct and will try to enjoy the extra seating space although I wont be sleeping much as like you go to bed late and this flight leaves LHR at 6pm.

Au revoir
Monica