[Anonymous]

[TominScotland]

ELFAA welcomes Conservative pledge to revise APD

The European Low Fares Airline Association (ELFAA) today welcomes the UK Conservative Party’s pledge to reform Air Passenger Duty (APD) to encourage a switch to fuller and cleaner aircraft…

For the full text of the press release click on the link below:

http://www.elfaa.co/100414_ELFAA_PressRelease_ReformOfAPD.pdf

[VintageKrug]

This is a welcome and overdue alternative policy.

I don’t disagree with APD per se (and no party supports its abolition) but the current methodology for calculation simply doesn’t work:

PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday 14 April 2010

ELFAA welcomes Conservative pledge to revise APD
14 April 2010, Brussels – The European Low Fares Airline Association (ELFAA) today welcomes the UK Conservative Party’s pledge to reform Air Passenger Duty (APD) to encourage a switch to fuller and cleaner aircraft.

“We commend this move by the Conservatives to reform what is essentially an unjust tax on UK consumers,” said the Secretary-General of ELFAA John Hanlon. “In its current form the APD commits the dual sin of burning a hole in the pockets of British families whilst simultaneously hampering the overall competitiveness of the UK’s aviation sector.”

It is widely recognised that aviation has a critical role to play in getting the UK’s economy up and running once again, yet this potential is being dragged down by the dead weight of unfair and unjust taxation in the form of the APD.

“The UK Government itself acknowledged last year that aviation, before being included in the EU ETS, is already more than covering its environmental costs” continued Mr Hanlon. “Hence any additional measures in this area should not result in extra outlay for an industry which is ready and willing to play its part in reviving the UK’s flagging economy.”

ELFAA calls for the withdrawal of APD altogether once aviation enters the EU’s emissions trading scheme (ETS) from 2012.

ELFAA looks forward to working with the new UK government from 6 May, regardless of its political colour, and contributing to a UK aviation policy which fosters growth in the low fare airline industry, thereby creating a wide range of opportunities for both airlines and passengers alike.

Notes to the editor:

ELFAA represents the fastest-growing European airline sector, its members carry over 160
million passengers a year and accounting for over 35% of scheduled intra-European traffic.
Today, ELFAA comprises 10 airline members which include: Blue Air, easyJet, Flybe,
Jet2.com, Norwegian, Ryanair, SverigeFlyg, transavia.com, vueling and Wizz Air.
ELFAA’s primary objective is to ensure that European policy and legislation promote free
and equal competition to enable the continued growth and development of low fares into
the future, thereby allowing a greater number of people to travel by air.

[BusinessTraveller]

Interesting piece on our sister website abtn.co.uk, about the possibility of Air Asia X moving Stansted services to continental Europe because of APD charges:

http://www.abtn.co.uk/news/1514798-apd-bind-budget-carrier

[Binman62]

I for one am happy to wish him and his airline bon voyage. I am heartily sick of millionaires and billionaires whinging on about taxes here in the UK.
If he does not like it then let him take his aircraft and fly from Europe, but this threatening to go, simply to gain some free publicity is pathetic. None of us like taxes, particularly this one, but they pay for our health service, education and the mess the banks have gotten us into. Perhaps he should focus his attentions and obvious talents on the issues in his home country such as deforestation.

[ivornomates]

You want to wake up and smell the roses, UK is a rip off nation and why would anyone want to do business in such a crap environment where you pay through the teeth and get nothing in return.

I fly 10-12 times a year to UK from Asia in business class but never fly to UK directly. I use a European hub and then hop on a cheap flight to UK avoiding all the rip off charges they impose. I make sure the flight to and from the UK is on a seperate ticket so they cant stiff you for connecting ( even in another country ) to a business class seat.

They even fleece passengers for flying premium economy from uk or any flight on the same ticket. I reckon I have saved close on 5000 USD this year doing this.

The people of the UK are so easily misled and think the government is using the money to fight greenhouse gases.

Yeah along with making sure the tooth fairy does not get sexually assaulted while doing her rounds and and that Old Mother Hubbard house is protected by the National Trust.

[Bucksnet]

Binman62 said “None of us like taxes, particularly this one, but they pay for our health service, education and the mess the banks have gotten us into”

Well I thought that these type of ‘green’ taxes were supposed to help the enviroment and not just be another tax for general spending. The trouble is the UK is in such a financial mess, mainly due to the 9.5 million immigrants in the country, that it needs all the money it can get.

[ivornomates]

I can assure you the government has not spent a single penny of this money on anything green apart from green paint used on the military vehicles it uses to fight wars it should not be in

[ivornomates]

Details here of how Manchester lost out to Paris for Air Asia flights:

http://tinyurl.com/39hycfw

[Tom Otley]

Our sister site, ABTN, has just published the thoughts of Tim Clark, President of Emirates on APD and the damage it could do to Europe’s airports as hubs.

http://www.abtn.co.uk/news/1014912-apd-damage-not-just-aviation-europe

[Tom Otley]

Meanwhile, Easyjet points out the following…

“The rise, to £12 on flights within Europe, means the tax will have increased by 140% since 2007.

APD is a bad environmental tax as there is no relation between the level of the tax and the level of emissions and easyJet, along with environmental groups and other airlines, has long called for a complete overhaul of APD.

The issues surrounding the fairness of the tax remain unaddressed. Transfer passengers joining flights departing from the UK pay no tax and those travelling on private jets remain exempt while ordinary passengers bear the full burden of the tax.

Reform of APD is included in the Government’s coalition agreement. Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats made reform of APD from a poll tax on passengers into a fairer and greener per plane tax a firm manifesto commitment.

[FlyingChinaman]

Proliteboss

Like you I travel monthly between Asia and Europe and I am going to do the same as you are by flying into Europe first and get a cheap economy class ticket for a short 45-minute hop over to London to carry on my business there. Since there is almost no real business class seat comfort or meal service on most short European trips, this way I can avoid making the UK government rich as I view this newly increased APD an “Airway robbery” to the helpless passengers departing from the UK but as a traveller from outside the UK, I can certainly do something to beat this unfair tax system!!

When there are enough passengers excising this tactic, the UK government might just wake up to the idea that they simply can not milk the passengers at will. Worse still they misrepresent themself by labelling it as a green eco duty but with no intention of using this money for that specific cause. None of our fellow travellers are stupid! In fact I foud them to be most informed and that’s why I read this forum daily as I learn many things from the various inputs!

[Author]

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