Travellers are doing their utmost to avoid the rising cost of Air Passenger Duty (APD), heading to Europe to take long-haul flights.
According to a report from Sainsbury’s Finance, more than one in ten British airline passengers are attempting to reduce the impact of APD on their travel plans by departing from other European countries.
This is due to the fact that lower taxes and fees are imposed on flights departing from Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Madrid and Rome compared to London.
For example, a passenger travelling to Sydney could save £190 in taxes and fees by departing from Amsterdam rather than London. Going from London to Sydney would cost £554, compared to £362 for an Amsterdam departure.
A passenger travelling to Cape Town would also stand to make savings on taxes and fees by departing from another European country.
Departing from London would incur around £460 in taxes and fees, while under £400 would be levied against passengers departing from Rome, Amsterdam and Paris.
“Our research suggests that some families are rethinking their holiday plans because of the increased level of tax placed on some flights through Air Passenger Duty,” said David Barrett from Sainsbury’s Travel Money.
“It appears that many are willing to do all they can to get around it, from avoiding air travel altogether to taking long-haul flights from more competitively priced European airports.
While 13 per cent of holidaymakers surveyed would deliberately choose a destination in a cheaper APD band, 14 per cent would take a short haul flight to a non-UK airport, before taking up a separate long-haul flight.
“At a time when household budgets are being squeezed, we would encourage families to spend more time researching ways to ensure they still enjoy their family holiday and at the same time, reduce their holiday bills,” added Mr Barrett.
