The Air Travel Advisory Bureau (ATAB) is teaming up with law firm Barker Gillette to launch a coordinated legal claim against UK airlines that have not refunded Air Passenger Duty (APD) to passengers who have booked flights and not flown.

Since the tax was introduced in 1994, ATAB estimates that consumers have lost out on millions of pounds in un-refunded APD. In fact, Which? Estimated that in 2003 alone Ryanair retained more than £5 million in un-refunded taxes.

ATAB Chairman, Tony White said, “It is a scandal that some airlines hang on to this money. It never belonged to them. It’s a tax collected on the behalf of the Government. With a couple of exceptions, most of the UK airlines make it as difficult as possible to get your money back. If you don’t actually fly, for whatever reason, you are entitled to get the APD refunded. The airlines already have your credit card details, they should refund your card immediately. They make it difficult or expensive in the hope that you’ll go away – and most people do just that”.

“It is truly shocking, we’ve found some airlines that will charge an “administration fee” greater than the value of the refund. This is a complete rip-off and it’s our intention to put an end to it. If you have booked an airline ticket out of the UK anytime since 1994, and not flown, then we want to hear from you” said White.

For more information in reclaiming APD on unused flights visit www.atab.org.uk/action-now/reclaim-your-taxes/

The controversial £1 per vehicle drop-off charge at Edinburgh Airport is to be examined by the European Union, the BBC reports.

The charge, which was introduced in October 2010, applies to every vehicle, including taxis, that drops passengers off outside the terminal.

Now, Conservative MEP Struan Stevenson has written to officials seeking clarification over whether the fee was permissible under EU law.

According to the BBC, the EU Transport Commissioner has said the issue will be examined.

Mr Stevenson said: “Edinburgh Airport’s £1 fee for drivers dropping off passengers at the terminal building was a shock to the city’s beleaguered travellers when it was introduced last year.

“Now it looks like the airport’s operators have shocked the rest of Europe too by pioneering these money-raking antics.

“Though Edinburgh Airport was amongst the first to exploit drivers in this way, a number of similar schemes have cropped up in British airports recently.

“I’d welcome any light the EU’s transport directorate can shed on the appropriateness of such creeping charges.”

Jet2.com has announced the launch of Edinburgh to Chambery and Edinburgh to Salzburg flights.

The winter season flights will commence in December and operate until April 2012.

It’s official, BAA must sell two of its UK airports: Stansted and either Edinburgh or Glasgow, after the Competition Commission (CC) today announced its final ruling after its provisional view was published in March.

BAA, which sold Gatwick Airport in 2009, will now have three months before the Stansted sales process begins, or sooner if it accepts the ruling – Stansted is to be sold first as it handles more passengers than either of Glasgow or Edinburgh Airports.

Today’s announcement marks the possible end of a long-running battle between the CC and BAA, which started in March 2009 when the CC ordered the sale of three BAA airports. BAA appealed, and in December 2009 the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) found that BAA’s application for review was successful on one ground. The CC then appealed against the CAT’s decision and the Court of Appeal upheld the CC’s Appeal and the original findings of the CC’s report were restored. In February 2011, the Supreme Court refused to grant BAA permission to another appeal.

Chairman of the BAA Remedies Implementation Group, Peter Freeman, said: “We hope that the sales can now proceed without delay so that passengers and airlines can start to enjoy the benefits of greater competition.

“Our report has been challenged, reviewed and upheld and it is clear that the original decision to require BAA to divest three airports remains the right one for customers. “It has been a long process whilst BAA has challenged the decision—quite understandably given its significance. However, both we and the courts have now exhaustively re-examined the case for the sales and found it to be sound so there are no grounds for delaying further.”

In response to the ruling, BAA Chief Executive Colin Matthews said: “We are dismayed that the Competition Commission’s final decision still requires BAA to sell Stansted and either Glasgow or Edinburgh airport. The Competition Commission has not recognised that the world and BAA have changed. This decision would damage our company which is investing strongly in UK jobs and growth. We have a responsibility to protect our shareholders’ investment and we will now consider a judicial review of the Competition Commission’s decision.”

A campaign to persuade the Chancellor to drop planned hikes in the tax levied on all flights leaving the UK was launched last Monday at airports across the country as a new poll is released showing 3 out of 4 people think that Air Passenger Duty (APD) should not go up in the next Budget. Of those saying APD should not go up 49 per cent said APD should be reduced. Only 6 per cent said APD should be increased.

The Chancellor announced in this year’s Budget that APD will rise by double inflation in 2012.

The ‘Hands off our Holiday’ campaign, backed by the Airport Operators Association (AOA), Board of Airline Representatives in the UK (BAR-UK), and the British Air Transport Association (BATA) is urging people to email their MP via the website www.handsoffourholiday.com and to tweet their support for the hikes to be abandoned using the hashtag #handsoffourhols.

The poll, carried out by Opinium Research for the Hands off our Holiday campaign also shows that nearly 4 out of 5 people were unaware of the plans to further increase the tax by double inflation.

Commenting on the campaign, Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the AOA, said: “Our message to the Chancellor is that enough is enough. Air Passenger Duty has already gone up by 325% on long haul flights and 140% on short haul flights in the last five years. Family finances are under great pressure at the moment and most people save hard all year for their holiday. Working families deserve a break.”

Mike Carrivick, Chief Executive of BAR-UK, added: “The UK already has the highest rate of flight tax in the world. Why should families be discriminated against for wanting to fly off on a hard-earned break once a year?”

Simon Buck, Chief Executive of BATA said: “The government already takes nearly £3bn in tax from passengers. This is more than the tax on the banking industry. Most people simply aren’t aware how much flight tax they pay. The government should come clean about this stealth tax and drop the hikes planned for next year.”

A planned strike by UK Border Agency staff is likely to affect passengers arriving at some of the UK airports.

The 24-hour strike is scheduled to start this evening, Wednesday 29 June 2011 – start times vary at different airports due to shift patterns.

The Border Agency has issued the following advice to passengers arriving in the UK:

Around 70% of Border Agency staff are members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS).

Airport valet meet and greet parking has grown in popularity in the past few years.

It really is a very convenient type of parking, especially for business travellers, families travelling with young children and passengers with mobility issues. However, the meet and greet parking industry has witnessed some high-profile stories about valet parking companies where cars are parked on the roadside, supermarket car parks, driven at high speed, or one case where a customer’s car was inadvertently hired out as a rental car.

Although, there are horror stories there are a lot of reputable meet and greet parking companies out there.

When the stories of bad parking experiences hit the headlines, the airports always respond by highlighting the benefits of the ‘official’ valet parking, but is your car any safer if you pay a higher fee and book the ‘official’ meet and greet parking?

According to an article published in the money section of the Guardian on Saturday, may be it isn’t.

A reader wrote in to say he had parked his car at Stansted Airport’s official car park and paid extra for the valet parking option. However, on his return the car had significant scratching on the driver’s side bumper. The customer reported it and filled in the forms required. He later received a letter saying that, as per terms and conditions, BAA was not responsible – BAA’s terms and conditions state that it is not liable for damage caused to cars once they are parked.

Anyone booking any type of airport parking, including meet and greet parking, should read the small print.

Cars parked with off-airport meet and greet parking companies are checked for damage when the customers arrive at the airport terminal, all damage is noted by the driver on a form which is then signed by the customer. Any damage occurring between drop-off and return is the responsibility of the meet and greet parking company, whether it is hit while parked or as it is being driven between the airport and car park.

For more information on the parking complaint check out the Guardian here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/jun/18/baa-airport-parking

As the Treasury’s consultation on the reform of Air Passenger Duty (APD) enters its final week – ends on 17 June – ABTA is calling on the government to rethink the levels and structure of the tax which is the highest in the world.

APD is based on distance travelled and at present a family of four flying to Europe will pay £48 in APD, to the USA the tax increases to £240, to Australia the tax increases to £340 – all based on the economy rate – however, the cost of the tax is set to rise again next April by twice the cost of inflation.

Only five European countries impose some form of aviation tax with the UK’s level higher than anywhere else in the world. Denmark, Norway, Malta and Holland have all scrapped similar taxes as the revenue raised was outweighed by the damage caused to their economies. Ireland has pledged to follow suit shortly.

ABTA is part of the Fair Tax on Flying www.facebook.com/afairtaxonflying alliance that has united the travel industry to raise awareness of the high levels and illogical structure of APD, which is damaging UK travel and tourism and adding an additional tax burden to holidaymakers and business travellers at a time when fuel prices are reaching record levels.

Mark Tanzer, ABTA Chief Executive, said: “It is vital that the Government understands the damaging impact that APD is having on the tourism industry in the UK. We already pay the highest levels of aviation tax in the world, and if the Government goes ahead with its double-inflationary increase and levies an ETS tax on top of this in 2012, we will see another eye-watering increase in the tax burden on the industry and on holidaymakers and business travellers flying in and out of the UK. The industry is willing to pay its way, but this clearly puts us at a competitive disadvantage when compared with our European neighbours and punishes the travelling public unfairly.”

ABTA encourages all of its Members and any others who feel strongly to make their own submissions to the treasury at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_airpassenger.htm

Related stories:

Manchester Airport launches ‘give us a break’ APD campaign

UK Airport Consultative Committee: APD and European Emissions’ Trading Scheme = double taxation

Double taxation on flights from 2012

JLA urges chancellor to rule out double taxation

APD could threaten Scottish flights

Edinburgh Airport passengers will now be offered year-round flights to Lanzarote thanks to the introduction of a summer 2012 service by Thomson and First Choice.

The summer 2012 Edinburgh to Lanzarote flights will operate from 3 May 2012 to 25 October 2012.

WorldPoints – the loyalty programme that rewards passengers when they shop at Heathrow and the other BAA airports – is partnering with British Airways to enable members to redeem points for BA Miles.

WorldPoints members receive one WorldPoint for every £1 they spend in shops, bars, restaurants and car parks, with each point redeemable for one BA mile.  This new reward partner is in addition to the other benefits offered by the WorldPoints programme including discounts on car parking and Heathrow Express bookings and airport shopping vouchers.

James Hillier, British Airways Executive Club Manager says: “We are delighted to announce our partnership with WorldPoints offering our customers the opportunity to earn BA Miles on virtually all airport spending.”

Passengers can collect WorldPoints on purchases from around 600 airport outlets, with over 150 different participating brands. These range from high street favourites such as Reiss, Boots and Dixons to luxury retailers including Paul Smith, Mulberry and Prada.