Flight taxes set to double
THE cost of air travel will jump by up to 55 per cent from Monday when the government increases air passenger duty.
The tax will rise by a third to £60 per person for economy flights to the US, it emerged yesterday, while taxes on flights to Asia and Australia will increase by 55 per cent to £85.
Business passengers travelling to Asia will see the tax on their tickets rise to £170 compared with £110 last year and £80 two years ago.
Another new rule to be introduced from 1 November is that countries will be categorised into bands according to their capital city’s distance from the UK.
The decision is likely to lead to anomalies with flights to large countries such as the US, where it will be possible to travel to Hawaii and pay less tax than on flights to the Caribbean, which is much closer to the UK.