Families to be worst hit by air tax rise

Flights will become even costlier for Britons from today as air tax rises come into force.

The new increase "will hit hard-working families where it hurts" with many having to pay hundreds of pounds in air passenger taxes on their annual getaway, air tax campaigners say.

The Air Passenger Duty (APD) increase, confirmed by the Chancellor in the Budget, means that people buying tickets from 1 April will incur a new increased APD levy on flights leaving the UK.

Herald Scotland reports that the increase only applies to flights of more than 2,000 miles. It is unchanged on shorter flights, where it remains at £13 for economy class.

For flights between 2,001 and 4,000 miles, which includes trips to North America and the Middle East, the tax rises from £65 to £67 for economy class passengers.

On flights of 4,001 to 6,000 miles, which includes India, Thailand and Brazil, the rise is from £81 to £83, while on flights over 6,000 miles, the rate increases from £92 to £94.

This means a family of four flying economy class to Florida will now pay £268 in APD, while a family of four flying to the Caribbean will pay £332.

Simon Buck, Chief Executive of the British Air Transport Association, told AOL Travel: "The Government has hit hard-working families where it hurts with many families having to pay hundreds of pounds in air passenger taxes on their annual getaway.

"It's not good enough to continue increase Air Passenger Duty when the clear economic evidence shows that it both damages the UK economy and adds hundreds of pounds onto the annual tax bill of many families who fly overseas every year."

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