On Monday the Air Passenger Duty (APD) tax will increase, making it more expensive to fly, especially on long haul trips.
Anyone had any customers complain about the increased cost? If so, how did you deal with it.
What are your thoughts generally - do you think it is a fair tax?
I was working at HMCustoms and Excise when the APD came into being. I was our duty to manage, advise and clarify APD. I found it a stealth tax then and I stay true to my first instinct. within a period of a year, there were at least 8 types of taxes, that our beleagured current leader and then Chancellor created.
Do the customers ask about it. No. Do they know how much they are paying. I show them the view data screen if the booking is on viewdata. No one has ever blinked an eye and I do not think that they will do so. It is still cheaper than what some consortiums are charging as ATOL fee. May be Travel Weekly should look into it.
To be honest, the customers have this attitude that it will not happen to them so they do not care about the ins and outs of financial protection but they do sometimes ask if their holiday is financially protected through the travel agent. they do not care if they book it on the internet.