Superior Passenger Responsibility charges defined — how a lot it prices and when it is advisable pay
Editor’s be aware: It is a recurring submit, usually up to date with new info and affords.
Have you ever ever seen that flights departing the UK are dearer than these departing neighboring international locations in mainland Europe?
The U.Okay. notoriously fees a few of the highest taxes and charges for departing flights due to its excessive Air Passenger Responsibility charges.
APD charges are one of many large explanation why flights departing the U.Okay. are dearer than these flying from international locations inside mainland Europe — particularly in a premium cabin. And, because the U.Okay. authorities introduced originally of March 2024, APD charges are about to get much more costly.
This is every thing it is advisable find out about APD charges and how one can go about minimizing them and avoiding them altogether.
Associated: The Finest Airways Credit score Card for Household Vacationers
What’s APD?
APD is a tax the U.Okay. authorities fees on airfare for flights departing the U.Okay. Airways sometimes embrace the tax within the ticket value if you guide your flight earlier than passing that cash onto the federal government.
The U.Okay. is not the one nation on the planet to cost a departure tax like this. Nonetheless, it does maintain the doubtful honor of instating one of many highest departure taxes in Europe on each short-haul and long-haul flights.
How a lot is APD?
APD charges will be damaged into three bands:
Every day Publication
Reward your inbox with the TPG Every day publication
Be a part of over 700,000 readers for breaking information, in-depth guides and unique offers from TPG’s specialists
- Band A: Journeys 2,000 miles or much less (as measured from London to the vacation spot’s capital metropolis)
- Band B: Flights greater than 2,000 miles to five,500 miles
- Band C: Flights greater than 5,500 miles
Most short-haul flights from the U.Okay. are to European locations but additionally embrace Morocco and Tunisia in Africa.
Costs are then additionally taken under consideration for the category that you simply’re touring as follows:
- Lowered fee: The bottom class of journey obtainable with seat pitches lower than 40 inches. That is often classed as an Economic system fare.
- Commonplace fee: For journey in some other class or the place the seat pitch is greater than 50 inches. This often contains Premium Economic system, Enterprise Class and First Class fares.
- Increased fee: For journey in planes of 20 tonnes or extra, carrying fewer than 19 passengers. Usually, that is personal jet journey.
The present APD charges are charged as follows:
| Vacation spot bands | Lowered fee | Commonplace fee | Increased fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 6.50/7 British kilos* | 13/14 kilos* | 78 kilos |
| Band A | 13 kilos | 26 kilos | 78 kilos |
| Band B | 87/88 kilos* | 191/194 kilos* | 574/581 kilos* |
| Band C | 91/92 kilos* | 200/202 kilos* | 601/607 kilos* |
*Charges from April 1, 2024
Kids and APD
Kids beneath age 2 (if touring as lap infants) are usually not charged APD. Moreover, youngsters aged 16 and beneath can keep away from paying APD if they’re touring in a typical seat — often an financial system seat.
Nonetheless, if a toddler is flying in a premium class equivalent to first, enterprise or premium financial system, they are going to be required to pay APD on their ticket.
These charges can rapidly add up if, for instance, your loved ones is trying to redeem a number of premium financial system or business-class award fares from the U.Okay.
In case you are planning to make such a redemption, it is price factoring within the APD charge properly upfront in an effort to hold observe of any further prices connected to taxes and charges.
Avoiding APD
It is essential to notice that APD charges are solely charged on flights that depart the U.Okay. and never flights that arrive within the U.Okay. With this in thoughts, you may keep away from APD charges altogether should you’re keen to be artistic with any connecting flights.
For instance, you could possibly fly into London with out paying the APD charges. For the return leg of your journey, take the Eurostar to Paris or Amsterdam and depart from both vacation spot utilizing an open-jaw ticket or by taking two one-way flights.
Or, should you’d want to solely make the most of air journey, you could possibly guide an financial system fare on a flight out of the U.Okay.; this fashion, you’ll be charged lowered APD charges. To save lots of essentially the most cash on this occasion, we would suggest utilizing a low-cost provider equivalent to EasyJet or Ryanair on your connecting flight in mainland Europe.
In case your departing flight is a long-haul journey, you too can keep away from the APD charge by leaving in your principal flight from Northern Eire. Nonetheless, be aware that these flights are nonetheless topic to the short-haul APD charge.
You also needs to know that should you’re merely taking a connecting flight by means of the U.Okay. with a layover that’s lower than 24 hours, you’ll not be charged APD.
Backside line
Flying from virtually any vacation spot from the U.Okay. will set off the APD charge upon departure. By being strategic about which cabin you fly in, or by making the ultimate leg of your journey from mainland Europe, you may reduce the APD you pay — particularly should you’re flying in a premium cabin.
Associated Studying
