Should I be aware of taxes, fees and charges that I pay in addition to my air fare?
Taxes, fees and charges should be included in the price of your ticket. These consist of the
fees that the airline must pay and these are illustrated in the table below.
Airlines must by law always display prices that include all the compulsory taxes, fees and
charges, so you will always know the price of your flight. Airlines should also clearly display the
costs of any optional extras on their websites at the start of the booking process so that you can
see which optional extras are available how much they cost.
Airlines often state in their small print that if the taxes, fees and charges increase after you
have confirmed your booking, they will charge you the increase. This could happen in situations
where the Government has increased the Air Passenger Duty tax. In these situations, passengers that
have already booked may be required to pay the increase before they travel. Passengers that haven’t
booked would have this increase incorporated into their airfare before they book.
Some airlines advise that if the taxes, fees and charges are reduced or abolished after you have
paid for your ticket, you will be entitled to a refund. Not all airlines advise of this, but we
consider that it is fair to have this refunded, particularly where airlines reserve the right to
pass increases back to passengers.
Check the current airport fees and charges
The CAA publishes an airport charges comparison table so that passengers can
check the fees associated with different airports. This includes information on the cost of buying
plastic bags, any charges for dropping passengers at the airport, charges for express security
lanes and airport development fees. The CAA publishes this table to help passengers compare
different options before booking. It does not endorse the fees charged by airports or airlines.
Check the current airline fees and charges
Some airlines charge for carrying hold baggage, sports equipment and musical instruments. Some
airlines charge for priority boarding, choosing a seat, and for using a credit card or debit card
to purchase tickets. Others include most of these charges within the price of the ticket.
The CAA publishes an airline charges comparison table so that passengers can check the fees
associated with different airfares. This includes information on the cost of taking hold luggage on
board, in-flight meals and reserving specific seats. The CAA publishes this table to help
passengers compare different options before booking. It does not endorse the fees charged by
airports or airlines.
You can contact us if you see an airline website where the prices are not clear.
Taxes, fees and charges
| Air Passenger Duty |
Government tax regulated by HM Revenue and Customs |
| UK Passenger Service Charge |
Charge imposed by airlines to cover costs they pay to airports for the passenger to use the
airport’s facilities |
| Insurance and security |
Charge imposed by airlines to cover increased security and insurance costs post-11 September
2001 |
| Fuel surcharge |
Charge imposed by airlines to cover increasing costs of fuel |
Refunds of taxes, fees and charges
There is no legal authority obliging airlines to refund taxes, fees and charges when passengers
cancel their tickets. Many airlines do offer a refund, although some charge an administration fee
for processing the refund and this can sometimes exceed the amount being claimed. Fully flexible
tickets are fully refundable.