travelsupermarket.com, the travel comparison website, is urging travellers to avoid lengthy check-in delays by confirming their airline’s position with regards to the impending doubling of Air Passenger Duty rates. Dependant on their airline and time of booking passengers may be forced to pay the additional tax in order to continue with their travel plans.

The increase in tax, imposed by the Government, ranges from an extra £5 for return flights from the UK to EU/EUA destinations, through £10 for domestic British flights to £20 for long-haul flights, and is being absorbed by full-service airlines but charged additionally by low-cost carriers such as Ryanair, easyJet and bmibaby.

travelsupermarket.com has condemned the lack of transparency in this issue, in addition to the inconsistencies faced by consumers. The company recommends that the system be replaced with a fairer method which better reflects the exact damage caused by a journey.

Bob Atkinson, travelsupermarket.com’s channel manager for flights, said: “Charging more for UK internal flights and failing to address the efforts of airlines and individuals to address carbon emissions issues penalises the consumer in a way that is unlikely to help them focus on the effects of the travel on our planet and its climate. As an organisation which strives to promote simple efficiency, consistency and transparency for travel consumers, travelsupermarket.com is opposed to the extra charge, which is being implemented in a dubious manner and is unlikely to tackle climate change effectively, as alleged by the government, given that it does not consider travellers’ actual carbon footprint.”
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