US Tourism Boost Likely As UK Scraps Air Passenger Duty For Children


Tourism for families traveling worldwide is set to have a pleasing boost as the U.K. has decided to scrap air passenger duty for children under 12. Also known as airport departure tax, this move offers U.K. families an excellent potential saving on their vacation expenses, allowing them to spend that cash on something far more fun.

Most people have probably experienced the so-called cheap flights that certain airlines worldwide offer these days. However, while the flight is cheap, there are so many extra expenses payable on top of the normal air passenger duty, along with lesser luggage allowances and other charges. Due to this phenomenon, those flights just were not as cheap as passengers thought they would be.

As mentioned on the Inquisitr, there was even the story of a North Carolina father who had to pay $88 just for the privilege of sitting next to his own four-year-old daughter on a Delta flight.

When you imagine a family with two or three children attempting to travel to the U.S.A. to visit Walt Disney World, those airport departure tax charges all add up.

According to Australian Times, starting from May 1, children under the age of 12 traveling from the UK will no longer have to pay airport departure tax or airport passenger duty as it is also known.

Up until now, children have been taxed at the same rate of adults, but now, as long as they are under 12 years of age, this has been scrapped. Plans are also afoot by 2016 to increase the age relating to air passenger duty savings to children under 16 years of age.

While families traveling a distance of up to 2,000 miles will save a smaller amount of £13 ($20) per child, those on longer hauls, including travel to the U.S.A., Australia and Asian destinations will save much more per child as up until recently the rate has been anything up to £97 per child ($152). With so many kids, you’ll pay so much less.

That all adds up to a lot of cash when it comes to a larger family heading from the U.K. to Orlando, Florida and all the attractions, for example.

It was apparently even admitted by Chancellor George Osborne in the U.K. that the airport departure tax on children’s travel, while initially introduced as an environmental measure, eventually ended up being purely a revenue raiser, like so many things these days.

The good thing is any families who have already booked flights leaving after May 1 this year have the possibility of a refund on their children’s airport passenger duty.

This refund and the methods of receiving it varies from airline to airline, so families should check with their travel agents or the airline directly. However put simply, holiday deals like this are, in this case, a great last-minute financial boost.

Airport departure tax
Cinderella’s Castle at Walt Disney World

In the meantime, with kids not being charged the airport departure tax, families have just that much more money to spend on more pleasurable aspects of their summer vacation.

That said, for families en route to Walt Disney World, the Inquisitr recently reported on some really great specials are on offer there, including the Free Disney Dining discount for fall and winter, perfect for a family vacation.

Now if only other countries would drop airport departure taxes and air passenger duty for children, what a pleasure family travel could be globally, especially with summer on its way.

[Photos: Boys on a plane CC BY 2.0 Juhan Sonin, Walt Disney World CC BY 2.0 Chris Harrison]

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