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Two-thirds of passengers concerned about latest APD increase

Two-thirds of passengers say their travel plans will be influenced by this month’s latest rise in Air Passenger Duty (APD), a poll shows.


 


And more than three quarters of UK travellers do not consider so-called budget airlines to be low-cost once taxes and added fees were taken into account, according to the research by TripAdvisor.


 


Nearly two-thirds (64%) believe APD to be unfair, with only 11% thinking it was fair.


 


As many as 68% of UK travellers said APD would affect their travel plans, with 9% saying the impact would be “substantial”.


 


A total of 83% of consumers cited the price of a flight as a key factor when choosing an airline, compared with 71% last year.


 


Based on responses from 5,555 travellers, including 1,116 from the UK, the survey showed that British Airways was the UK’s favourite airline, with Ryanair voted Britain’s, and Europe’s, least favourite carrier.


 


Virgin Atlantic was the second favourite airline for UK travellers, followed by Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Thomson Airways.


 


TripAdvisor spokesman Emma Shaw said: “This year’s results reveal a general worry about the expense of flying, whether it’s APD, cynicism around ‘low-cost’ carriers or simply the significant price tag of a flight.”

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