THERE have been a number of press articles recently regarding the introduction of a new airport tax. As chairman of the Airport Operators Association, Iam writing to correct any misunderstanding that these may have created.
Airline ticket prices are made up of a number of elements including the airlines’ own costs, aviation fuel, catering, travel agency commissions, government taxes and airport charges to mention but a few. Until recently these costs have been covered by a single consolidation of all of the elements and shown as the price of travel on airline tickets.
Some airlines have now decided to show an element of airport charges separately. This part is known as the passenger service charge.
Airports do not have a problem with the principle of transparent pricing particularly where this is done for the benefit of the consumer. Unfortunately, some airlines are using this mechanism to increase their prices by adding the PSCto the previous ticket price – effectively charging this element twice and letting their customers believe that this charge is a new airport tax.
I want to assure thetravelling public that no British airport has introduced any new tax.
Any increase in ticket prices as a result of identifying PSCon tickets is purely a mechanism by the airline to increase its passenger charges.
It is disappointing for airports that certain airlines have decided to implement a ticket price increase and have allowed it to appear as a new charge forced on them by airports. This is a total misrepresentation which does these airlines little credit either in the eyes of the airports or their customers.
Mike Lanyon
Chairman
Airport Operators Association
London