Many signing up to TravelMole petition against APD changes

More than 250 TravelMole subscribers have signed up in less than 36 hours to our anti-APD petition.

Supporters include Global Travel Group, Cheapflights.co.uk and a range of individuals representing companies across the travel and tourism industry.

TravelMole is calling on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to rethink changes to Air Passenger Duty following across the board travel industry condemnation of the move to a four-tier air tax from November 1, 2009.

TravelMole is urging all subscribers to sign up to the online petition which was emailed to subscribers yesterday.

If you feel strongly that the UK travel industry should have its voice heard, join the TravelMole APD petition by visiting:
WE DON’T LIKE APD 

Andrew Botterill, CEO of Global Travel Group, warned: “To quote the Prime Minster, in serious times we need serious policies and this is not one of them.

“APD will seriously harm both outbound and inbound tourism as it stands today. There has to be a serious discussion between the industry and the government to change APD now.”

The announcement in Chancellor Alistair Darling’s pre-Budget Report to completely revise APD will see large-scale increases for all passengers flying 2,000 miles or more.

TravelMole gained the immediate support of cheapflights.co.uk in taking the fight against rises in Air Passenger Duty to Number 10.

Cheapflights has been a long-term critic of Air Passenger Duty and has regularly called for its abolition.

“Cheapflights.co.uk is very pleased to join with Travelmole in calling for the travel industry to petition the Prime Minister to re-think the new four-tier Air Passenger Duty,” a spokesman said.   

Cheapflights’ chief executive Chris Cuddy said: “We see it as a regressive tax which hurts those consumers least able to afford it and which also damages developing countries dependent on tourism.   

“Furthermore, APD harms Britain’s economy since travel contributes significantly to the UK’s GDP and is a major UK employer.

“As an island economy, air travel is also the only viable mode of transport for both UK leisure and business travellers for mid to long haul destinations.

“Finally, APD revenue is not applied to environmental projects and does not lead to “environmentally efficient” full planes – it does the opposite and seriously burdens the travel industry, currently facing huge recessionary challenges.”

Passengers flying in economy class beyond EEA countries will see APD rise from the current £40 to a maximum of £85 by 2010/11, and those flying in all other cabin classes will see an increase from £80 to a maximum of £170 over the corresponding period.

APD is currently levied at £10 on a passenger flying economy class to European destinations and £40 for those going further, but Darling has introduced new bands.

The starting level will be £11 on tickets to places within 2,000 miles of London, £45 for flights of up to 6,000 miles and £55 over that.

The changes do not come into effect until November next year but by the 2010/11 tax year, the duty on a flight to a destination such as Bangkok or Johannesburg will rise to £60.

ABTA calculated that passengers flying to Australia from 2009 will have to pay nearly 38% more than today, and 112% more in 2010/11.

The association warned that the increase will put off travellers to destinations such as the Caribbean and Kenya, whose economies are highly dependent upon tourism, particularly from the UK. 

The impact on inbound tourism to the UK from vital long haul destinations such as the US will also be severe, hitting the industry at a time of global economic turmoil, according to trade association UKinbound.

by Phil Davies