Cheapflights Welcomes The European Low Fares Airline Association’s Call For Chancellor Alastair Darling to axe Air Passenger Duty

London, April 21, 2009:  Cheapflights Ltd., a leading international flight price search site and consumer champion welcomes the European Low Fares Airline Association’s pre-budget call this week for the Chancellor to axe Air Passenger Duty (APD) or ‘at the very least’ to scrap the proposed increase due on November 1.

In November 2008 Chancellor Alastair Darling stated: "….. At a time when the economy slows down…….…trying to get more tax out of people that would make a difficult situation worse, so what you do is you support the economy by helping businesses, by helping people." 1

Cheapflights therefore urges the Chancellor to follow his own advice in the coming Budget.  Unlike many industries, the aviation industry has not sought bail-outs nor Government funds and, according to the Government, more than covers its environmental costs.  In view of the economic downturn, it is clearly time for the Government to reduce the UK aviation industry’s tax burden.

Cheapflights, along with many companies that support a healthy aviation industry,  has previously called for the Government to “Axe the Tax”.   APD is not only a regressive tax, which prevents many families from travelling, it also penalises UK businesses and is the only such tax in the G7.   Doubled in 2007 when the economy was still expanding, APD puts the UK domestic airline industry at a competitive disadvantage.  Furthermore,  the Government intends to hike the tax again in November this year.  APD makes leisure and business travel from the UK more costly, putting UK travel and other companies at a disadvantage to overseas competitors.

Francesca Ecsery, Cheapflights’ General Manager UK commented: “The Dutch have decided to abolish their version of APD due to its detrimental effect on their economy, it therefore defies not only common sense but also the Chancellor’s own reasoning not to do the same or at the very least halt the planned November 2009 rise in APD.  When the UK has to climb out of recession now clearly is the worst possible time for the proposed increase in APD.”

She added: “By ending Air Passenger Duty (APD), the Chancellor  has the opportunity to help the UK aviation industry.  Aviation is vital in stimulating economic growth, and,  as he suggested last year, by helping  the millions of  UK leisure and business travellers he will in turn help an industry which has seen no financial support so far in facing  (his words) “The worst crisis since the War” .

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Contact:
Cheapflights Ltd:
John Barrington-Carver; Corporate PR
Tel: +44 (0) 207 467 3535
Mobile +44 (0) 7831 655 630 
e-mail: corporate-pr@cheapflights.com