Hi to all. Due to our wonderfull government here in the uk, air fare prices are now way over the top. My Q: Can a relative in Thailand buy tickets over there for me to fly from uk to thailand and return to uk. Any help or advise on this would be very welcome . Many Thanks.

I couldn't disagree more. Why do you say that prices are well over the top? What is a fair price? Are prices higher now than, say, 10 or 20 years ago?

Why do you say that air taxes are stupid? Is our goernment the only government which charges taxes?

I don't know how much air tax is, but seeing as passengers do not pay tax on the fuel they use I think we are getting a good deal. Flight costs are low, and costs from the UK are among the cheapest (but I don't expect to see you thanking the government for that). It is my understanding that the tax will soon be per flight anyway, so it doesn't matter where you pay.

Passengers from Thailand have been paying a high departure tax for years in any case.

I tried this for some friends in Germany a few years ago. The answer back then was 'yes' but the price you are charged is that at what the ticket would cost from the country where the flight originates from. This obviously defeats the object of the exercise. Whether that is still the case...I don't know.

Thanks. Looks like i'll need to make some phone calls. Cheers. We have some freinds in Germany, who are Thai.

I think you'll find you can't take advantage of price differentials in this way. I tried it a couple of years ago and failed. They've definately got some sort of club rules which act against the consumer interest. A variation on this might be possible if you have the time or inclination: which is to find a cheap european price - say for example in Amsterdam - and get from the UK to Amsterdam for less than the difference in ticket prices. I failed in this too - mainly because I can't get many decent and cheap european connections from Wales.
oh ! and Ian B - you are a bad boy

Air Passenger Duty applies to all passengers for all flights leaving the UK whether or not they bought their tickets in the UK (and irrespective of where an incoming flight originated if the flight originated outside the UK (with very limited exceptions)).

APD is as follows:

Economy class flights to Europe and domestic UK flights - £10
Premium Economy, Business and First class flights to Europe - £20
Economy class long-haul flights - £40
Premium Economy, Business and First class long-haul flights - £80

I absolutely loathe the UK tax and excise/duty system. I am in Jersey at present on business, there is uproar at the moment because VAT (GST) has very recently been introduced here - at a rate of just 3%! Income Tax (for those who pay it) is just 20%!!! GST was introduced at the 3% rate in the hope that businesses would absorb it. Some have, others have added 3% and others are profiteering.

I am at the Pomme d'Or Hotel in St Helier, when I was last here in April a pint was £2.50, since the 3% GST was added, that same pint cost me £3. Profiteering me thinks - even worse than the government

Tickets from Switzerland and France tend to cost more than from the UK (even with the taxes). We can easily fly from Germany , France , Switzerland or Italy and its definitely not cheaper and even if you can get cheap flights to Europe the hassle factor plus additional costs for drinks food etc will push the costs up anyway.

I despise the current governments so called Green taxes but in this instance the UK fares are still competitive almost certainly because the airlines are operating on minimal margins.

ash

It has always amazed me that even when booking tickets for infants the tax is still charged on them, suppose it gets children used to paying taxes from the tender age of a few months old though.

I also fail to see how the green taxes are being spent, I heard the last MP who tried charging for her greenery on expenses through our taxes was refused, maybe it was because of the pergola on the same claim. John Prescott no doubt had some greens in his food expenses though so maybe not all bad.

On an aside, I see the EU watchdog is campaigning about text message costs from abroad being too high and will "enforce" a reduction if the level is not reduced to 10p from 30p, strange that they can "enforce" a free-market luxury item reduction, but do nothing about fuel

since we have a choice of provider, i agree with u that it's no business of the european commission to prescribe the cost of text messages, just as it's no business of the uk government to tell each bank exactly how much it can charge when a customer chooses to go overdrawn without permission, but it doesn't stop it from trying.

if u're talking about petrol duty, then cars are a luxury item compared with mobile phones, in the sense that more people consider mobile phones to be an esseential part of their lives. farmers might justifiably claim that motor vehicles are not a luxury, but they use mostly diesel, not petrol. reducing the tax on petrol sends out the wrong message: it encourages people to use more, instead of taking action to conserve resources.

ian.

quote:

reducing the tax on petrol sends out the wrong message: it encourages people to use more, instead of taking action to conserve resources

The problem is though, that many people HAVE to use their cars to get to work and earn a crust as there is no viable public transport alternative. To me what sends out the wrong message is not investing heavily in public transport and increasing train fares in order to ration scarce resources.
Let's face it - the politicians we have got (from all major parties) are gutless poll-watching hypocrites who will never do what needs to be done to sort out energy, transport or pollutiion for fear of upsetting some interest groujp.

We will never change the way our politicians run this country, their all crooked and only ever have their own pockets in mind. What are they currently getting for expenses, is it £30K??? That’s “double” my wife’s and my entire income for our family of 4!!!

I think we should all get rid our cars and get OX and CARTS instead. There cheaper to run and you can’t get much “greener". Think of the chaos just one OX and CART would cause on the roads. What a better way of protesting?

As a re-think, for a bit of comfort, keep your cars and place them up onto the CARTS. (There’s a photo in the photo library of a truck cab placed onto a CART……..that’s the sort of thing I’m on about)

How do you become a politician?

I either want to be a politician or move out to live in Thailand; I think I know what it will probably be!

You may think its a stupid reply and suggestion, but who's paying their £30K expences?

Ian I suspect that if this goes on much longer there will be all sorts of protests, whether it involves oxen or ont (PS I can't remember the last time I saw an ox - you may have to start a breeding programme so there will be enough to go around)

I hate taxes just as much as anyone else. But the question is, if you cut any particular one - which one do you increase to regain the income?

Everyone wants more services and less tax.

A good way to cut taxes is stop paying people who won’t work and I know plenty of them, stop building four billion pound, air craft carriers, and do not get involved in wars we cannot win. We all know MP’s are ripping us of but we do nothing about it, and as for green taxes there the biggest con out, why the hell should we pay green taxes to go on holiday once a year, MP’s just stick it on expenses and we pay again it’s a joke, that’s this government answer to everything taxes us to death or until we get out of here, the latter sounds good to me.

Oxen pass methane as wind and contribute to global warming so you can expect a green Ox tax

ash

quote:

Originally posted by Yo & Dave:
stop building four billion pound, air craft carriers, and do not get involved in wars we cannot win.

Well said Dave

Maybe not get involved in wars full stop.

Hi Niels,

It also depends on what the airlines call tax, Thai recently have upped their fuel surcharge between LHR and BKK to USD450 (USD225 per flight/sector). They then call this fuel surcharge "tax" even though it’s not money going to the revenue, etc.

On a recent airmiles ticket the tax was broken down as follows:

GBP131.21YQ - fuel surcharge
GBP 40.00GB - uk departure tax
GBP 30.70XT – lhr tax, bkk tax, insurance

(So GB201.90 for a free ticket… )

I think it’s a bit naughty that the airlines can get away with quoting a price and then increasing it with hidden charges. I’m pretty sure that in other countries this practice is not allowed.

J

quote:

Originally posted by James:
I think it’s a bit naughty that the airlines can get away with quoting a price and then increasing it with hidden charges. I’m pretty sure that in other countries this practice is not allowed.J

Then why not pay for your ticket in full at the time of booking, I am sure that no surcharges can be added after this (although I stand to be corrected).

Have you heard one of latest ways of spending what you pay in tax? Giving money to encourage people to quit smoking Oh FFS
Gary

quote:

Originally posted by Gary & Nok:
Then why not pay for your ticket in full at the time of booking, I am sure that no surcharges can be added after this (although I stand to be corrected).

They can and they do.

quote:

We will never change the way our politicians run this country, their all crooked and only ever have their own pockets in mind. What are they currently getting for expenses, is it £30K??? That’s “double” my wife’s and my entire income for our family of 4!!!

Hey what a good idea. Who should we trust? The journalists who write about how corrupt politicians are? The business people who sunk billions into dot coms and then totally mucked up the economy through dodgy lending? The gangsters who seem to run so many countries now?

Do you not realise that shattering your trust in politicians is just as effective a way of destroying democracy as a military coup or invasion?

And whatever your income if your boss required you to have two homes, would you expect him to pay or not? In my work, if I stay a night away from home, the company pays.

Ian

I think the problem with the MPs expenses are twofold: firstly people look at them on TV saying, "yes, we need to clean up our expenses" - as if they are normal office staff who have been caught fiddling their claims, rather than public representatives who should be whiter than white. So I don't think that overall people have a problem with legitamate expenses per se.Secondly, many people are using this issue to beat them with, because of sins copmmitted elsewhere - and in general being useless in addressing a whole range of problems whch are confronting us.

quote:

Then why not pay for your ticket in full at the time of booking

Always do, they still add the surcharge to the bill....!

tg surcharge press release

Just for interest I priced a Swiss flight from LHR via Zurich to JFK New York came to including taxes 1550 gbp in business.

Same flight's Zurich to New York 2150 gbp inc taxes

ash

We all live under the same sky - but we don't pay the same prices