Posted by Seth on May 17, 2010 under News | 
It is rather uncommon for customers to be happy about an increase in fares. But if the expected new government coalition in the United Kingdom can actually deliver on their platform it stands that the airfares departing UK airport are quite likely to go up, and it might actually be a good thing for many customers. Indeed, it is possible that raising the airfares will result in lower total costs for many passengers.
Following the most recent round of elections there has been a bit of a scramble to establish a coalition government. One set of negotiations – between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats – resulted in the publication of their positions on a number of issues. Buried in point number 11, the section discussing environmental policy, is this bit:
The parties agree to implement a full programme of measures to fulfil our joint ambitions for a low carbon and eco-friendly economy, including: …
The replacement of the Air Passenger Duty with a per flight duty.
So how can one tax replacing another make any sense as a good thing for the passengers? In this case it actually does. The APD is assessed on a per-passenger basis currently. The rates are exorbitant for long-haul flights and doubly so for passengers traveling in the premium cabins. Moreover, the APD, as a tax, is charged individually to all customers even on reward bookings. As such a ticket between the UK and the USA can incur more than $200 in taxes alone.By removing the APD as a line-item that the individual passengers must pay it can be expected that the tax burden as an assignable, per-passenger cost will decrease significantly.
The airlines will still have a cost to bear on the per-flight taxes. And to meet this cost it is almost certain that the fares will increase. But that increase won’t be reflected on reward seats. And the airlines will actually be able to legitimately compete on fare pricing, choosing how to price their tickets and still meet their responsibility to the Crown rather than having such a large portion of the fare dictated to them.
Posted by Seth on June 24, 2009 under Uncategorized |
There are plenty of reasons to not get on a plane. Being told that you have to sit at the back to help deal with balance issues is quite certainly not one of them. But that is just what a bunch of British tourists did this past Sunday, refusing to board a Thomas Cook flight from Majorca back home to Newcastle. And they’ve taken their story public, desperately trying to make it seem like the airline is at fault and not them.
Many passengers chose to pay $200 or more each to fly home on different airlines rather than board the plane, all because they were asked to sit at the rear of the plane rather than in the front. The rear baggage compartment door was stuck closed so no baggage could be loaded there. That changed the center of gravity of the plane enough that the airline tried to move seats around. And instead of canceling the flight the carrier actually put the laws of physics into action, reassigning seats to keep the plane safe to fly.
But several of the passengers, apparently well versed in the nuance of aeronautics and flight planning refused to board. They some choice quotes, including:
It was like they were being asked to fly in something that was being balanced out like a see-saw.
and
We just wanted a plane that would stay level without us being used as ballast.
Here’s a hint folks: EVERY TIME you get on a plane you’re being used as ballast and to balance the see-saw, err, plane. It is part of the pre-flight checklist and one of the reasons the flight attendants count the passengers on the plane. The pilots are going to make sure that when they pull back on the control stick the plane actually gets airborne. And that means getting the balance right. I cannot count the number of times I’ve moved around for weight and balance reasons; it is just part of the travel experience. Oh, and when the pilot – someone who actually does know how the crazy hunk of metal is able to hurtle through the skies at 500 miles per hour – is willing to get on the plane and go maybe that should be a hint that things are fine. After all, most pilots I know don’t routinely hop on a plane to kill themselves and all their passengers.
And instead the news is about kids crying and people kissing the ground as they deplaned because the didn’t crash. They even got a great photo of a forlorn 17 year old “reunited” with her mother after spending the night sleeping on the floor in the airport. Stay classy, media. You’re doing a great job.
Posted by Seth on January 2, 2009 under Uncategorized |
A couple quick stories this evening from the UK, where they seem to be having some serious trouble this week keeping trains operating smoothly.
First off, a train traveling between East Croydon and Caterham had to skip the last six stops of its run when a satellite link went down. Apparently the GPS signal is critical to the operation of the trains because it indicates to the train where to stop at short platforms and controls the opening of the doors. Someone apparently thought that was a better plan than a little sign on the side of the tracks indicating where the train is supposed to stop, like they’ve been using for years.
A spokesman for Southern said: “A lot of our trains have GPS which recognises where the train is and allows it to open the doors at the station, depending on the length of the train and the length of the platform.”
He added: “Doors can be opened manually in an emergency but we would not recommend it at other times.”
So the doors cannot be opened manually except in case of an emergency. Apparently they’ve got HAL9000 running the trains now.
The other story is actually rather sad. A small propeller plane crashed just outside of Stafford, England on the side of the rail line there, taking out the overhead power lines and stranding thousands of passengers as the lines between London and Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, among others. The pilot and passenger on the plane were also killed in the accident. Bad news all around.
Posted by Seth on November 24, 2008 under Uncategorized |
How else can they explain the obscene taxes that they are charging for the Air Passenger Duty (APD) tax?
Currently the rates are pretty ridiculous, up to £80 for long-haul flights in a premium cabin. But that is nothing compared to where the APD is going starting in November 2009. Here’s what the new chart looks like:
| Band, and approximate distance in miles from London |
In the lowest class of travel
(Reduced rate) |
In other than the lowest class of travel*
(Standard rate) |
|
2009-10 |
2010-11 |
2009-10 |
2010-11 |
| Band A (0 – 2000) |
£11 |
£12 |
£22 |
£24 |
| Band B (2001 – 4000) |
£45 |
£60 |
£90 |
£120 |
| Band C (4001 – 6000) |
£50 |
£75 |
£100 |
£150 |
| Band D (over 6000) |
£55 |
£85 |
£110 |
£170 |
The APD that they will be charging to fly from the UK to the USA in a premium cabin is on par with what base fares are to fly the route over the winter. So when you depart from the UK a HUGE percentage of the costs for that ticket are going to the UK government, not to the airlines.
Lots of countries have departure taxes, and some only apply for the premium cabins, but none are nearly as egregious as those of the UK. Ouch. I know that this will preclude me from flying out of the UK for a while now.
Posted by Seth on September 12, 2008 under Uncategorized |
Two more carriers shutting down to report for the past two weeks, both out of Britain. They are actually both more tour operators than traditional carriers so that may have something to do with their shutdowns. The two are XL Airways, which shut down this morning stranding 67,000 passengers in overseas destinations, and Zoom. Bad news for everyone involved in both cases.
Posted by Seth on August 21, 2008 under Uncategorized |
This weekend kicks of a four week run of over 30,000 miles of flying for me, and I’ve apparently managed to schedule a great start to the adventure – flying into the remnants of Tropical Storm Fay in NE Florida. The good news is that the storm should be far enough west by tomorrow that it won’t affect my beach time for the weekend nor the flights, but it is rather entertaining to be flying into the aftermath of a storm, again. Last time was in October ‘03 following four hurricanes in NE Florida.
Sadly, this is just a quick trip to the beach, but we need to get back up north quickly to start our 12 day trip to Turkey and England, which should be a ton of fun. More on that to follow…
