Flight reductions and Air Passenger Duty increase could hamper UK travel to Balearics

PALMA
A winter of cut backs by the UK's leading low cost airlines and the increase in Air Passenger Duty on flights from November 1 could reduce travel options for British travellers coming to the Balearics.

The UK travel industry is currently locked in a battle with the government over the increase in APD which will put an extra pound on every flight from the UK to the Balearics.

The Association of British Travel Agents, Abta, is running a petition on the Number 10 web site and Ryanair recently said it had written to Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, asking him to abolish the tax, particularly as the Belgian, Dutch, Greek and Spanish Governments have all scrapped tourist taxes and/or reduced airport charges in a bid to boost tourism.

Cosmos, Monarch and Co-operative Travel director Hugh Morgan has slammed the APD as a “stealth tax” and claims it is hurting the UK tourist industry.
However, compared to other destinations, the 12 Pounds APD that UK passengers will be paying from next month to fly out to the Balearics and other destinations less than 2'000 miles from London, is much less than the tax which will be slapped on Britons flying a distance of over 6'000 miles from London. They will be hit with 85 pounds in APD.