Airport Security Levy

is it normal for three different web-booking sites to all have a different
levy for the same flight.
so far i've seen 7 pounds, 11 pounds and 14 pounds, for a flight from
newcastle to lanzarote.

Andrew Carr

Graham Harrison wrote:
> For many years the airlines didn't get too excited by taxes/fees and
> charges. They showed taxes on the ticket and included fees and charges in
> their fares because they didn't make up a significant part of the fare.
> Then several things happened, more governments introduced fees for using
> "services" such as customs and passport control, airports began to increase
> charges but the thing that seemed to break the camels back was the stopping
> of duty free by the EU. The airlines feared that the loss of duty free
> revenue would force airports to increase user fees. In turn, the airlines
> would have to increase their fares to cover the increased user fees. So,
> suddenly, the airlines decided to show things that had previously been
> included in the fare as separate fees.
> .

My distant and hazy recollection is that HM Gov allowed the airlines to
itemise PSCs separately.

I also have another similarly distant and hazy recollection to the
effect that agents don't get commission on the components of the fare
listed in the taxes section.

In which case the real reason for this nonsense is to squeeze
the agents' commissions with the added advantage of playing games
on headline prices.

Interestingly, until the airlines separated out the airport charges agents
didn't receive commission on "taxes" and accepted that fact. When the
airlines separated out the airport fee element the agents (successfully as
it turned out in court) argued that this element should be commissionable
with the result that when you look at the breakdown on the ticket and see
the one with the code "UB" the agents do earn commission on that "tax". If
you go back you will also find that the boxes on the ticket used to be
labelled "Tax(es)" whereas now they are labelled "Tax/Fee/Charge" because
not everything that appears there is a "tax" (as levied by a government).

The above is true in the UK and I believe, in a slightly different way, in
Holland. Not sure about other countries.

"Andrew Cruickshank" <andrew@reverseletters.tsaknepo.com> wrote in message
news:B6CF4D2DF451D411B27300D0B77E6A7048D6E2@vorlic h.openkast.com...
> Graham Harrison wrote:
> > For many years the airlines didn't get too excited by taxes/fees and
> > charges. They showed taxes on the ticket and included fees and charges
in
> > their fares because they didn't make up a significant part of the fare.
> > Then several things happened, more governments introduced fees for using
> > "services" such as customs and passport control, airports began to
increase
> > charges but the thing that seemed to break the camels back was the
stopping
> > of duty free by the EU. The airlines feared that the loss of duty free
> > revenue would force airports to increase user fees. In turn, the
airlines
> > would have to increase their fares to cover the increased user fees.
So,
> > suddenly, the airlines decided to show things that had previously been
> > included in the fare as separate fees.
> > .
>
> My distant and hazy recollection is that HM Gov allowed the airlines to
> itemise PSCs separately.
>
> I also have another similarly distant and hazy recollection to the
> effect that agents don't get commission on the components of the fare
> listed in the taxes section.
>
> In which case the real reason for this nonsense is to squeeze
> the agents' commissions with the added advantage of playing games
> on headline prices.
>
>
>
>

"Graham Harrison" <edward.harrison1@castle.> wrote in message
news:cqhop8$5a9$1@sparta....
> For many years the airlines didn't get too excited by taxes/fees and
> charges. They showed taxes on the ticket and included fees and charges
> in
> their fares because they didn't make up a significant part of the fare.
> Then several things happened, more governments introduced fees for using
> "services" such as customs and passport control, airports began to
> increase
> charges but the thing that seemed to break the camels back was the
> stopping
> of duty free by the EU. The airlines feared that the loss of duty free
> revenue would force airports to increase user fees. In turn, the
> airlines
> would have to increase their fares to cover the increased user fees. So,
> suddenly, the airlines decided to show things that had previously been
> included in the fare as separate fees.
>
> Ryanair exemplify this in so many ways. Fares of 1p with taxes out of
> all
> proportion and a wheelchair user fee for all passengers. But, if you
> look
> at some of the cheaper fares offered by the traditional airlines you can
> see
> much the same trend. I'm off to Nice at the end of January (not
> Ryanair).
> My total, including taxes/fees charges is GBP91.30 of which GBP43 is the
> actual fare.

I haven't got a breakdown of the fees but when I travel home with
LH (from DUS) using my M&M miles I have to pay more in taxes
than I pay in total when I fly home with FR (from NRN).

tim