Reducing RTW Award taxes & surcharges

[Saurs82]

Hi thinking of using my FF points for RTW trip in the next year or so. I understand i still have to pay taxes/fees, im wondering are there any tip to places to avoid flying in/out of that have higher taxes etc? Or does it really not matter that much?
TIA for your help

 

[RichardMEL]

re: Reducing RTW Award taxes & surcharges

For one you want to avoid flying OUT of the UK. Flying in is OK, but the APD on flying out, specially in any kind of premium cabin will break the piggy bank (and I think they are raising them again too!).. so fine to fly into LHR, but train it across (or get a separate cheap flight) to CDG or AMS to continue on.

 

[Saurs82]

re: Reducing RTW Award taxes & surcharges

Great tip thankyou Uk was one of our destinations to go to.

 

[Himeno]

re: Reducing RTW Award taxes & surcharges

Great tip thankyou Uk was one of our destinations to go to.

UK APD is a bit excessive. Some areas of the UK have lower amounts, in order to get people to travel there. They made some changes to the system a while ago, changing it from 4 distance bands to 2 (distance is measured between LON and the capital city of the nation you are traveling to). It's 1 rate for the "lowest class of service" and another, close to double, for anything else.

If you fly from the UK to western Europe to pay lower APD, remember it is based on connections. If you fly LHR-SIN with a connection in AMS, APD is based on going to SIN. If you spend at least 24 hours in AMS, the rate is based on AMS.

 

[coriander]

re: Reducing RTW Award taxes & surcharges

For one you want to avoid flying OUT of the UK. Flying in is OK, but the APD on flying out, specially in any kind of premium cabin will break the piggy bank (and I think they are raising them again too!).. so fine to fly into LHR, but train it across (or get a separate cheap flight) to CDG or AMS to continue on.

Do you still have to pay APD if you transit (ie on same PNR) through LHR? eg DXB-LHR on QF connecting to same day BA LHR-ZRH?

 

[RichardMEL]

re: Reducing RTW Award taxes & surcharges

UK APD is a bit excessive. Some areas of the UK have lower amounts, in order to get people to travel there. They made some changes to the system a while ago, changing it from 4 distance bands to 2 (distance is measured between LON and the capital city of the nation you are traveling to). It's 1 rate for the "lowest class of service" and another, close to double, for anything else.

If you fly from the UK to western Europe to pay lower APD, remember it is based on connections. If you fly LHR-SIN with a connection in AMS, APD is based on going to SIN. If you spend at least 24 hours in AMS, the rate is based on AMS.

Correct. this is why I suggested either train or separate ticket to a connecting city - like a cheap FR or Easyjet ticket to the continent then hope back onto the RTW.

As for the question on transits.... it used to be <24 hours, but I think that changed at some point in the last year or so, but I am not clear on the specifics.

I used to make a habit of visiting LON for a day and leaving next morning to avoid APD. Great way to just go see a concert or something lol

 

[andye]

re: Reducing RTW Award taxes & surcharges

Do you still have to pay APD if you transit (ie on same PNR) through LHR? eg DXB-LHR on QF connecting to same day BA LHR-ZRH?

No:
so, various methods to avoid/reduce
1) transit only
2) fly out of another European port and book flight (or rail) UK-EU on separate PNR (usually the most practical option)
3) fly UK-EU on the RTW then stop >24h in EU before onward journey (I understand this works as post#4 but arguably 'wastes' a stop)
4) avoid UK entirely
5) some smaller Scottish airports don't pay APD-Inverness is the one that has BA flights

 

[RichardMEL]

re: Reducing RTW Award taxes & surcharges

re UK APD and connecting flights - it seems <24 hours still applies, according to the latest APD issue of April, 2015:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...ce-550-air-passenger-duty#exemptions-from-apd

"Where the second of 2 flights (flight B) is an international flight (that is from the UK to an international destination), flight B is treated as connected if its booked time of departure falls within 24 hours of the scheduled time of arrival of the first flight (flight A)."

However there are various gotchyas which tripped me up at one point - eg if you arrive and depart from the same country/city it's NOT considered a connection, even within the 24 hour thing. so going DXB-LHR-DXB would get APD, but DXB-LHR(<24h)-JFK wouldn't.

and yes, the ifnal destination of a series of flights determines the APD charge.

it's complex reading and not fun. Basically they're coughs!

 

[travelislife]

re: Reducing RTW Award taxes & surcharges

Try and avoid using BA and QF, they have some of the highest surcharges. CX out of HKG is always good and low. AA is low. QR is average.

 

[Mattg]

re: Reducing RTW Award taxes & surcharges

Try and avoid using BA and QF, they have some of the highest surcharges. CX out of HKG is always good and low. AA is low. QR is average.

That's a good tip about avoiding the airlines with high fuel surcharges. I find that when redeeming points, the main additional expense is the fuel surcharges and not the "genuine" taxes.

FWIW, I've also found that LATAM Airlines and Airberlin have low/no fuel surcharges. Iberia is average, MH is high.

If you really want to bring the taxes down, you could start the trip in a country where fuel surcharge are illegal or regulated. These include Hong Kong, Philippines and Brazil.

 

[Franky]

re: Reducing RTW Award taxes & surcharges

It can probably be read amongst all the posts above, but another thought with the transit option is to fly say AMS-LHR-anywhere on a less than 24 hour LHR connection, which negates the taxes, but gives you the whole EU region to navigate thru.

 

[SydneySwan]

re: Reducing RTW Award taxes & surcharges

Try and avoid using BA and QF, they have some of the highest surcharges. CX out of HKG is always good and low. AA is low. QR is average.

I think CX recently jacked up their fuel surcharges because their oil hedge program locked in oil at a much higher price than it is currently.

 

[Mattg]

re: Reducing RTW Award taxes & surcharges

I think CX recently jacked up their fuel surcharges because their oil hedge program locked in oil at a much higher price than it is currently.

I believe this is correct, but I don't think the increase was that significant and it still does not apply to travel originating in Hong Kong.

 

[Dr Ralph]

I think CX recently jacked up their fuel surcharges because their oil hedge program locked in oil at a much higher price than it is currently.

I booked a CX fare as an award booking within the last 3 days. I thought their charges were remarkably reasonable.