Long Band UK Air Passenger Duty to be abolished from 1 April 2015.

[serfty]

This means that for those England/Scotland/Wales-xx_X-Oz journies (e.g. LHR-SYD, LHR-xSIN-MEL, LHR-xDXB-BNE) in economy it will drop from £97 to £71 & for other classes from £194 to £142.

Air Passenger Duty | APD | A Fair Tax on Flying campaign | Policy - ABTA

Bands (approximate distance in miles for the UK)	Reduced rate	Standard rate
	Rate from 1 April 2014	Rate from 1 April 2015	Rate from 1 April 2014	Rate from 1 April 2015
Band A (0-2000 miles)	£13	£13	£26	£26
Band B (2001-4000* miles)	£69	£71	£138	£142
Band C (4001-6000 miles)	£85	Abolished	£170	Abolished
Band D (over 6000)	£97	Abolished	£194	Abolished
*from April 2015 this will include all long-haul flights currently in band C or D

Also, it will be abolished for children 11 and under from May 1st 2015, then 15 and under from March 1st 2016.

 

[anat0l]

Well this should make travelling to or from London much more palatable now. That said, with the weakening AUD/GBP exchange rate, it's a bit of a double-edged sword. Plus there's still the rather considerable UK Passenger Service Charge.

It's not usually worth routing to Paris (or Brussels) to escape the APD since it relies on getting a cheap Eurostar fare, plus the travel time, unless your final intended destination is not London.

 

[amaroo]

Goody, when can I expect a refund from QF for our two LHR-SYD in April:?:

 

[Princess Fiona]

Goody, when can I expect a refund from QF for our two LHR-SYD in April:?:

Are they under 11 ?
If so I'd say you have more chance of seeing those pigs out the windows en-route

 

[amaroo]

Are they under 11 ?
If so I'd say you have more chance of seeing those pigs out the windows en-route

Not the kids - us. However, I agree on the pigs...

 

[andye]

BA have apparently made plans to refund the APD for the under 12s in Y only-see below

How to claim your APD refund from British Airways

 

[serfty]

Are they under 11 ?
...

...
Also, it will be abolished for children 11 and under from May 1st 2015, then 15 and under from March 1st 2016.

To be clear, that is "Under 12" and "Under 16"

 

[QPProletarian]

Remember even on non-refundable fares, APD may be claimed back if you don't fly. It is only payable by the airlines at the time of flight, so if your fare didn't account for the drop you should be entitled for a refund of the difference.