Increase taxes at Heathrow??

Has anyone heard of the $190/person proposal fee to land and take off at Heathrow? I was informed of this by a friend who heard it on a radio station on travel. Below is some information I found:

(TRAVPR.COM) UK - January 19th, 2013 - Discussions are taking place about the possibility of raising taxes in the overcrowded airports of south-east London, including Heathrow. The Department of Transport has undertaken research which suggests that a 50% rise in air passenger duty would be enough to persuade passengers to use a less subscribed airport such as Luton or Stansted.

However, many specialist flights are not offered from Luton and Stansted, and those who have no choice but to fly from Heathrow could be facing costly increases in the amount they pay to travel. Many of these passengers will need to turn to other avenues of decreasing the amount they pay for airport usage, including options such as meet and greet parking services.

It is research output only at this stage.

There is actually pressure to reduce some of the Air Taxes that apply at UK airports.

This report is all part of the push about whether to expand Heathrow, build another airport or try and redirect demand to other London airports. So certainly not going to happen in the immediate future if at all

Last week the managers at Gatwick were arguing BA should be required to reduce flights at Heathrow in the Winter and route them to Gatwick as Gatwick coped better during the snow incident than Heathrow

Some of this inter aiport rivalry in the London area is being fueled by the fact that Heathrow, Gatwick and Stanstead used to all be owned by British Airports Authority, but then competition regulation required two to be sold off by BAA over the last two years. So you need to dig behind some of the reports to work out what is driving the agenda

It's too bad that so many itineraries are routed through LHR.

I have no desire to use that airport except when visiting London,

yet I'm forced to nearly every time I go to Europe.

It's important to note that the UK Air Passenger Duty (APD) only applies to departures from the UK, not arrivals nor transits with layovers under 24 hours. That doesn't make it any more palatable, but it IS avoidable under some circumstances.

I'm confused. The refer to LHR as "south-east London" when it's nothing of the sort - due west.

I'm confused. The refer to LHR as "south-east London" when it's nothing of the sort - due west.

I'm sure it's a typo, and should have been the south-east of England, the term which usually embraces greater London.

I have no desire to use that airport except when visiting London, yet I'm forced to nearly every time I go to Europe.

And just who/what is holding that gun to your head.

Aside from non-stop flights from the USA to many, many cities in Europe, you can also avail yourself of a wide variety of airline hubs other than LHR.

Or, is it because you choose to fly BA?? And thus have to endure LHR as a price.

It's too bad that so many itineraries are routed through LHR.

 

I have no desire to use that airport except when visiting London,

yet I'm forced to nearly every time I go to Europe.

If you hate it so much, why not choose itineraries that route you though CDG, AMS, FRA, DUB or FCO for example, instead of LHR?

Last week the managers at Gatwick were arguing BA should be required to reduce flights at Heathrow in the Winter and route them to Gatwick as Gatwick coped better during the snow incident than Heathrow

One reason that Gatwick coped better (apart from the randomness of how much snow happens to fall at each airport during any snow event) is that it is less saturated than Heathrow and so there is more slack in Gatwick's systems. The slack isn't being taken up, despite the competition between the airports, because Gatwick is not having much success in attracting and keeping long-haul scheduled services to destinations that would normally be thought of as Heathrow destinations. Airlines that try Gatwick for these often haven't stayed for long.

If you hate it so much, why not choose itineraries that route you though CDG, AMS, FRA, DUB or FCO for example, instead of LHR?

I am not a huge LHR fan (though I don't hate it as much as they do, apparently), but I stick to LHR for one big reason...OneWorld mileage and status ;)

Zach, that makes sense for you. The upside is huge compared to the LHR inconveniences. Wondering what Architect's issue is??

Zach, that makes sense for you. The upside is huge compared to the LHR inconveniences. Wondering what Architect's issue is??

Exactly. The infrequent flyer seldom has a strong allegiance to a particular airline/alliance, so I'm just curious why Architect feels "forced" to fly through LHR. Architect- is it an airline/alliance loyalty that keeps you connecting at LHR? And if you hate it so much, is there really no other way to be routed, perhaps on a different alliance partner?

Has anyone heard of the $190/person proposal fee to land and take off at Heathrow? I was informed of this by a friend who heard it on a radio station on travel. Below is some information I found:

 

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For those people taking cruises out of Southampton, consider flying into BHX/Birmingham. While on a map it looks a long way, it's on a direct rail route to Southampton, and takes 2h15 (vs Gatwick at 2h00 and LHR at 1h45). Certainly it's a much better option than London/STN or London/LTN

Of course if you're willing to change planes in Europe, there are also flights into SOU/Southampton itself from most major EU airports