What is Air Passenger Duty and how can I avoid paying it?
Customers pay hundreds for the tax when booking flights - but there is a way around forking out the extra cash
HIDDEN charges when paying for flights are a real pain - especially when you fork out hundreds more than the advertised flight price.
One of the costs bulked on to the end of some fares is the Air Passenger Duty - and it can set you back you up to £200.
But while we end up dishing out cash to pay the tax - many of us have no idea what we're actually paying for.
Air Passenger Duty (APD) is a tax charged on all travellers leaving UK airports.
It is charged on planes with more than 20 passenger seats, or more than ten tonnes authorised take-off weight.
Originally APD cost just £5 for short haul journeys and £10 for long haul - but it can now set customers back hundreds.
If you're looking to fly to New York in January 2017, you'll need to spend £1,900 on flights from London to JFK airport - £146 of which will be on APD.
Customers who then need a connecting domestic flight to another UK airport are looking at an extra £20-£30 on top of the hefty air fare.
But there is one way you can avoid paying the tax - and it's good news if you live in the Scottish Highlands.
There is no tax for customers flying from the Highlands, as passengers leaving the region are not chargeable.
Anyone flying from Inverness, Isle of Skye, Kirkwall (as well as tens of other airports) can hop on a plane charge-free.
This means if you were to fly from Inverness to London and then to New York, you would be saving £116.
The fare basis is still £707, but you pay no APD on top.
While this may not be much help to southerners - it's well worth those living in and around Scotland taking the extra journey to Inverness to save the cost.
Another way of saving on APD is to start flights outside the UK.
Flying from Dublin to New York costs £1,487 - around £400 less than if you're travelling from London.
This is because flying from outside the EU means you pay no APD and a YQ fuel surcharge of £195.40 - as opposed to £249 when flying from the UK.
Flying from London to Dublin to take a New York-bound flight could save you £300 - including the cost of getting to Dublin in the first place.
Plus, you could spend a few days drinking Guinness in Ireland's capital... Win win, right?
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