About 3.6 million UK adults could be due an air passenger duty (APD) refund for missed and cancelled flights.
Calculations from Go.Compare show that travellers could be owed up to £224 each, but 77% of eligible flyers are unaware they can claim their money back.
APD is an excise tax on flights from the UK designed to raise funds for the Government and encourage the use of more sustainable modes of transport. APD is normally included in the flight ticket price.
However, the tax is only payable once the traveller has flown. This means anyone who bought a ticket but then didn’t travel should be able to claim back the tax – even on a non-refundable ticket.
Holidaymakers could be reimbursed for the tax if they missed a flight and had to buy a second ticket, cancelled a booking for a non-refundable plane ticket or didn’t fly because their flight was cancelled.
The study by Go.Compare asked Brits about their travel experiences over the past year to find out how many could be owed a refund. It then multiplied this by the average APD paid per passenger to uncover how much flyers could be entitled to.
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The price comparison site says that only a third of Brits have heard of APD. As a result, 3.6 million UK adults could be owed the refund without them even realising.
Rhys Jones, travel insurance expert at Go.Compare, said: “Your eligibility for the refund and how much you can claim depends on the circumstances of your trip, so you will need to check if you’re entitled to anything first. Keep in mind that you’ll likely only be refunded if you didn’t travel, so if you were placed on another flight as a result of a cancellation, for instance, you probably won’t be eligible, since you still flew.
“But if, for example, you missed your flight and had to buy another ticket for a later departure, you could claim back the tax on the original ticket, as you paid the APD twice but only flew once. Some airlines do impose a deadline and an admin fee to claim, which can mean it isn’t worthwhile for some trips, but not all of them do this, so it’s worth looking into for your journey.
“You won’t be able to claim for any knock-on expenses as a result of an incomplete journey here either, that’s what your travel insurance is for. But, it’s a great way to take the sting out of a disappointing day at the airport.”
How much is APD?
How much APD each passenger pays varies quite considerably depending on the class of travel and whether you are flying domestic, short haul or long haul.
Current amounts of APD paid range from about £7 for an economy seat on a domestic flight to about £200 for a more expensive seat on a long-haul flight.
In the Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a modest rise in APD, equivalent to about £2 on a short-haul flight.
How to claim an APD refund
If you think you might be due an APD refund, the first step is to contact the airline you booked with.
You can normally submit a claim online and you’ll need your booking reference number and other details about your flight. If you booked through a third-party travel agent, you should submit your claim through the agent instead.
Some operators charge an admin fee for processing your request, which means it might not be worthwhile for short-haul flights.
