g1ant

So good old Gordon Brown has found another way of squeezing money out of people. From 1st Feb 2007 Airport Passenger Duty will double. 40 quid tax on an economy transatlantic ticket. Double that if you are lucky enough to get an upgrade or have a business class ticket.

Why did we move here? Add Gordon Brown to my list.

dgsyd1

Sh*t!!

It's going to cost us over 2 grand to fly in May as it is.

GaryK

Well, to be fair, I'm not sure a £20 increase is going to rock anyone's boat so hard that they actually couldn't afford the flights anymore...

Having worked for people involved in the climate change issue in the UK, I have become convinced that aviation is one of the biggest environmental questions of our time, especially with the rise of Ryanair, EasyJet and what not. I think that the the Chancellor's proposal are a pretty fair compromise when looking at the big picture. I know I won't mind paying.

Bob

But how would it affect all those low cost airlines that bunny around the EU?

g1ant

So he's done it on purely environmental grounds. That's all right then.

BigDavyG

Have you looked at the stats - there is actually nothing to back this up.

100 people fly Ryanair from london to glasgow and you think that does more harm to the environment that the alternative means of transport.
The pollution caused by air trvael is miniscule in the great scheme of things - it has grown a lot recently, but is still a bit part player.

Anyway if Browno did this for 'environmental reasons' why charge first class more ??

scrubbedexpat099

Your comment is contradictory.

If it will not make any difference, people will just pony up, how does it effect the bigger picture?

And of course last week the announced increase in Rail fares were accompanies by comentaries showing how much cheaper it is to fly that use Rail.

All about money.

Dogbyte

Ah Yes, the bigger picture , Labour wont put up TAXES Like F*** (1997)Not only that he's just put nearly 6 p on a gallon of fuel. And this was an interim budget ?

TimFountain

So how much of that 'tax' will be used to directly influence the design of cleaner engines or alternative modes of transport (across the pond for instance). Or am I being cynical by suggesting that it is a crude form of disincentive with no other alternatives being offered, and will end up going straight into the governments coffers?

- Tim

neill

People in the UK have become 'indoctrinated' on climate change. The fact of the matter is there is still no direct proven link between use of fossil fuels and the predicted temperature rises in this century.

If you are from the UK, you will find what i said shocking. That's because, like i said, you are indoctrinated. "It's all about raising tax revenue without loosing votes, stupid"

Dogbyte

So the question I ask myself is, As the UK is such a large and meaningful partner of the EU, why is Brussels not telling all the european airlines the same ?? or is it Britain is going to keep all the clean air we will produce to ourselves??

englishnurse

how nice
cleaner air over britian, less sick people, so the extra raised revenue wont have to be given to the NHS, infact maybe they could cut a few more services now we are all going to be more healthy

Dogbyte

Clever people these politions.realising that the clean air, will stop people going to hospital, so they reduce the number of nurses and pre empt that, by closing the wards they wont be using.Very clever.I could use a set of very rude words but you already know the ones ?? B.o.l.l.o.c.k.s

BigDavyG

Your point is moot - whether or not fossil fuel use can be linked to climate change pumping vast quantities of co2 into the air cannot be a good thing.
It just seems that there are better targets to be going after than airlines - they simply seem to be easy targets.

Moving?

I remember a documentary on climate change - it was actually about global cooling which is just as bad as global warming... Very interesting

Anyway... one American researcher in Chicago (if memory serves me well, which I believe it does!) says that he had wanted to do some kind of test but he needed a clear day... and one which he needed didn't come until... 9/11 when there was no aircraft movement. He realised how much of the "cloudy" sky was jet trails / pollution.