Booked a holiday this year? Here’s how to claim tax back for your child’s flight

04 Jun 2015

Parents can claim cash back for flights taken after May 1

Parents who booked flights for their children this summer can now claim the tax back for their trip – and here’s how to do it.

Air passenger duty (APD) for children under 12 was abolished on economy class bookings from May 1.

Families who booked and paid for flights before that date – but who have yet to travel – are now due a refund of that duty.

The tax is charged on all passenger flights from UK airports, with the amount varying from £13 to £71 depending on the distance travelled.

Some airlines are giving refunds automatically, but others require passengers to fill in a claim form or contact the airline or travel agent directly. It depends on whether airlines requested children’s ages at the time of the booking.

Ryanair scrapped the tax earlier than others – on flights from March 27 onwards.

Wizz Air says APD is not broken out as a separate item from the various taxes included in the fare. In some cases, promotional fares are less than the applicable APD, in which case APD will not be refunded.

Here’s how to claim according to airline:

Aer Lingus

Airline: Refunds are automatic and made to the original form of payment.

Travel agent: Awaiting response

Air Canada

Airline: Customers should call 0871 220 1111 to apply for a refund after travel is completed.

Travel agent: Contact the agent directly for a refund.

Air France

Airline: Refunds are automatic and made to the original form of payment.

Travel agent: Contact the agent directly for a refund.

American Airline

Airline: Customers need to contact reservations to re-issue their ticket without the APD. Refunds will be made to the original form of payment.

Travel agent: Contact the agent to ask it to submit a refund application.

BMI Regional

Airline: Refunds are automatic and made to the original form of payment. Anyone affected who hasn’t had one should call 0330 333 7998.

Travel agent: Refunds are automatic and made to the original form of payment. Anyone affected who hasn’t had one should call 0330 333 7998.

British Airways

Airline: Refunds are automatic and made to the original form of payment if booked via BA.com.

Travel agent: If the agent’s name appears on your statement, apply via the travel agent.

Delta

Airline: Awaiting response

Travel agent: Awaiting response

Easyjet

Airline: Easyjet says an automatic refund would have triggered when customers entered advance passenger information. If they couldn’t do that, Easyjet for how to reclaim. It will contact customers to refund to card used to pay for booking within 28 days of request.

Travel agent: Easyjet says an automatic refund would have triggered when customers entered advance passenger information. If they couldn’t do that, see Easyjet for how to reclaim. It will contact customers to refund to card used to pay for booking within 28 days of request.

Emirates:

Airline: Refunds are automatic and made to the original form of payment.

Travel agent: Refunds are automatic and made to the original form of payment.

Flybe

Airline: See Flybe’s website to fill in a claims form.

Travel agent: You need to contact the agent to request a refund.

Jet2.com

Airline: Emailed affected customers with instructions on how to claim: Log in online, then go to ‘manage my booking’, enter passport details and message will appear letting you know refund will be automatically put back on the card used to pay.

Travel agent: Jet2 says if the travel agent has given it customer contact details then refunds will be automatic. Otherwise, you’ll need to contact the travel agent directly.

KLM

Airline: Refunds are automatic and made to the original form of payment.

Travel agent: Contact the agent directly for a refund.

Lufthansa

Airline: Request refund via customer services. It’s then automatically refunded via the original payment method used.

Travel agent: Contact the agent after you’ve completed your journey.

Monarch

Airline: Refunds are automatic and made to the original form of payment.

Travel agent: Refunds are automatic and made to the original form of payment.

Norwegian

Airline: Affected customers need to contact customer services for a refund if booked direct. It will be paid back to the original card used.

Travel agent: Contact the agent directly for a refund.

Ryanair

Airline: You need to apply to reclaim the APD by filling in a form. It will be refunded back to the original payment method used, once all flights have been taken.

Travel agent: You need to apply to reclaim the APD by filling in a form. It will be refunded back to the original payment method used, once all flights have been taken.

SAS (Scandinavian Airlines)

Airline: Customers need to call 0871 226 7760 or visit the SAS website to reclaim.

Travel agent: Customers can either contact SAS by calling 0871 226 7760 or visiting the SAS website to reclaim, or they can contact the travel agent directly.

Swiss

Airline: Request refund via Swiss.com and the amount is refunded back to the original payment method used.

Travel agent: Contact the agent after you’ve completed your journey.

Thomas Cook

Airline: Refunds are automatic and made to the original form of payment.

Travel agent: Contact the agent directly for a refund.

Thomson

Airline: Refunds are automatic and made to the original form of payment, alternative card or via cheque.

Travel agent: Refunds are automatic and made to the original form of payment, alternative card or via cheque.

United Airlines

Airline: More than 1,000 customers originally identified as being affected were given refunds processed on their original form of payment. Those who paid APD need to contact United Airlines to request a refund back to the original payment method after travel completed.

Travel agent: Contact the agent after you’ve completed your journey.

Virgin Atlantic

Airline: Automatically refunded onto the card paid with.

Travel agent: Automatically refunded onto the card paid with.

Wizz Air

Airline: Affected customers need to contact Wizz Air and provide proof of age.

Travel agent: Affected customers need to contact Wizz Air and provide bank details so the refund goes direct to them and not to the agent.

(Information courtesy of Money Saving Expert. Visit www.moneysavingexpert.com.)

APD is charged only on outgoing flights from the UK, not on inbound ones. It’s a charge paid by the airlines to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), although it’s typically passed on to passengers via ticket prices.

The move to scrap it for under 12s in economy class was announced in the government’s Autumn Statement last year.

From March 2016 it is being scrapped in economy class for all children under 16.

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