Austrian airport tax hit ski holidays in 2011

Another extra charge looks like being levied on the hard-pressed air passenger. On top of the UK’s Air Passenger Duty, and certain airport‘s ‘development charge’, there are now reports that an Austrian airport tax is to be introduced.

Planetski write that the €8 tax will be introduced from January the first 2011. It is expected that the approximately €60 million raised will be used to counter the budget deficit which Austria, in common with many other countries, is facing. The tax for long haul flights is set at €40 per passenger. This move will undoubtably have an effect on the cost of ski and snowboard holidays into 2011 and beyond.

Budget airlines are under increasing pressure to display these types of charges, a move which they seem unwilling to take as it would increase the ‘headline’ fare – the price which they advertise. At present these charges are not always included in the price often blazed across the advertisements, but come under ‘extra charges’. The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority is looking at using the European Unions laws on transparent pricing in an effort to force airlines to include them, according to ttglive.