Bonanza for Airlines
As you know, when you book a flight, you pay the ticket price and lots of additional Taxes, Fees and Charges (TFC’s). What most people don’t know is that the airlines only pass on those TFC’s to the government or the airport that they’re intended for, when you actually travel. If, for whatever reason, you don’t travel, you’re called a “no-show” and the airlines don’t have to p
ass on charges such as government taxes or the airport charges that you paid. Most people also don’t realise that you’re legally entitled to a refund of a significant portion of those TFC’s. We estimate that in 2012 alone, airlines flying in and out of Europe held on to over €3.5 Billion in TFC’s belonging to passengers that booked a flight but didn’t travel. That figure doesn’t even include the ticket prices that they probably held on to as well! Saints and Sinners
Now some airlines are worse than others for holding on your TFC’s. No prizes for guessing that Ryanair are the worst offenders in Europe. In our experience, they have made it mathematically impossible to ever get a refund at all. Others impose arbitrary conditions on the refund, such as a 30-day time limit (Aer Lingus, BMI, another?), a hefty “refund administration charge” (BA, Air France and many more), or a fax only application requirement (Aer Lingus)! In fairness, some are reasonable to deal with, notably Norwegian Air and EasyJet. But whether they are “saints or sinners” in our book, all airlines share two qualities:
• They all make an awful lot of money out of retaining your TFC’s and
• They all keep very quiet about it! Airtaxback was set up in Ireland in 2011 to raise awareness there about this issue and help passengers recover some of their uncollected TFC’s. With very little resources and in the face of opposition from some airlines (including a legal challenge from “you-know-who”) we’ve helped over 5,000 people recover roughly €250,000 in TFC’s. Now we’re spreading our wings a little, and the sky’s the limit! Do support us. Even if you haven’t missed a flight, sign up as a member and also help spread the word and join us on the social media network of your choice.
