50% TAX ON INT'L AIRLINE TICKET??

Old Jul 3rd, 2007, 04:41 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 170
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
50% TAX ON INT'L AIRLINE TICKET??

Paying $950 for an AA international plane ticket from the US to Zurich, changing to a quick hop to Venice, with eventual return from Paris didn't faze me. Upon looking closer at the ticket, however, I found this:

Ticket: $622.00
TAX: $ 332.60
TICKET TOTAL: $954.60

Good Lord! Is it normal for alleged airline taxes to be over 50% of the ticket price? Have I been asleep all these years? Or is something rotten in Denmark!?
Logan69 is offline  
Old Jul 3rd, 2007, 04:53 PM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 8,030
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
It is what it is !!! It has been that way for awhile. I am think that somethings that used to be buried in the ticket price are now shown as taxes so that the airline can advertize a misleading low price. But it is the end price that counts.
fmpden is offline  
Old Jul 3rd, 2007, 05:00 PM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 23,073
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
No, the tax shouldn't be that high. Can you give me approximate and exact itnerary?

Roundtrip tax to the UK from the US is about $160 in coach, higher in business/first. Roundtrip tax to continental Europe (not touching UK) should be under $100.
rkkwan is offline  
Old Jul 3rd, 2007, 05:00 PM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 12,009
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I think it depends on the airport(s) you are flying to/from. We are paying a little over $100 on a $700 ticket on AA to fly to/from Frankfurt in September.
bettyk is offline  
Old Jul 3rd, 2007, 05:09 PM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 23,073
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
BTW, most of the taxes/fees are fixed costs. If you say 50% tax is high, then what do you think about those 0.99£ fares on Ryanair that ended up being 20£? That's 2000% tax!
rkkwan is offline  
Old Jul 3rd, 2007, 05:23 PM
  #6  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 170
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Major airports: DFW to ZRH, ZRH to VCE, CDG to DFW.
Logan69 is offline  
Old Jul 3rd, 2007, 05:30 PM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,969
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Not only that, even the exactly same flight, if booked on a code shared partner, even when the ticket part is the same, the tax part is often different.
greg is offline  
Old Jul 3rd, 2007, 05:39 PM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 23,073
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
From beta.itasoftware.com

Tax: US September 11th Security Fee $2.50
Tax: US International Departure Tax $15.10
Tax: US Passenger Facility Charge $4.50
Tax: Swiss Airport Passenger Security & Noise Charge CHF 40.50
Tax: US International Arrival Tax $15.10
Tax: French Air Passenger Solidarity Tax €4.00
Tax: French Airport Tax €8.75
Tax: French International Passenger Service Charge €13.51
Tax: French Aviation Civile Tax €7.04
Tax: US Customs Fee $5.50
Tax: US Immigration Fee $7.00
Tax: USDA APHIS Fee $5.00
Tax: AA YQ surcharge $170.00

I bolded the last item. This is not a tax. AA calls it fuel surcharge or what not, but it's nothing but part of the fare. So, the actual taxes are about $160. The ticket price is about $800.
rkkwan is offline  
Old Jul 3rd, 2007, 09:13 PM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 23,773
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post
They're using the YQ code for fuel surcharge? Shouldn't that be YR? My airline has both, and the YQ is delightfully titled "war risk insurance surcharge".
kerouac is online now  
Old Jul 3rd, 2007, 09:18 PM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 23,073
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I actually don't know what surcharge that is. But it's definitely not a tax.
rkkwan is offline  
Old Jul 3rd, 2007, 09:39 PM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,416
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
What airlines add on to the basic fare is called T&C, or tax and charges. While there are government taxes, the major parts of T&C are what airports charge for handling passengers, and 'fuel surcharge' and increased insurance premium since 9/11. Ryanair also have a 'wheelchair levy'. Even if two airlines serve the same airport, airport charges they pass on to passengers usually vary as they are often individually negotiated.
Alec is offline  
Old Jul 3rd, 2007, 09:43 PM
  #12  
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 23,073
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Just to illustrate how meaningless these "surcharges" are, I tried to look for non-stop flights JFK/EWR to CDG 9/25-10/1?

AA, AF, CO and DL are all $722, all-in.

AF, CO and DL don't have surchages; AA have $170. Does it mean anything? No.
rkkwan is offline  
Old Jul 4th, 2007, 01:47 AM
  #13  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,997
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Travelers for many years assumed that running an airport was cost free or that local citizens payed for it. Look around during your next trip. Who is paying for all that staff? Electricity, water, sewerage? Infrastructure is costly and now new security concerns are increasing those costs. Taxes and surcharges are different animals. Who pays for the air traffic control? As the dollar declines, overseas fees will increase. Oil is up from $5 a bbl. to $70 plus. Budget for 2008....USA fares to Europe, up 50%?
GSteed is offline  
Old Jul 4th, 2007, 05:13 AM
  #14  
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 8,247
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I guess no one believes that airports can be run for free.
And I guess most know that airports can make a good share of their revenues from "non-flying" business, i.e. shops & restaurants.

The question here is, if advertising flight for $100 but then come up with a total of $200 is fair advertising after all.

In my opinion it is not, as T&C comprise no "extras" that the traveler can choose to have or not to have.
When was the last time you saw a railway company advertise trips from A-Town to B-Town for $100 and then add $ 50 T&C for use of railway stations, escalator surcharge, summer a/c surcharge, fuel surcharge, winter snow removal tax, and so on.

Some airlines quit that nonsense and advertise prices incl T&C. So the only reason not to do it, is simply to have a "total bargain" to advertise.
Cowboy1968 is offline  
Old Jul 4th, 2007, 05:17 AM
  #15  
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 23,073
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I always prefer having taxes and fees separately listed for any goods and services. That reminded you how much money the government(s) are taking from you.

But fuel (or whatever) surcharge shouldn't.

Otherwise, AA or whoever could have listed the OP's ticket to be free, but with a $800 fuel surcharge.
rkkwan is offline  
Old Jul 4th, 2007, 05:29 AM
  #16  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 17,268
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
"if advertising flight for $100 but then come up with a total of $200 is fair advertising"

I thought misleading price descriptions were mandated by the US constitution. They are, after all, given on everything sold in the United States.

If something at a JFK convenience store has a $10 sticker but the store insists on being paid $11, what's the big fuss when the airlines do the same thing?
flanneruk is offline  
Old Jul 4th, 2007, 05:44 AM
  #17  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,408
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
rkkwan-thanks for the the link to the ita software, it's facinating.

I've been looking at a trip LAX to FCO and been appalled at the taxes. It's nice to see them all broken out.
Kristina is offline  
Old Jul 4th, 2007, 06:06 AM
  #18  
ira
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 74,699
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi L,

Why do you care if your ticket is $949 + $1 tax or $1 + $949 tax? It's still $950.


ira is offline  
Old Jul 4th, 2007, 06:26 AM
  #19  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,969
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I dislike the pricing practice of quoting price plus "taxes and fees" when the later is stated non-numerically initially. This is the case for US wireless telephone, hotels, rental car, etc. Instead I get response like "approximately so and so" or "you will get the actual amount on your bill."

I want to see the final price of products so I can compare options in term of what I end up paying.

I sometimes get caught this in reverse when it comes to paying the hotel bill in Germany. If a hotel quotes a rate of €135 a night, when I ask what is the amount I need to pay, the cashier would look at me if I am dumb or something for not knowing I need pay the €135.
greg is offline  
Old Jul 4th, 2007, 06:30 AM
  #20  
LN
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The tax does appear to be high but most of us don't know what it entails. To be honest, I would contact an AA agent and ask them to recheck it. It can't hurt - there could have been a glich when the ticket was printed. But either way you'll soon learn if it's 50% tax or not!!
LN is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -