You may be entitled to an APD refund, but not all airlines are automatically refunding the cash.
Air Passenger Duty (APD) will be scrapped from 1st March for children under 16 flying in economy class. Currently, only those aged under 12 qualify for the tax break.
This could save families up to £73 per child. But if you’ve already paid for your flights, you may have to put in some work in order to claim a refund.
What is APD?
Air Passenger Duty is a tax collected by the airlines on behalf of the Government. It’s paid on flights leaving UK airports, both domestic and overseas, and makes up part of the ticket price.
Rates depend on how far you’re flying and, just to complicate matters, both rates and bands changed last April. So how much you’ll get back depends on when you booked your flights. For more read Air Passenger Duty reforms mean cheaper long-haul flights.
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How much is it worth?
For any flight booked since April 2015, you will have paid £13 on flights up to 2,000 miles (typically France and Spain) and £71 for anything over which could include trips to Egypt, South Africa, America and Australia.
From this April (2016), the cost for booking flights over 2,000 miles will rise to £73, while the duty on short-haul flights remains unchanged.
Who gets a refund?
If you have children under 12, you could be due a refund for any flights booked since last April. It will apply to children under 16 from March.
Some airlines are dishing out APD refunds automatically, but with others you’ll need to ask for it or risk losing out.
According to the British Air Transport Association, this isn’t airlines being awkward, but due to their individual booking systems. While some ask for a child’s age at the booking stage, with others, although a ‘child’ ticket is being booked, it’s only further down the line that their specific age will be requested.
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Airlines paying out automatically
British Airways
Refunds are automatic, but won’t be triggered until after departure. The money should go back on your payment card by the end of the following month.
Virgin Atlantic
Automatic refunds issued for tickets booked through its website or call centre. Tickets will be reissued, followed by a refund to your payment card.
No time limit given for processing refunds.
American Airlines
Automatic refund for anyone who bought tickets directly through American Airlines. For tickets bought via travel agents, it’s the travel agent who should process the refund.
Jet2
[SPOTLIGHT]You’ll get an email from Jet2 if you’re due a refund but no details are given as to how long refunds could take to process.
Thomas Cook
Customers with flight-only bookings will be contacted by email with refund details.
Those with bookings for Thomas Cook Airlines made through travel companies should contact their travel agent.
Down to you to make a claim
EasyJet
To activate your refund you need to confirm the age of your children. This can be done by completing the travel document details online. Refunds should then be processed within seven days and go back on your original payment card.
Lufthansa
You’ve got to get in touch with its customer service department for a refund.
Ryanair
Ryanair announced it’s refunding APD on bookings departing from 27th March, six weeks before the official change.
Apply online using the Child Refund form. Refunds will be issued once all flights have been taken, with the money placed back on your card.
Flybe
You’ve got to fill in an online claim form and include your booking reference, passenger details and date of birth. Refunds should be processed within 28 days and credited back on your payment card.
Norwegian
Norwegian's systems were updated on 11th December so the only people who should apply for refunds are those who bought tickets between 5th and 10th December. Claims must be submitted online with the booking reference number.
Wizz Air
It's down to you to contact its customer service team online and you’ll need to provide proof of age before refunds can be processed. There are no details on how long it takes to get your money back.
Wow Air
Contact its online customer service team to claim your refund. The form is under its ‘customer service’ section. There are no details on time limits or how refunds will be made.
Monarch
You need to login to your account, put in the ‘Advanced Passenger Information’ which includes the date of birth for each passenger and if you’re entitled to a refund it will be automatically processed back on to your payment card within 28 days.
Refunds on package deals
If you’ve booked a ‘package’ holiday (typically flights and accommodation together) you should go back to the company you booked with to make your claim.
If you booked a package deal through Thomson or First Choice refunds will be processed automatically with the money going back on your original payment card.
And if your holiday or flight was booked via a high street outlet, Thomson and First Choice say its agents should be in touch.
Could there be a pot of unclaimed cash at the end?
As not all airlines are issuing automatic refunds there could be plenty of cases where people don’t get around to making a claim and the Treasury say any unclaimed money will ultimately be the airlines’ responsibility.
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