Travel Agent Welcomes Inclusive Departure Tax

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Travel Agent Welcomes Inclusive Departure Tax

The announcement that Auckland International Airport will levy airlines rather than charge travellers a departure tax from July next year has been welcomed by one of New Zealand's leading travel agents.

Flight Centre executive general manager Rick Hamilton said that while it was disappointing that the tax would be increasing, including the cost in airfares will remove the inconvenience of making a $25 payment at the point of departure.

"Adding the departure tax to airfares is a positive move," said Mr Hamilton.

"It removes the need to wait in another line at the airport and means that customers have a clearer idea of how much their flight will cost at the point of purchase."

Mr Hamilton said that he hoped New Zealand's other international airports would follow Auckland's lead, as having one airport with an inclusive tax and others without will distort the perceived cost of a plane ticket from different regions.

"While having all departure taxes included in an airfare will cause those airfares to appear more expensive, we expect travellers to adapt quickly to the new pricing structure and recognise that they will not be stung with a tax of $25 or more down the line.

"But if one airport's taxes are not included and it is compared with the cost of a flight departing from an airport with additional departure fees, there is room for confusion over the real cost of that ticket."

Mr Hamilton also says that he believes localised departures taxes are detrimental to New Zealand tourism, as many overseas tourists are told that their airfare covers all taxes and surcharges, only to find they have to pay to leave New Zealand.

"Very few international airports have localised departure taxes and an unexpected fee is obviously not a good last impression for tourists," he says.

"It makes sense for airlines to include this tax in airfares as it is essentially an airline operational cost. The sooner all New Zealand airports adopt this structure and are streamlined, the better for the consumer."

ENDS

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