I would question if such practice is legal.

You trusted them with your card details and expect them to use it for that one transaction only, not to draw money from it whenever they feel, unless you have given them prior authorisation to use the card to make repeat payments on.

I would contact your card provider and ask them for advice.

Mark

i also have some jet2 flights booked but as yet have not heard anything from them...i hope they don't try my card without asking do you think they are contacting people depending on when they go ? i go in aug07

We got an email from easyjet asking for £5 pp extra for next october flights to be paid by 15th. Paid it yesterday .Like you Robby we were asked for it.

Alexa

We are flying Air Berlin on 2nd Feb. are we likely to have to pay the extra charge on checking in? There is nothing on their website - I could email them as they are very good at responding.

Pippa

There is a potential problem here. I have posted elsewhere about changing credit/debit cards due to expiry or loss. Any new card will not have the same numbers on. Any old card details held on file by someone will no longer be valid.

I have in the past complained to the card companies about the practice of someone holding my card details on file. According to VISA this practice, whilst not disallowed is frowned upon for the reasons I have given. They told me at the time that any company should seek your permission before charging anything and that confirmation should be sought that the card details are still valid.

Some car insurance companies are guilty of this and will attempt to claim money from your account at renewal time.

I always advise people when I give my card details that I do not give permission for my details to be held on file - gets some funny responses but better safe than sorry. It also saves a lot of hassle when they do it by mistake trying to get your money back.

fwh

I have tried to make some sense of the 'connecting flights' rules on the customs and excise website - We have a flight from Goa mid Feb to Gatwick 5 hours later we have a connecting regional flight - do we still need to pay APD on the regional flight? Fortunatly, our outbound flights are before Feb 1st.

I believe BA are absorbing the cost of the extra tax themselves. Anybody know if Virgin are doing the same?
For those of you who have booked a package but are flying with a schedule airline ie BA then your tour operator should not be asking you for any further cash. Bet some will though.

According to the BBC, Ryanair have said that if people turn up at the airport and have not paid the extra tax they will not fly. They said they will be emailing everyone and telling them to pay the extra tax, with a deadline of 24 hours before they fly. Tough luck if you don't receive the email !There will no chance to pay the tax when you are actually at the airport.

I emailed Air Berlin re the tax - they will not be charging those customers who booked and paid for their flghts prior the 1st February.

Another point for Air Berlin I think!

Pippa

I have got a Wizzair flight in April. There is no mention of the increased tax on their website and you cannot email them for a query such as this. So the only way to find out is to phone them in Hungary or Poland. I will probably try that way.

UPDATE.

I have just rang the airline and they are saying I won't have to pay the extra duty.

According to the news today re: Jet2, a credit card company says "it's alright" for them to take "small amounts" from cards without permission.
It doesn't seem right and is fraught with problems.
IMO only, they should have only applied this charge to "new bookings only" made after the increase was announced and NOT to already booked flights. This would have avoided confusion and saved carriers from "clawing back" this tax. I feel a bit sorry for the airlines having to chase this all up, it must be costing them a fair bit in administation which could have been avoided.

Robby

I have a booking with Easyjet going out on 16th Feb for a few days - I booked these 6th jan, I haven't had an email from them - should I contact them!! Any advice welcome. Thanks all.

Your booking should have inluded the new tax. It really applies to bookings made prior to the new tax travelling from Feb. 1st.
Log on to EJ, check your bookings and all should be revealed.

Robby

Just logged into my EJ & it doesn't say anything apart from what I have booked. I am a bit concerned as I only booked last weekend 6th jan & am travelling in feb this year. Could it already have been added!! The last thing I want is to get to check in & be told we can't travel because we haven't paid it...!! OR am I just being thick Thanks again all.

Boking made last weekend should already include all relevant taxes.

Robby

Thanks robbyw, very confusing isn't it - or that could just be me - I confuse easily Thank you again, I will just chill now & count the days till I go.

It's not just you. Ive booked 4 flights to Faro with Easyjet for July and I am not sure if I have paid it either.

I booked shortly after the government announced the increase. So hope I have paid it already but I guess it will depend on how quicky Easyjet amended their web-site. Would they have done it instantly? I haven't had an email asking form more money. But it's still early days.

I know what you mean, I have been checking EJ website daily, but there is no mention of it. Luckily for us, we have flights booked for march & june booked with BA & I understand they are not charging customers but absorbing the cost themselves!! Also booked with thomsonfly for september so god knows what they will do.....!! I have read that ryanair will not let their pasengers fly if they haven't paid it, but as we all know, emails do go astray sometimes, so what if that happens...people may be unaware they should have paid. If only there was a simpler way of doing things.

If only there was a simpler way of doing things.

There is, get rid of this silly tax.

Robby