Originally Posted by
Maxwell Smart
If that's primarily due to ex-LHR, does it make any difference if I were to route the return LHR-FRA-IAD? In other words, does the ex-LHR tax depend upon the immediate destination (FRA) or the ultimate destination (IAD)?
As far as the German taxes go, my take is that they don't apply since FRA is only for connection and not a stopover.
My understanding is that if the longhaul is within 24 hours of departure from the UK the you pay the higher APD, even if the first flight is short. And you do pay a decent chunk of tax to the Germans.
This is a <24 hour connection:
Code:
Tax: USDA APHIS Fee $5.00
Tax: US Immigration Fee $7.00
Tax: US Customs Fee $5.50
Tax: German Airport Security Tax €6.54
Tax: German Passenger Service Charge €18.13
Tax: US International Arrival Tax $16.30
Tax: United Kingdom Air Passengers Duty £120.00
Tax: United Kingdom Passenger Service Charge £22.19
And this is a >24 hour connection:
Code:
Tax: USDA APHIS Fee $5.00
Tax: US Immigration Fee $7.00
Tax: US Customs Fee $5.50
Tax: German Airport Security Tax €6.54
Tax: German Passenger Service Charge €28.27
Tax: German Air Transport Tax €45.00
Tax: US International Arrival Tax $16.30
Tax: United Kingdom Air Passengers Duty £24.00
Tax: United Kingdom Passenger Service Charge £22.19
The German PSC goes up 10 Euro but the APD drops GBP 96. Not a bad trade if you have the time to spare.