Originally Posted by
pred02
So then what supports the outrageous taxes at LHR? It seems that all airlines coming from the US add up $250 for RT via Heathrow?
Hey, why don't you stop making up numbers with no explanation? It really just confuses the issue. Seriously.
Here's the tax breakdown for a random AA RT JFK-LHR.
Tax: US International Arrival Tax $15.10
Tax: United Kingdom Passenger Service Charge £13.00
Tax: United Kingdom Air Passengers Duty £40.00
Tax: US Customs Fee $5.00
Tax: US Immigration Fee $7.00
Tax: USDA APHIS Fee $5.00
Tax: US September 11th Security Fee $2.50
Tax: US International Departure Tax $15.10
Tax: AA YQ surcharge £65.00
Tax: US Passenger Facility Charge $4.50
Of this, only £40 is UK tax. That tax would be the same at any UK airport. Your thesis that the tax is smaller at STN therefore has no merit.
The only bit that might depend on which airport is used is the PSC. This is not a tax, but is a cost of business of the airline, just like buying fuel (for which AA adds a $127 surcharge here as one of the "fees" that you have been regarding as "taxes"). It has more to do with what the airline decides it wants than with some actual per-passenger charge from the airport or government. For example, Virgin Atlantic has decided that the LHR PSC is £14.10, not £13. (Why? Because they feel they can get away with it, same as the fuel surcharges.)
In any case, even if you now realize that you are talking about differences in passenger service fees, the largest difference it could make is £13 for a round trip. And it won't be that much, because the airlines will still decide they want to add on this "fee."