Nestor Laiviera
Ryanair passenger demands refund of departure tax
A Ryanair customer has submitted a request for a refund, claiming he was charged the departure tax on two flights scheduled after November 1, when the levy no longer applied.
The claim was one among a number of similar accusations levelled against the Irish low-cost carrier, prompting the Civil Aviation Department to launch an investigation earlier this month into whether the flight operator was illegally charging the tax.
The customer booked two seats on October 14 for a flight in February for himself and his wife, and was charged €48.28 each in taxes, fees and charges.
He told The Times that, to make sure that he had in fact been overcharged, he checked out the prices for the same flight following the tariffs change announced by Ryanair on November 7. Upon booking, however, he found that his taxes, fees and charges amounted to only €24.98, the difference being the €23 departure tax, he said. He sent his refund request on the same day.
The customer, who preferred to remain anonymous, maintained - as MEP Simon Busuttil has done before him − that the flight operator shouldn't have been charging departure tax for flights scheduled after the end of last month. This happened despite Ryanair having been informed of the tax charge months before, he said, adding that he had been assured of this by the Civil Aviation Department. He said that Ryanair should be "fined for pocketing a tax which it should not be charging". He questioned how the flight carrier could "attack" other operators such as Lufthansa and accuse it of using dirty tricks, while at the same time "cheating" customers by charging a departure tax which was no longer due.
A Ryanair spokesman was unavailable for comment.
Speaking of the investigation being conducted by the Civil Aviation Department, a department spokesman said on November 5 that "if true, Ryanair will have to pay back the tax collected". The department also urged passengers facing such a charge to write immediately to the department, adding that the airline had been contacted over the issue.
Refuting the claims on November 7, Ryanair however insisted that it had, in fact, changed its tariffs following November 1 adding that all bookings made since the beginning of the month have not included the abolished tax.
Spokesman Stephen McNamara had said the airline was always opposed to the tax, describing it as a totally unjustified barrier to international travel, adding that it welcomes the abolishment of the tax as it will further encourage Maltese passengers to take advantage of its services.
The €23 departure tax levied on all passengers originating from Malta was lifted after the European Commission declared it was discriminatory.
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In Discussion
10 Comments
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G.Ellul
Nov 18th 2008, 09:55
@H.Dempster
Maybe Airmalta's sums are wrong...mate. We still have our tickets to prove that we have been charged departure tax for flights in December 2008. Sorry....
H Dempster
Nov 18th 2008, 09:04
@ G Ellul . I too bought and paid for my ticket to fly to Frankfurt on Air Malta in august to depart from Malta on the 3 rd nov. I can confirm that I did not pay the tax, so you must have your sums wrong mate.
Gerry Cowie
Nov 17th 2008, 20:09
Readers might like to check out the BBC Website in relation to a BBC "Watchdog" poll of viewers as to the best and worst airlines.
Ryanair did not come out well at all.
The fact that they deal in "low cost" fares - plus add-ons - does not surely mean that they should not always deliver the first class service they claim to deliver. They are or were trying to buy out Aer Lingus. When I travelled to Dublin from London recently, Aer Lingus were cheaper and did not have all the add-ons!
The UK authorities are constantly battling to ensure that everything is absolutely clear and upfront on airline websites. There should be no loopholes!
People often say about "cheap" things that you get what you pay for.
"caveat emptor"
bbc.co.uk/watchdog
M Micallef
Nov 17th 2008, 19:50
Peter Murray, Ryanair did not yet pay the goverment for the November TAX , AND KINDLY DO NOT SHOUT! (CAPS means shouting BTW)
Peter Borg
Nov 17th 2008, 15:42
Congratulations to Simon Busuttil for taking the initiative and standing up for us against the abuse of such a profit-hungry multinational corporation. Mr.Busuttil's initiative stands as testimony that MEPs actually count for something. And more importantly, that some MEPs count more than others!
Anthony Gatt
Nov 17th 2008, 15:32
Silly is the word that comes to mind when I see people trying to defend or protect the misconduct of either airline by pointing at the misconduct of the other. The point here is this: RYANAIR must be accountable to the law. And therefore Ryanair must pay! The same applies to AirMalta!
A big 'Prosit' to Mr. Busuttil is hereby in order, for succeeding to put such misconduct into the limelight!
G. Ellul
Nov 17th 2008, 14:33
Why is everybody pointing their fingers toward Ryanair? In September, we booked 4 seats with Air Malta for December 2008...and we still had to pay departure tax. Haven't received any emails or phonecall informing us that this tax will be paid back. I wonder why only Ryanair is being investigated?
Joe Borg
Nov 17th 2008, 12:23
Why all these complaints. Isn't this a low cost no frill airline?? Enjoy!!
PETER MURRAY
Nov 17th 2008, 12:12
SHOULDN'T ANY CLAIMS FOR THIS REFUND BE MADE AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT,AS SURELY THEY ARE THE BENEFICIARIES AND RECIPIENTS OF THIS TAX WITH RYANAIR(AS WITH ALL AIRLINES)MERELY BEING GOVERNMENT TAX COLLECTORS (REGARDLESS OF WHEN THE TAX WAS COLLECTED-READ STOLEN)WHO ARE COMPELLED TO ONPASS ANY SUCH TAX COLLECTED STRAIGHT INTO THE GOVERNMENT'S COFFERS?
c galea
Nov 17th 2008, 11:41
Quote
The €23 departure tax levied on all passengers originating from Malta was lifted after the European Commission declared it was discriminatory.
Unquote
What about the passengers who travelled before November 1 , wasn't the law discriminatory against them. Is the government above the Law ??
A refund should be in the Pipeline......but I am only dreaming !!!!
X'Gustizzja ?