Not everyone knows that when they buy a plane ticket, there are several taxes that usually affect the final price of the ticket. It is airport taxes, which generally include the expenses that the airline has to face to guarantee its best service. By making two calculations, you can see how airport taxes have a strong impact on the price of the ticket, even with an increase of 40%.
What are airport taxes?
As I mentioned, airport charges are the costs that airlines have to incur for the use of a certain service. For example, we are talking about security fees, fuel fees, boarding fees, municipal fees, etc.
These are usually fixed charges, but vary according to factors such as airline, airport and destination.
Airport taxes, together with the fare charged by the airline, any additional services and agency sales commissions, make up the total cost of the airline ticket.
What are airport taxes?
Let us list the main taxes, with the related codes, which substantially affect the final price:
Security and insurance costs (YQ).
It is the tax that has the greatest impact on the final price, but it is also one of the most important, because when we talk about airports, security is never too much. It is not a fixed tax, since it varies according to the security methods used by the company, such as machinery and flight systems, and many times it is directly linked to the price of fuel, so it is also called Fuel Surcharge.
Municipal surcharge, Health, Ministry of Labor and Social Policies (HB)
This tax has a fixed value of 4.50 € and is present on all flights. It is applied by the company and is paid to the municipality where the airport is located.
Boarding Tax (IT)
It includes the amounts that the company must pay at the airport, to support the costs of various services, such as check-in.
Assistance for disabled passengers (MJ)
Includes the cost of assistance to disabled passengers or passengers with reduced mobility.
Passenger and carry-on baggage security fee (VT)
These are the various costs incurred for passenger and carry-on baggage security checks. This may also vary by airport.
Checked Baggage Fee (EX)
Charges incurred for the secure handling of checked baggage. They include a variety of services, from transition to X-ray to hold handling.
Yes (FN)
Includes VAT payable on airport charges.
Entry fee (YR)
Varies by ticket purchase channel.
Are airport taxes always refundable?
As you have seen, airport taxes are different, but the question many people ask is whether they are refundable. Sometimes it can happen that you buy an airline ticket and you can't use it for some reason.
We all know that in the case of non-refundable tickets, airlines do not refund the price of unused tickets, but what many people don't know is that they are obligated to refund airport fees .
This is regardless of the reason for not using the ticket. It may be for personal reasons, or for the agency's own problems, but they are still obligated to refund airport fees. It is possible to request a refund completely free of charge.
However, please note that not all airport fees are refundable, this is the case for the fees. YQ and YR, which are taxes for passenger security, and the ticket tax imposed by the sales channel. Unfortunately, these two taxes are the ones that weigh the most on the final price of the ticket, but, since the refund request is free of charge, we will still limit the amount lost.
The taxes that are always refunded are those marked with the following codes: HB - EX - VT - IT - FN.
To apply for a refund, I recommend checking the company's website for ways to initiate the paperwork (and download any forms to complete) or call customer service.
Conclusions
As we have seen, the final price of an airline ticket is intimately linked to several factors, or rather, several taxes, in order to ensure safety and proper organization on the part of the airlines. Even if this is information that is often overlooked, it is important to know and understand what aggravates the amount we pay when we buy a ticket, and, in certain cases, to know that we can request the refund of airport taxes, although not all of them.
In addition, knowing the costs that make up an airline ticket gives you the opportunity to use some tricks to save a lot on the ticket such as Fuel Dumping, a technique I talk about in my Free Guide to find the Best Low Cost Flights.
