Air fares 'to double' as Europe votes for green tax

London Times ^ | July 5, 2006 | Ben Webster

[Enchante]

AIR passengers will be charged up to £40 extra for a return ticket within Europe to pay for the environmental impact of their journeys, under plans approved by the European Parliament yesterday.

MEPs voted in favour of the “immediate introduction” of a tax on jet fuel for flights within the 25 member states of the EU. The charge would double the cost of millions of budget airline flights.

They also accepted a recommendation for a special emissions trading scheme for the aviation industry, which would see airlines buying permits to cover their output of carbon dioxide.

[Enchante]

Algore's wet dream is being embraced in the EU. An extra $80 per ticket is just a beginning for the Euro-twit socialists as they extend their control........

[USNBandit]

The airlines are screwed.

I wonder if the cargo companies can get around this.

[CWOJackson]

This should help Airbus out of their jam...NOT.

[bybybill]

Just a preview of what might be coming here if the Rats win

[Darkwolf377]

You can always tell the difference between someone concerned with the environment who's also sane, and a lunatic greenie--the former will read this and laugh it off as another money-making scam, while the latter will cheer it and actually believe all that extra money will somehow help improve the environment.

The "recycling" industry is one of the biggest scams in history, and it's always funny to see that "It's for the environment!" has overtaken "It's for the children!" as the last refuge of scoundrels.

[Moonman62]

Did we really need another reason not to go to Europe?

[mysterio]

Another great reason not to fly, as if we needed one.

[w1andsodidwe]

I really wonder if these people have an intelligence at all. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that, no one promoting dire "sky is falling" theories have any credentials. I guess as long as it promotes the socialist agenda so what. They never saw a bad tax.

Exactly how would stealing double the fare from customer solve the problem?

I am sure that there will soon be a program to subsidize the poor, who cannot afford to fly not.

[Enchante]

The unspecified amounts for the jet fuel tax and the "environmental tax" should create a nice socialist slush fund of countless more billions for the Euro-twit leftists to play with........

"The GreenSkies Alliance, a coalition of environmental groups that opposes the growth of aviation, said passengers would have to pay up to £20 per flight, or £40 return, to cover the cost of purchasing just the CO2 permits for flights within Europe. A jet fuel tax and an environmental tax would push ticket prices up even further but the costs are harder to quantify."

[bruinbirdman]

Oil goes to $74 and the Frogs and buddies raise the tax on jet fuel? Ha, ha, ha. That will go over well with tourists and the foreign (non EU) tourist industry.

yitbos

[The Iceman Cometh]

The "recycling" industry is one of the biggest scams in history

Huh? What can you possibly be referring to?

[CWOJackson]

I'm wondering who the ultimate losers would be if this were inacted in Europe. More and more international business is becoming electronic and depending less and less on face to face dealings.

So who takes the biggest hit? Tourists? People trying to visit families?

[Darkwolf377]

You don't know what recycling is?

[tlb]

>>>This should help Airbus out of their jam...NOT.


Consider, this might force the EU airlines to cut numbers of planes and put more passengers on those aircraft left. Say for example 850 seats on A 380s which would have to be newly ordered to meet the demand for concentration of service.

[PAR35]

Simple. Put your hub in Kaliningrad. Cut the price of the ticket in half if you transfer through Russia.

[CWOJackson]

The problem remains (if it ever gets off the ground) that the 380 isn't economical to operate and will be limited to hub airports.

In many cases you can operate two normal aircraft cheaper then the 380 with service into more cities. That also allows you to offer two daily flights to a distination vice one, and should route needs change you can move lesser aircraft around to meet changing needs far easier then a big white elephant.

[bruinbirdman]

"the latter will cheer it and actually believe all that extra money will somehow help improve the environment."

Eh, eh. Both think there will actually be more money.

yitbos

[The Iceman Cometh]

You don't know what recycling is?

Sheesh, don't be silly. You referred to the 'recycling' industry as a scam. There are hundreds of examples where recycling is huge. Saw a great program about steel recycling that showed where steel from the World Trade Center was used in part to make the bow of a Navy ship. Further in the program, they showed that it takes about 3 months to recycle an old WWII Liberty ship which at the time had about a 90% purity rating on the steel and was highly sought after.

So, once again, what 'scam' are you referring to?

[GregoryFul]

Is this in addition to the new 2-40 euro UN tax on air travel for "the poor"?

[bruinbirdman]

"about 3 months to recycle an old WWII Liberty ship which at the time had about a 90% purity rating on the steel and was highly sought after. "

A Liberty Ship is 90% concrete.

yitbos