I read somewhere that when you book a flight with el-cheapo airlines and they state that it's non-refundable, that only means the actual cost of the flight and not the airport tax and charges.

Recently I had to put this to the test with flybe, in that there were 3 return flights I had previously booked but couldn't take due to my mother's terminal illness. When I called their call centre staff I was told there would be an administration fee of £20 per leg of the flight (so £120 admin charge for 3 return flights). I wrote a letter explaining why I couldn't take these flights, they asked me to prove my mother's illness, which I did with a doctors letter, and then "as a gesture of goodwill" refunded me the FULL cost of all airport tax and charges (which came to £131, so wouldn't have been worth it if they'd have insisted on the £120 admin fee).

Recently I also asked Thomsonfly about their policy on refund and taxes adn was told a new law passed in May meant they did not have to refund tax and charges. When pressed further this 'new law' was actually only a new Thomsonfly policy.

Is this correct? Is an airline allowed to keep hold of the airport tax and charges it adds on to a ticket when it states that only the cost of the actual flight itself is non-refundable?

On what basis can they now keep those charges? (Previously they'd discourage you by having an idiot admin charge that was the same price as tax etc).

Anyway well done flybe for honouring my request, though boo to them that they actually wanted proof from a doctor re: my mother's terminal illness. Who'd lie about soemthing like that??

Who'd lie about soemthing like that??

I recall an episode of Airline where a group of passengers had arrived late at check-in, and were only let through after pleading with the staff that they were going to a family funeral. Later they admitted on camera that they had lied, and that they were going to a stag party.

Who'd lie about soemthing like that??

Plenty of people, that's who.

I used to organise medical repatriations, air ambulances, emergency flights and all that. We always had to check because so many lie.

I have had the "deceased" father answering the phone in the UK. Turns out the son was not enjoying himself where he was, so wanted to come home.

I have had people with advanced cancer flying to the US to beat the queue from the UK, and expecting their emergency travel insurance to pay the hundreds of thousands dollars medical bill.

I have had people wanting to come home because it was too hot in August in Turkey (well, DUH!), and expecting their insurance to pay for it.

More Vuitton luggage are claimed as lost every year than are actually sold worldwide.

Travel insurance is the fastest growing insurance fraud.

I could tell you stories that would make you roar with laughter or cry with despair at human nature.

So not "boo" for checking, well done, because if they didn't, watch the cost of the insurance soaring faster then the plane on which you didn't travel! ;-)

As others have said before me, one of the commonest 'frailties of human nature' is the ability to lie when it suits!

I'm well aware that as humans we lie when it suits, but shame on those who'll falsely use the death of a family member! It's completely abhorent and makes my blood boil! I'll stop there cos it's an emotive subject for me at the moment.

.... But back to the flights and re-claiming airport tax and charges, anyone know the legal position on this please?

Cheers

Ok, maybe it's a commercial what I am doing right now. But I've been freaking out with Easyjet for the last 4 months of getting an airport tax refund for my unused flight (I was planning to go from Luton to Malaga with my family of 4 persons, but due to a funeral we skipped the holiday)

The ticket was 100% non-refundable (a crap reason of course) but I asked for a refund for at least the taxes. It took me 4 months and 18 e-mails with Easyjet but, they didn't even think about a refund.

Eventually I contacted a guy from link removed (long story, but a friend of mine sold his ticket on this site and they also have a Re-fund service) and paid about 20 USD. 3 days later I got an e-mail from the same guy with the confirmation of a tax refund, and about 60 days later 220 USD showed up on my credit-card statement!!!!

So, I don't know how they did it, but for some strange reason they did the same thing in 3 days as what I tried to in 4 months.

Again, this is not a commercial for them or anything like that, but I just wanted to share it with you, because eventually it saved me a lot of frustration. And I was very happy to pay this 20 USD to them. By the way, I think they are based in the Netherlands or Germany (according to their last names in the e-mails) so that was some sort of sign of confidence to me.