Depending on the final destination of a flight, travelers may have to expect a higher ticket tax. Households have to pay an average of 12 to 15 euros more for intra-European flights. For transatlantic flights it is even 60 to 80 euros. The increase applies per flight and passenger – and only for flights to and from Germany.
The federal government decided to increase the ticket tax at the end of March. It will then apply from May 1, 2024. From this point on, travelers will have to pay more for tickets. In principle, the airlines have to bear the costs, but they pass on the additional burden directly to customers.
Travelers are threatened with additional ticket tax payments
What is particularly explosive is that travelers may now be threatened with a hefty additional payment. Especially if you booked your trip before May 1st but only start after May 1st. Some airlines had already announced that they would increase prices on May 1st, but only after the law had been passed. According to lawmakers, airlines were only allowed to do this from March 28th. But now there are also holidaymakers who have already booked their trip in advance.
- Case example: Bernd has booked a trip to Egypt on March 20th. The trip begins on May 7th. He booked flight costs of 372.44 euros with the old tax rate. However, this was increased on May 1st. This results in an additional charge of a good 21.22 euros. The ticket costs 393.66 euros there and back.
The question arises as to who should bear this additional burden.
Who has to fear additional payment – and who doesn’t
The answer is not that simple. According to the Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry (BDL), there is no legal basis for increasing the price of a flight contract that has already been concluded. The airlines could possibly cover the costs themselves. However, many airlines indicate in their terms and conditions of carriage that the costs of increased taxes must be paid subsequently. According to information from FOCUS online, these are Ryanair, easyJet, Eurowings, Vueling, Wizzair and Sun Express.
Under certain conditions, tour operators are also allowed to pass on the subsequently increased costs to their customers. “The contract must provide for this and at the same time contain a reference to the fact that, conversely, the traveler can also demand a reduction in the travel price if, for example, the price of kerosene falls,” explains Felix Methmann from the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (VZBV).
The organizers have borne the additional costs themselves in the past, says the President of the German Travel Association (DRV), Norbert Fiebig. He did not want to confirm that this will be the case this time too. “According to our calculations, the very short-term increase in ticket tax on May 1st and thus before the start of the peak travel season will lead to an additional burden on tour operators of around 21 million euros,” says Fiebig.
How much does the tax increase bring to the state?
The ticket tax introduced by the black-yellow government in 2011 brought in almost 1.2 billion euros in revenue for the state in 2022. This year, around 400 million euros more in taxes are expected to flow into the state coffers as a result of the higher ticket tax. The government expects additional income of 580 million euros for the following years.