australia arrvial tax - some help please

[zqsn5678]

hi all

I travelled AKL-SYD (12 hours transit)-HKG-TPE on early Nov (1 x D class itinerary issued by CX 160 stock). Upon chekck-in at AKL, I "accidentally told" the agent I will enter and exit SYD as I have a 12 hour transit. He advised I will have to pay NZD125.20 "Australia Arrival Tax" and directed me to the QF sales desk to complete the transaction. The lady processed the payment of NZD125.20 also said it is "Australia arrival tax" and assured me there is no departure tax to pay.

I emailed my CX agent in TPE who issued the itinerary (as part of the return portion AKL-TPE), she said the system automatically calculated the fare (and taxes) therefor she is unable to explain what "Australia Arrival Tax" I paid.

I did a quick research and the tax should not be NZD125.20 and seems to be very high. Would the QF AKL agent actually add a re-isusse fee onto the "arrival tax"?

I have emailed QF customers service desk and no respond so far. An auto-email advised 15 working days but it has been 17 working days and not a beep. Would I have a case here given the QF AKL agent amended my itinerary without notifying me there was a re-issue fee!

you help is appreciated. cheers.

 

[anat0l]

I did a quick search on ITA, comparing AKL [QF] SYD [CX] HKG. In one case, both flights were on the same day (both less than 12 and greater than 12 hours apart), and in another case, they were not on the same day (more than a day apart).

The taxes which may add up to the NZD 125.20 you mention are all Australian related taxes. With a complete transit ticket (which you had been originally issued), these are not payable.

• Passenger Movement Charge (AU) - also known as the departure tax - NZD 60.50
• International Passenger Service Charge (WY) - NZD 30.40. Charged twice - once for entering Australia, once for exiting Australia.

The slight difference to what you're seeing is due to different rates of exchange.

That's likely what they were collecting since you mentioned you would exit in SYD, i.e. entering Australia.

It's actually unusual they would bother to do this IMO. What if you really entered Australia without paying the relevant government charges - are they really going to prosecute Qantas (or Cathay) for not collecting the charges on that passenger? It's not as if you have no right to enter Australia (assuming you have an Australian passport).

For your part, it would have been easier just to shut up.

 

[dajop]

This is quite an odd rule (if it is indeed a rule, not an overzealous interpretation) in most places it is the duration of the transit that triggers the tax (and in most places <24hrs does not trigger government taxes). Indeed you could have a 3-4hr transit to a LCC and not leave the airport but still be required to enter Australia.

 

[coles525]

Following.

 

[serfty]

...

For your part, it would have been easier just to shut up.

... and cheaper.

That is the best advice

These taxes are payable if you go through immigration and back.

A ticket with a transit in SYD when booked does not have these charges applied as it is assumed the passenger would stay airside during the transit.

When booked as a stopover these taxes are paid on ticketing.

There appears to be no checking when/if one goes landside with such a transit - in such a case the best advice is to say nothing. Once you tell an airline that you plan to stover they are obligated to collect the taxes.

 

[zqsn5678]

anat0l- Passenger Movement Charge (PMC) is indeed AUD55 Passenger movement charge (PMC)

Here is a list of PMC exemptions list http://www.customs.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/PMCExemptions-Final-March2009.pdf (j) is interesting - only passengers travelling by ship/cruise? I have paid PMC for my outbound (TPE-HKG-BNE-AKL) where I had 3 days in BNE. But the inbound ticket has a different ticket number due to the original ticket has 'expired' (6 month validity) therefor the inbound (AKL-SYD-HKG-TPE) was reissued under a new ticket number/itinerary.

I do/did have appropriate travel documents to entry Australia.

serfty - transit passengers are exempted from PMC. see the exemptions list (h) "without being immigration cleared" is the keyword.

Yeah I should have kept my mouth shout and not said a word. I was over excited and said I am meeting friends for lunch and dinner in Sydney. FYI I checked-in at the AKL premium check-in area/lounge where staff would have more experience and immediately noticed the itinerary did not allow to 'enter'/pass immigration in SYD.

 

[serfty]

...
serfty - transit passengers are exempted from PMC. see the exemptions list (h) "without being immigration cleared" is the keyword.
....

Exactly!

(Of course, it could have been worse - imagine if routing AMS-xLHR-MEL - there's an additional sting of at least £97...)

 

[medhead]

There appears to be no checking when/if one goes landside with such a transit -

I would imaging the customs cards that we hand in when crossing the border are entered into a computer. Those include the flight of arrival and perhaps departure. I'd guess some sort of reconciliation is then done between the passenger nominated information and the amount the airline nominated for each flight. Certainly couldn't identify individual passengers.

 

[anat0l]

anat0l- Passenger Movement Charge (PMC) is indeed AUD55 Passenger movement charge (PMC)

Here is a list of PMC exemptions list http://www.customs.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/PMCExemptions-Final-March2009.pdf (j) is interesting - only passengers travelling by ship/cruise? I have paid PMC for my outbound (TPE-HKG-BNE-AKL) where I had 3 days in BNE. But the inbound ticket has a different ticket number due to the original ticket has 'expired' (6 month validity) therefor the inbound (AKL-SYD-HKG-TPE) was reissued under a new ticket number/itinerary.

I do/did have appropriate travel documents to entry Australia.

serfty - transit passengers are exempted from PMC. see the exemptions list (h) "without being immigration cleared" is the keyword.

Yeah I should have kept my mouth shout and not said a word. I was over excited and said I am meeting friends for lunch and dinner in Sydney. FYI I checked-in at the AKL premium check-in area/lounge where staff would have more experience and immediately noticed the itinerary did not allow to 'enter'/pass immigration in SYD.

The PMC is charged per international departure. This means if you effectively stopover in Australia twice on your ticket (and you "did"), you will be charged twice.

At the time of ticketing, as serfty said, it was assumed that your return sector was a transit without immigration clearance, hence the PMC was not charged.

I think the net result here is that you were "correctly" charged the amount for the taxes (high as it was - Australia is not exactly a cheap country in terms of air taxes!) given your honest declaration of the circumstances. Whatever response QF gives you - if any - is completely immaterial.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

It's Smartgate if the OP uses it that keeps ASAP track.
Incoming pax card are collected in batches. But might not be processed for a few hours.
Smartgate is immediate.
They are or talk about removing pax cards somewhere down the track.
If OP goes through a human C&BP officer, also records are immediate.
Big brother knows.
Edit: was there a print out breakdown of all the charges and the 2 alpha codes? AU code is Aust Movement Charge Aud$55.
Not to mention security screening fee for int travel.

 

[dajop]

(Of course, it could have been worse - imagine if routing AMS-xLHR-MEL - there's an additional sting of at least £97...)

Not if the connection is still <24 hrs. I am pretty sure entering/exiting UK is irrelevant to the imposition of APD, intl->intl same ticket connections are exempt if connection <24 hrs.

 

[serfty]

Not if the connection is still <24 hrs. I am pretty sure entering/exiting UK is irrelevant to the imposition of APD, intl->intl same ticket connections are exempt if connection <24 hrs.

OK, this is indeed the case.

 

[anat0l]

Not if the connection is still <24 hrs. I am pretty sure entering/exiting UK is irrelevant to the imposition of APD, intl->intl same ticket connections are exempt if connection <24 hrs.

This is true. That said, I've never been asked at check-in at the origin port before LHR whether or not I'll be entering the UK. But IIRC, the HMRC rules doesn't make any reference to whether you actually have to stay in the transit area in order to "avoid" paying the APD on an international - international transit.

The only major charge you'd be up for is the UK airports passenger service charge, which every passenger who passes through a UK airport must pay. I think the charge is something like 50 quid.

 

[anat0l]

So one can ticket AMS-oLHR-MEL and not pay APD if the stopover is not more than 24 hours?

Correct. It must be on one ticket or the separate tickets must be conjoined in such a way that they can be interpreted clearly as connected.

This technique is extremely common amongst FFers as a way to get close to or utilise LON tickets / stopover but avoiding the APD, especially if your ticket is to a Band D country.

 

[serfty]

Yep they are different rules:

Oz exemption for transit passengers:

Passengers who both arrive and depart Australia by aircraft, only for the purpose of reaching their intended destination (eg, New Zealand – Australia – Singapore) without being immigration cleared or who are immigration cleared for reasons beyond their control are exempt.

http://www.customs.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/PMCExemptions-Final-March2009.pdf

UK exemption for transits: (nothing about immigration)

Where the second of 2 flights (flight B) is an international flight (that is from the UK to an international destination), flight B is treated as connected if its booked time of departure falls within 24 hours of the scheduled time of arrival of the first flight (flight A).

www.gov.uk/government/publications/...tice-550-air-passenger-duty#connected-flights

 

[Kangol]

Not if the connection is still <24 hrs. I am pretty sure entering/exiting UK is irrelevant to the imposition of APD, intl->intl same ticket connections are exempt if connection <24 hrs.

Would this also apply to BKK?
I asked the same question in another thread:
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....tions/day-trip-bkk-longish-transit-64733.html

 

[Duffa]

Exactly!

(Of course, it could have been worse - imagine if routing AMS-xLHR-MEL - there's an additional sting of at least £97...)

I just did DUB-xLHR-MEL on Malaysian and the taxes were about $200 less than a dummy booking LHR-MEL. They didn't charge the LHR penalty as it was a transit at LHR.

 

[notsure]

Correct. It must be on one ticket or the separate tickets must be conjoined in such a way that they can be interpreted clearly as connected.

This technique is extremely common amongst FFers as a way to get close to or utilise LON tickets / stopover but avoiding the APD, especially if your ticket is to a Band D country.

Indeed, I did just this on Sunday - arriving from OSL 23.5 hours before flying out on QF10

 

[Mattg]

Last time I mentioned I would leave the airport on a long-ish stopover the check-in agent said "I'll pretend I didn't just hear that"...

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Isn't Au's rules is 8 hrs and under you can stay in secure zone of Au int airports, exc mid nights of course.
And there by bypass paying the AMC and associated charges.
OP was the flight at night or all day and evening.
12 hrs and I could certainly do a Tom Hanks (in that TV movie of his).