Warning of air tax chaos

British airline passengers planning to fly over the coming months could face sizeable additions to the cost of their tickets and the possibility for chaos at check in desks.

From the start of next month, the Air Passenger Duty is set to go up by between £5 and £20 for economy passengers, dependant on the length of flight.

The chancellor, Gordon Brown, announced the rises on December 6th, prompting many carriers to immediately raise the cost of their air fares to accommodate the changes.

However, for those passengers who have booked flights well in advance of the February 1st date, confusion could reign.

British Airways says it will not charge customers the excess if they booked before the announcement was made, while many smaller companies insisted they would be forced to pass on the fees to passengers if they were not to suffer significant losses.

Easyjet's Toby Nichol remarked: "It's absolutely chaotic. Come February 1st, there is going to be a lot of uncertainty.

"There will be an awful lot of airlines walking up and down check-in aisles in places like Luton Airport, with a bucket collecting the tax."

Ryanair and Jet2 are among the carriers that are in the process of contacting customers to ask for the extra fee.