For an International flight, the Airline Charges $960, but the cost is $1700 because of the following fees: Government, authority and airport charges Per adult Customs User Fee - USA USD5.50 Transportation Tax(Departure) - USA USD16.70 Transportation Tax(Arrival) - USA USD16.70 Animal & Plant Health User Fee (Aphis) - USA USD5.00 Immigration User Fee - USA USD7.00 Passenger Civil Aviation Security Service Fee - USA USD5.00 Passenger Service Charge - United Kingdom USD70.96 Air Transport Tax - Germany USD54.72 Passenger Service Charge (International) - Germany USD19.42 Airport Security Charge - Germany USD5.71 Passenger Facility Charge USD7.50 Total government, authority and airport charges* USD214.21 More information Government, authority and airport chargesFlight taxes, fees and charges These are included in the price of your ticket and are levied by airport operators, governments, or other authorities. Some airports may levy local taxes, fees or charges against passengers upon arrival or departure. These are not included in the price of your ticket and should be paid locally. British Airways fees and surcharges Per adult Fuel Surcharge** USD516.00 Total British Airways fees and surcharges USD516.00 More information Fuel surchargeBritish Airways applies a fuel surcharge on all flights to reflect the fluctuating price of worldwide oil. The surcharge is based on flight duration and applies to all passengers, including children and infants travelling on British Airways operated international and domestic services. Total taxes, fees and surcharges per person USD730.21 WTF!!?!?!?!!?!?! Is the Airline Industry the most screwed up industry in the world??
The fuel surcharge is really part of the ticket charge, so it's more like $1500 for the flight and $200 for taxes. They just put the fuel as a surcharge to make the ticket price look lower. But, burning fuel to get you to point B is kinda the point of buying a plane ticket. The other fees are about 13% of the bill. And it looks like a good half of that is other countries taking advantage of foreign travelers. Reminds me of the time I was flying to Paris via Montreal. When I was switching planes in Montreal, that hit me up for a $10 airport improvement fee and would not let me board until I paid. They literally took my lunch money.
They charge because they can, they have you by the balls. You can't drive or take a train across the ocean, and a boat takes about 3 weeks.
