Green tax may be imposed on luggage

The UK’s largest travel company has said that it is considering imposing extra charges for checked baggage on its charter services for environmental or “green reasons.”

TUI Travel UK, the owner of First Choice and Thomson Holidays, and responsible for eight of the 19 million package holidays that are sold in Britain annually, has said that it may soon introduce new measures that would penalise passengers who check large, heavy bags. The purpose of the proposed measure is to reduce the overall aircraft weight, thereby lowering the carbon footprint.

The travel company has estimated that one-third of all baggage that passengers take with them on trips abroad is “unnecessary.” By imposing a “green tax” on those who over-pack, it would be possible to lower the holiday package price for people who pack modestly. Currently, TUI’s planes limits 15-25kgs of luggage per passenger for checked luggage, with the weight depending on the route.

In addition, flat-rate charges might be imposed for checked luggage on the shorter-haul routes, such as Ryanair does now, charging £8 for the first bag, and having a 15kgs limit per bag.

A spokesperson for TUI said: “We’ve talked about having lower luggage allowances, but we want to do it for the right reasons - environmental reasons, not as an extra revenue stream.”

“We’ve got to get people to think about what they pack. In our experience a third of what’s in most suitcases could be left at home. If we reduce the allowance, it’s a carrot rather than a stick approach: ‘You bring less luggage and we’ll charge you less.’”

He noted that one of their most heavily-travelled routes is to the Maldives, “where you don’t need much more than a bikini”.

www.tui-group.com