Interviewed on La Première, Nathalie Pierard, spokesperson for Brussels Airport, explains that not all people who have booked in advance are affected. The “people leaving today, tomorrow and the next few days have already booked for some time. Airlines obviously cannot now collect this difference in amount, this tax, from passengers who have already booked, who have already paid.
As a result, laments the spokeswoman for Brussels Airport, “it is really damaging for the airlines which have already suffered greatly from the crisis, which already have quite significant losses because of these last two or three years.
Ryanair asks for the difference
However, we have been told that Ryanair does indeed claim the difference from its customers. Hélène thus received on March 31, the day before the tax came into force, an e-mail from Ryanair asking her for the sum of 4 euros. “Even if a passenger has booked their flight before March 25, we have to pay this tax to the Belgian government”writes the company in the e-mail.
Ryanair warns that it will debit this amount from the payment card used for the flight. And adds that the “passengers who do not wish to accept this additional fee may cancel their flight and receive a full refund“. But this, on condition that the cancellation is made before the date of April 6th.
