Air tax appeal

In asking that Air Departure Tax be ditched (Letters, 30 March), I suppose the airline CEOS who wrote to you are fulfilling their duty to shareholders to seek to maximise their profits. But surely the rest of us need to see a bigger picture.

One of the main reasons why we are seeing severe weather events increasing in their ferocity and frequency is because the use of fossil fuels has been so chronically undertaxed.

Had the cost of damaging our world in this way been reflected in the price, air travel would have been substantially more expensive throughout its history.

Like many people, I still occasionally use some of the airlines whose CEOS plead for further financial benefits, but I do so much less frequently than before and with a sense

of deep unease about the damage such travel is doing.

I for one support the retention of the Air Passenger Tax, and indeed its increase, so that the true costs of flying can better be reflected in its price. Instead of sweeteners to

high polluters, governments should support – and make accessible to all – less damaging forms of travel.

C HEGARTY Glenorchy Road, North Berwick

I was interested to read the letthe

ter signed by worthies of the air travel industry complaining about passenger duty putting people off flying.

Have they not looked at the cost of train tickets recently? Perhaps people are reluctant to fly domestically because of the very poor experience of using Edinburgh Airport, the diminishing level of service on the ‘traditional’ airlines and the amazingly confusing baggage restrictions/allowances that are being imposed.

Most non-domestic routes have no surface alternative, so if you want to go to Palma, you will, I guess, fly to Palma and not take the train to Birmingham.

DAVID GERRARD Spylaw Park, Edinburgh

At the end of the article on Page 46 of The Scotsman Magazine on Saturday it is mentioned that Qatar Airways flies to Doha six times a day from Heathrow. They also fly twice a day from Edinburgh direct to Doha. Cheaper, too (£600 return).

GAVIN CLARK Woodbank Farm, Windygates