V-Flyer

Slightly tongue-in-cheek but completely factual, you can save quite a bit by flying from Inverness.
That's because APD is not applicable from this airport, yet it has daily departures to Dublin, Amsterdam and Heathrow.

Here are some fare comparisons:

LHR-DUB-BOS 15 JUN £ 2004.91 Business Class transatlantic
LGW-DUB-BOS 15 JUN £1892.17 Business Class transatlantic
INV-DUB-BOS 15 JUN £ 1624.83 Business Class transatlantic

LHR-AMS-BOS 15 JUN £2511 Business Class KLM/Delta
INV-AMS-BOS 15 JUN £1807 Business Class KLM/Delta

LHR-BOS 13 JUN £3056 BA Business Class non-stop
INV-LHR-BOS 13 JUN £2929 BA Business Class

Admittedly, INV is not the easiest airport to position to, thankfully I have family near John O'Groats so actually this may be a viable option in future - especially those KLM flights!

It gets mentioned on BA flyer talk on a semi regular basis but as you say the issue is getting there to position!

And with some of thse flights the saving is only the APD which soon gets eaten up with the cost of the flights to get to INV.

I've had easyJet flights from Gatwick for £5.99... but then hotels in Inverness can be £££ (Nothing at airport, yet)

I don't really understand the comment that APD isn't applicable at Inverness, unless the Scottish government are doing something to subsidise the airport? APD is paid for all airports in the UK and Isle of Man when "an aircraft that has an authorised take-off weight of more than ten tonnes or more than twenty seats for passengers". Even an Embraer 145 weighs more than 10 tonnes.

apparently no APD at Inverness or any airport further north.

3.2.3 Scottish Highlands and Islands
Passengers carried on flights departing from airports in the Scottish Highlands and Islands region are not chargeable passengers.

This area is defined as:

the Highland Region, Western Isles Islands Area, Orkney Islands Area, Shetland Islands Area, Argyll and Bute District, Arran, Great Cumbrae and Little Cumbrae, and
in the Moray District, the parishes of Aberlour, Cabrach, Dallas, Dyke, Edinkillie, Forres, Inveravon, Kinloss, Kirkmichael, Knockando, Mortlach, Rafford and Rothes
The main airports found within the region of Scottish Highlands and Islands are listed in Appendix 4.

Passengers carried on flights from other areas of the UK to airports in this region are chargeable passengers and subject to APD at the appropriate rate.
Dick D

Fuzzy14 wrote:I don't really understand the comment that APD isn't applicable at Inverness, unless the Scottish government are doing something to subsidise the airport? APD is paid for all airports in the UK and Isle of Man when "an aircraft that has an authorised take-off weight of more than ten tonnes or more than twenty seats for passengers". Even an Embraer 145 weighs more than 10 tonnes.

There is an exception for all Highlands and Islands Airports.

Fuzzy14 wrote:I don't really understand the comment that APD isn't applicable at Inverness, unless the Scottish government are doing something to subsidise the airport? APD is paid for all airports in the UK and Isle of Man when "an aircraft that has an authorised take-off weight of more than ten tonnes or more than twenty seats for passengers". Even an Embraer 145 weighs more than 10 tonnes.

Nothing to do with the Scottish government or subsidising the airport - it's been a long standing UK government exemption to sustain the economy of a remote area.

Not sure they realised it was the start of ex-INV trips for non locals though!

Sealink wrote:There is an exception for all Highlands and Islands Airports.

I stand corrected! I was unaware of this. Perhaps in future there will be an Ex-Machrihanish trick.

Fuzzy14 wrote:

Sealink wrote:There is an exception for all Highlands and Islands Airports.

I stand corrected! I was unaware of this. Perhaps in future there will be an Ex-Machrihanish trick.

They don't even have security at Campbeltown. (And Tiree!)Well ... they do, but it's very different from other airports and is based on common sense rather than the one size fits all applied at other airports.

Checking today - INV - LHR - ORD with AA, £1300 return in J. LHR - ORD is £2496. Shurely an error?

Aberdeen seems to have joined in!

ABZ - LHR - JFK Upper-Class £1544 rtn
LHR - JFK Upper-Class £2192 rtn

And Manchester

MAN - JFK Upper-Class £1500 rtn

Oh Billy you naughty boy tempting us with these fares!

I'm on google flights at this very moment!

FlyerTalk brought up some interesting fares from Zurich and Geneva!

I got DUB-LAS last week via LHR on BA for £1248, would have been £2700 without the ex DUB! Booked directly on ba.com

Vegascrazy wrote:I got DUB-LAS last week via LHR on BA for £1248, would have been £2700 without the ex DUB! Booked directly on ba.com

I assume that was CW and not F ? Either way a nice price. Well done.

Silver Fox wrote:

Vegascrazy wrote:I got DUB-LAS last week via LHR on BA for £1248, would have been £2700 without the ex DUB! Booked directly on ba.com

I assume that was CW and not F ? Either way a nice price. Well done.

Yes CW

So BA have closed the ex INV trick... at least for First Class.

However, American Express Travel are still selling the likes of INV-LHR-ORD for £1.7k in F, undercutting BA.com by about £1.4k!!!

Didn't bother doing a price guarantee, don't want to alert BA to this!

Ex INV in J still works a treat.

That’s a shame if it turns out to be permanent.

That said when I booked in February to go to ORD later this month there were no ex INV F deals either so maybe just part of the ebb and flow of BA pricing? In my terms an F deal is in the £400 - £ 500 more than CW range.

Oh well at least I got to fly in F once!

Yeah, F ex INV was £200 each way higher than J, which follows the usual F pricing ex LHR.

This is a good idea to save up! Thanks for the information! I do appreciate this!