How safe are planes that are used for ‘wet leasing’?
Simon Calder answers your questions on ‘part-time’ planes, the UAE’s passport policy and air passenger duty for domestic flights
Q I read about the practice of “wet leasing” in which the plane you expect is substituted by another airline. How safe are these “part-time” planes?
R Shepherd
A Airlines using other carriers to do the flying for them is almost as old as the aviation industry. As my article explained, this year British Airways is once again wet leasing – chartering planes with the requisite pilots and cabin crew – from outside. In this case, Titan Airways, based at Stansted airport in Essex, will take over BA flights on a range of short-haul routes. And my Aer Lingus flight from Belfast to London this weekend will actually be on British Airways “metal” – ie a BA plane and crew. These two examples give a hint about the wide range of reasons for wet leasing: the first is to replace the Irish airline because Brexit prohibits it from operating a UK domestic flight, while British Airways simply does not have the resources to cover its planned schedule fully.
These examples involve airlines regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and the safety standards reflect the UK’s outstanding safety record for the past three decades. But on plenty of other occasions foreign airlines are used. I have flown on Air Arabia (based in Sharjah) rather than Ryanair from Seville to Stansted, while Wamos Air of Madrid operates plenty of flights on behalf of UK companies.
Fortunately, the principle is enshrined by the CAA that any “wet leased in” (WLI) aircraft remain the safety concern of the airline that brings them in. The CAA says: “At the heart of process is recognition that the UK AOC [Air Operator Certificate] holder remains accountable for the safety of its operations when using WLI services and that it must oversee WLI aircraft as part of its own Safety Management System (SMS) to assure the safety of these operations.”
Given that all UK and Irish airlines are safety-obsessed, this should put passengers’ minds at rest.
Q Help! We are taking our daughter to Dubai at half-term, departing on the evening of 13 February. We have just spotted her passport expires in May 2023. I believe the UAE requires at least six months of validity remaining. I’ve checked the fast-track option and the only Passport Office appointments are in Belfast, which we simply cannot countenance (we live in Kent). What can we do?
Name supplied
A The Foreign Office warns: “Your passport should be valid for a minimum period of six months from the date of entry into the UAE.” While anecdotally I have heard that some travellers have had this requirement waived, a diligent member of ground staff would not allow your daughter on board the plane to Dubai.
You have probably read the HM Passport Office warning: “Allow up to 10 weeks to receive your passport.” This is patently absurd because most standard renewals are being completed within a couple of weeks. There is a surge in demand at the moment because tomorrow the price of a passport increases by £7. But in any event, your best hope is to apply online for a replacement passport for your daughter this morning, and immediately send off the old passport; work will begin on the new one only when that is received.
A month ago I obtained my replacement within 12 days, even with the new year shutdown and the Royal Mail backlog slowing things down. Assuming all is in order, I reckon she should get her passport printed within a week – at which point let us hope the delivery service is up to scratch and delivers it no later than 13 February. I give you a 90:10 chance of getting it through in time, and at this stage it is the only real option.
Incidentally, you have done me a favour too. Until I researched the subject, I was unaware that the UAE imposes a three-month minimum in passport validity even for transit passengers. So if your passport expires on 30 April 2023, and you were flying via Dubai to Australia (which has no minimum validity requirement), theoretically the airline could and should turn you away even though you are fully documented for your destination.
Q I read your article about the reduction in air passenger duty for domestic flights. Will I get a refund on flights already paid for? I’m flying from Southampton to Edinburgh in August.
Ian U
A No – and let me explain why. From 1 April, passengers on UK domestic flights will pay £6.50 in air passenger duty (APD) for a one-way flight rather than £13. The government will surrender £58m by cutting the tax on UK air links. Some of the cash will be clawed back by raising long-haul APD, and in particular penalising journeys in anything better than economy for far-flung flights. A new higher-tax band applies for flights to countries whose capitals are over 5,500 miles from London. That includes the key Asian hubs of Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Anyone in premium economy or better will pay £200 to leave the UK.
Ministers revealed the plan in July 2022, saying: “This measure supports UK air connectivity and aligns air passenger duty more closely with the government’s environmental objectives.”
The timing of that announcement is crucial. I can be pretty certain that you booked your flight no earlier than late August 2022. Airlines generally open sales no earlier than 50 weeks before departure, not least because to have a Southampton-Edinburgh flight at 7am on 1 August in both 2023 and 2024 would be a certain recipe for muddle.
Airlines have priced the lower rate of APD for all future departures. While Loganair states taxes as £21.95 for that Southampton-Edinburgh flight (of which the larger portion is airport fees), on ba.com the same departure clearly shows £6.50 in air passenger duty.
If you are keen to save between the south coast of England and the Scottish capital in future, note that Ryanair is running flights between Bournemouth and Edinburgh from 26 March. The fare quoted for 1 August is £34, though that does not include any checked bags.
Q I am planning a long weekend in May to Venice. Please can you advise the best option of transfer from Marco Polo airport to Venice centre. I am staying at Una Ala Venezia.
Derek B
A Part of the joy of arriving at Marco Polo airport is the onward journey to the city. The airport is five miles north across the lagoon from Venice itself – and at least once in your life you should treat yourself to arriving by water. The Alilaguna ferry departs from the airport’s own dock, a seven-minute walk from the terminal along a covered walkway. The current fare is €15 (£13) single or €27 return. There are two main lines, Linea Arancio and Linea Blu, both running every half hour or so between 8am and 11pm. Your hotel is a 10-minute walk from St Mark’s Square (San Marco). You should take Arancio to the end stop here, which should also provide you with a cruise along the Grand Canal along the way. The journey takes 79 minutes. The Blu also serves St Mark’s, but it is not so alluring a route and takes slightly longer. Water taxis also run on demand, but will cost at least €120 (for a vessel holding four passengers).
At the end of your stay, take a bus to enjoy the complete circuit – including the ride along the Ponte della Libertà – the long, low bridge connecting the archipelago with the mainland. The bus station for Venice is at the Venice end of this bridge: a big, ugly car park known as Piazzale Roma. You have the choice of two options: city bus 5, run by ACTV and departing every quarter-hour for the 21-minute journey to the airport. The fare is an unappealing €10 (all other local buses cost just €1.50, but airline passengers pay a big premium). The ATVO Airport Express costs exactly the same but is more comfortable, quicker and has more space for baggage, though it runs only every half hour. Or, for the economy option, pay the €1.50 fare for non-airport journeys, take ACTV bus 5 as far as Tessera – the stop before the airport – and walk for 15 minutes to the terminal.
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