Transavia has announced a new fee for travelers who purchased tickets prior to October 28, 2024, due to an increase in air transport taxes in France. Around 800,000 passengers will be notified via email about this additional charge for flights starting March 3, 2025. Unlike Transavia, other airlines, including Air France and EasyJet, have chosen not to retroactively pass on this tax increase, opting instead to implement it only for future ticket sales.
Transavia’s Unexpected Fee for Travelers
Many travelers are facing an unwelcome surprise as Transavia, the budget airline under the Air France-KLM umbrella, announced on Tuesday, February 25, the introduction of an additional fee for passengers holding tickets that have already been purchased. This new charge stems from an increase in air transport taxation in France, which was approved in the 2025 budget. The airline stated, “To implement this measure, Transavia France has opted to collect the full amount of this tax for flights scheduled from March 3, 2025.”
Impact on Existing Ticket Holders
According to the airline’s announcement, travelers who bought tickets before October 28, 2024, and after December 7, 2024, for journeys starting on or after March 3, 2025, will soon receive an email detailing how to settle the additional payment. Approximately 800,000 passengers may be affected by this ticket surcharge. Passengers who purchase their tickets after February 19, 2025, will see the new solidarity tax on plane tickets (TSBA) included directly in the ticket price displayed on the website.
Transavia justifies this retroactive charge by pointing to its terms of transport, which allow the carrier to impose separate charges for unforeseen fees, taxes, and surcharges. They have also warned that failure to pay this fee will prevent customers from checking in online and obtaining their boarding passes.
In contrast, several airlines, including Air France, have confirmed they will not seek to recoup this tax increase from customers who have already purchased tickets. Air France noted that due to its extensive international operations, the diverse currencies used, and the large number of bookings through travel agencies, they will absorb the tax difference rather than pass it on to passengers.
British low-cost airline EasyJet has also announced it will not implement retroactive charges, stating that it will only apply the new solidarity tax on tickets purchased from March 1, 2025, when the tax increase takes effect. Most airlines are expected to follow a similar approach, implementing the tax increase only on tickets purchased after that date. The National Federation of Aviation and its Professions (Fnam) highlighted that each airline is making its own decisions regarding how to handle the tax increase, while also expressing concern over the short timeline between the adoption of the Finance Law and the tax’s implementation date.