TRAVELLERS faced few problems at the airport following the increase in air-passenger duty yesterday. Most had already paid the extra £5 charge imposed by UK Chancellor Gordon Brown to combat carbon emissions.

Airlines have been frantically contacting customers who booked and paid before 6 December after it was announced the tax would apply retrospectively.

‘Generally, the public have been very aware of it,’ said a spokesman at Aurigny’s desk.

‘We only had one person who had not paid this morning and he was fine with it.’

The airline telephoned more than 8,000 passengers who had booked a flight before the Chancellor’s announcement was made, advising them of the extra fee.

Flybe confirmed it was doing the same with its customers.

Passengers at the airport were sceptical about the increase in duty, which has been included in air fares booked after the government announcement.

Company director Peter MacGill thought the way it had been applied was wrong.

‘I think it’s OK to impose a tax, but it shouldn’t be retrospective,’ said the 54-year-old, who was flying to Bristol and Edinburgh before returning to the island.

‘It’s grossly unfair – if you’ve paid what you expected to pay, you shouldn’t then have to pay more.’

Mr MacGill did not think it would help fight global warming.

‘It will just be used for something else,’ he said.

Steve Coe, a 40-year-old freelance finance worker, was flying to France so was not affected by the tax this time.

‘What I hate for the employers is the cost of administration for the company,’ he said.

‘It’s also poor for the customers because they get one price and then there are 10 or 12 add-ons – pricing just isn’t transparent.’

A mother from Guernsey, who did not wish to be named, thought people were paying enough tax already.

‘I have to pay £85 in tax for my son and I to fly to Bristol,’ she said.

‘I know that these things have to happen, but it does seem a little excessive sometimes.’

One UK resident did not think it would make much difference to carbon emissions.

‘It’s just another stealth tax – we’ll just have to pay it. They’ll only end up taxing us on something else,’ he said.