We have to remember here that not everyone in the Netherlands is in Amsterdam. There are people in the east who might find a trip to Dusseldorf to be relatively painless, for example. This isn’t a city-specific issue but rather a country-wide one.

I can’t imagine “hopping a border into Belgium or Germany” if I was in Amsterdam just to save a few Euros. I’d spend that money and more, not to mention time, getting to another hub–it’s not THAT close. I really think most travelers are more influenced by convenience when choosing a flight hub than the question of an 11 to 45 Euro tax appended to their ticket. But maybe that’s just me. I do agree, though, that piling tax upon tax to an airfare can be daunting and discouraging to travelers when they see what was a discount flight ticket turn into half their paycheck, and might just push more than a few to opt for the train instead. In other words, the problem is larger than one single eco-tax charge.

There are to many taxes in a lot of countries and Europe has a lead in this area. Those (equivalent) USD9.00 fares that Ryanair and other carriers match have can cost USD300.00 once you add all the country taxes in. That is just stupid on two fronts. One, no one can make money on a USD9.00 fare since the taxes go to the government, and two, countries are just going to tax crazy as a away of getting money. And it’s not just a country tax, some are per city also, and each city can have a different tax. In some countries even if you are just in transit can have a tax so it can make a different which airline you take on what your fare will be. They may all publish the same fare from point A to point C, but if you have to connect, then point B can be costly depending on the airline you chose and what country they connect via.

And don’t even get me started on the airline scaming ‘Fuel surcharge’.

I sort of doubt that I’d travel to Cologne or Duesseldorf instead of flying out of Amsterdam if Amsterdam was significantly closer/more convenient to get to. An 11 Euro tax wouldn’t pay for the train ticket, let alone the inconvenience.

I wouldn’t be too sure about Brits not hopping the Channel (or the Irish border) to avoid Air Passenger Duty. In premium classes you can avoid £80 APD for a longhaul flight by buying a cheap shorthaul feeder to, say, FRA or AMS. The bizzare thing is, you may well find yourself connecting again in London (transfer traffic pays no APD).