Taxing flights

As climate change has risen up the political agenda in recent years, air travel has come in for some bad press. In recent months we have seen protesters clambering onto aircraft at Heathrow and onto the Houses of Parliament. It is, the protesters contend, a polluting way to travel. However, it is also popular and getting more so. The most recent protests have been sparked by proposals to build additional runways - which wouldn't be needed if people weren't flocking in increasingly large numbers to buy cheap air tickets.