According to media reports UK airports may introduce a £5 fee for passengers willing to pay to avoid lengthy queues at passport control.

The new scheme reportedly due to be rolled out by the government, proposes that fees ranging from £5 to £20 could be introduced in airports across the country to allow people to skip long waits, if a similar scheme at Edinburgh Airport is successful.

With May’s election to the Scottish Parliament approaching, ABTA and SPAA have petitioned for more support from Government to grow travel and tourism in Scotland. ABTA, the Association of British Travel Agents, and SPAA, the Scottish Passenger Agents' Association, have joined forces to support the proposed 50% cut in Scottish Air Passenger Duty (APD) and are calling on all political parties to recognise the value of travel and tourism to Scotland, ahead of the May elections.

From Tuesday (1 March 2106), changes by the Government to Air Passenger Duty (APD) will see children under the age of 16 exempt from paying the tax when travelling in economy class. APD is one of the highest taxes of its kind anywhere in the world, so this change will mean a fairer tax on flying for families.

A family of four (with two children under 16) will save £26 on flights to Europe and £142 on flights to long-haul destinations such as the USA, Thailand and Australia.