THE HAGUE--There is broad support in the Dutch Parliament's Second and First Chambers for more uniform airline ticket prices in the Kingdom. All parties but one are seeking clarity from the Dutch Government about the ticket prices, especially the high tariffs to and between the Windward Islands.
Initiated by Second Chamber Member Ineke van Gent of the green left party GroenLinks, the liberal democratic VVD party, Christian democratic Party CDA, Labour Party PvdA, Democrats D66 and the Christian Union (CU) submitted a series of questions Wednesday to Ministers Maxime Verhagen (Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation) and Liesbeth Spies (Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations), and State Secretary for Finance Frans Weekers. The Party for Freedom PVV didn't join the concerted effort.
The Dutch Government is being asked to indicate the average ticket prices between the Dutch Caribbean and the Netherlands and to explain the price differences between the Netherlands and Aruba, Bonaire, Cura�ao and St. Maarten, while the distances to the destinations are more or less equal.
The Members of Parliament (MPs) asked the cabinet to talk with airlines, including Royal Dutch Airline KLM, about the price differences. "This also in light of possibilities that France offers to, for example, students and seniors on flights to France from the French overseas territories."
The MPs asked for an overview of the various airport taxes that are being levied within the Kingdom and for a comparison of the tariffs before and after the new constitutional relations went into effect on October 10, 2010.
According to the MPs, flights from Aruba, Cura�ao and St. Maarten to Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, and vice-versa, should be considered as national so that no international airport tax duties would have to be paid. They asked the Dutch Government whether it agreed with that standpoint.
The MPs who co-signed Van Gent's questions were Andr� Bosman (VVD), Bas Jan van Bochove (CDA), Ronald van Raak (SP), Sophie van Bijsterveld (CDA), Frank van Kappen (VVD), Jeroen Recourt (PvdA), Cynthia Ortega-Martijn (CU), Wassila Hachchi (D66) and Marijke Linthorst (PvdA).
Van Gent is a member of the Passenger Travel work group that was established at last week's Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation in St. Maarten. The work group strives to move the governments of the islands to agree on one uniform airport tax.
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