A short while ago I had to cancel a Ryanair flight I had booked for my daughter from Marseille to London. My understanding is that a cancellation warrants a return of the flight tax to the purchaser. Yet Ryanair informed me - without substantiation - that the costs it incurred in the course of administering my refund claim exceeded the potential rebate itself. This business practice seems rather dodgy; after all, what prevents Ryanair from always contending its overhead surpasses a tax rebate? Abbott Katz, London

Ginny McGrath, Times Online Travel News Editor responds: You are right that you can reclaim the taxes and charges on a cancelled ticket, but I’m afraid it is normal practice among airlines to charge an administration fee – Ryanair is not the only one.

I cancelled an easyJet flight some weeks ago, and once their administration charges were applied, my refund amounted to £5 on taxes that had amounted to around £25.

It’s not only the low cost carriers either – British Airways also charges an administration charge, of £30 off-line for paper tickets, or £15 if done online on an e-ticket, which can make a tax refund negligible on some routes.

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