While booking a flight from Santiago, Chile to La Paz, Bolivia I have to confirm the following dialog on the skyairline.cl website:
¡IMPORTANT!
The airport boarding fee in La Paz is not included in your airline ticket and has to be paid at the La Paz airport prior boarding your flight
I have read and understood this important information.
I read but have not understood this important information. What is this fee about? When do I have to pay it (I assume only at departure)? And how much is it?
Some airports charge their own departure fee (to help fund airport operations) that is not included in the ticket price. Until about 2009 or so, this was also the case for the airport in Christchurch, New Zealand (I think it was about NZ$25). At that time they changed to include the departure fee in the ticket price for departing passengers. This makes it a lot more convenient for customers.
Many airports still charge this fee separately, despite the obvious passenger inconvenience. There will be a kiosk or something where you pay the fee and get a receipt, which you will then need to proceed through to your departure gate.
According to Wikitravel:
There is an airport departure tax of US$25 (or Bs174) for international flights, Bs15 for domestic flights. Tax can only be paid in cash, but several ATMs which also give out US$ are available at the airport.
The airport departure fee as of August 2014 is 20 US$. I (the OP) however didn't had to pay it as it somehow was already included in the ticket price (despite the warning on the website). I got the sticker, confirming that I paid the fee, on my boarding pass at check in.
My advice: ask your airline at check in when departing from La Paz!
