Air passenger duty – the departure tax from the UK – increases from today, accompanied by a chorus of criticism from airlines, travel agents and passenger groups. A family of four travelling to the Caribbean will now pay £200 in UK tax, or £400 if they are travelling in premium economy seats.

Today's increase is the latest in a series of price hikes since February 2007, and sees the tax for economy tickets rise by between £1 for the shortest journeys and £15 for the longest. From today air passenger duty (APD) stands at £11 for journeys of up to 2000 miles, £45 for those of 2001 to 4000 miles, rising to £55 for trips over 6000 miles. The charges will rise again in November 2010, when economy passengers on the longest trips will pay £85 – a four-fold increase in just three and a half years. "We are very disappointed that the government is continuing with its plans to increase APD," says a spokesman for Thomas Cook. "They have steadfastly refused to listen to any of the arguments the travel industry has presented and, yet again, are making the consumer pay."

Hardest hit are those who opt to travel long-haul in premium economy, which is subject to the same rates as business and first class travel. For the longest trips, the tax on premium economy seats rises from £80 to £110 today, with a further £60 increase next November. "These planned increases are becoming a genuine threat to the commercial viability of the premium-economy product," says Ian Benjafield of Tui, who operate Thomson and First Choice holidays.

Passengers are equally angry; a new survey by YouGov, commissioned by Easyjet, found that 80% of people believe the system should be reformed. Resentment also stems from the fact that private jets and cargo planes do not have to pay the charge, and foreign transfer passengers are also exempt.