While airlines pay no kerosene tax or VAT across Europe, train operators pay energy taxes, VAT and high rail tolls in most European countries. In the U.K., operators are relieved of VAT, but are notorious for imposing some of the highest ticket prices in Europe.

Internal travel in the UK, particularly by rail, is famously expensive due to a combination of privatization structures, aging infrastructure, and a lack of state subsidies compared to European neighbors. The UK rail system operates on a "franchise" or contract model where private companies must cover high operational costs and return profits, leading to some of the highest "walk-up" fares in the world. Additionally, the UK has one of the oldest and most congested rail networks, requiring constant, expensive maintenance that is often funded by ticket prices. For domestic flights, the UK's Air Passenger Duty (APD) is a significant tax that adds a flat fee to every ticket, often making it cheaper to fly from London to Spain than from London to Scotland. While the introduction of the "Great British Railways" transition in 2025-2026 aims to simplify ticketing, the high demand for travel on limited North-South corridors keeps prices high. For many, the "cheapest" way remains the long-distance coach (bus), but even those prices have risen due to increased fuel costs and driver shortages in the post-pandemic economy.