Born on Halloween, William Evan and I didn't get a chance to first hash out life's problems until I had a trip back to America in January.  I think we caught up for the lost time, though, as is documented in Melissa's recent photo album.

The UK government recently added a new tax onto flights originating in the UK.  Virgin is not happy about this, especially because they now have to collect additional fees from everyone who booked their flights before 13 December but still has yet to fly.  I particularly enjoy the last sentence on their webpage stating the increase.  Here's the text in full:

From 1st February this year, the UK Government has increased Air Passenger Duty (APD) from £20 to £40 for economy passengers, and £40 to £80 for Upper Class and Premium Economy passengers. The tax applies to every passenger leaving on a flight from any UK airport.

If you booked your Virgin Atlantic flight on or after the 13th December 2006, then you've already paid the extra tax.

If you booked your flight on or before 12th December 2006 directly with Virgin Atlantic or if you have booked through a travel agent or tour operator on or before 12th December and your ticket was issued on or before 12th December, we now need to collect this money from you, as the government has taken the unusual step of retrospectively applying a tax.

The APD is a government tax which has been paid by passengers since it was introduced 13 years ago. The government says the extra APD raised will be targeted at helping our environment and tackling climate change. Virgin Atlantic can't wait to see how the UK government will spend your money to combat global warming.