Ahmet Kadioglu filed the lawsuit against the airline in B.C. Supreme Court Aug. 29. Last month he filed a similar claim against another airline, Cathay Pacific.
In his most recent statement of claim, Kadioglu said he bought a ticket from Japan Airlines on Nov. 11, 2010 for return travel to Tokyo's Narita Airport. The cost of the ticket was US$746. But Kadioglu said he paid almost $300 more for the final price of the ticket, including US$222 for a special tax or fee.
Kadioglu has argued in his lawsuit the airline engaged in deceptive business practices when it charged him that amount because the money was not a tax or fee being levied by government or a third party - such as an airport authority - but was "simply additional monies charged, collected and retained (by the airline) for its own use."
Kadioglu's lawyer, James Poyner, is asking the courts to certify both cases as class-action lawsuits. He is also asking the courts to demand the airlines pay back customers all amounts they paid that were falsely represented as taxes over the past six years.
Japan Airlines is the fifth airline to be hit with a lawsuit over the tax issue.
Poyner has previously filed lawsuits against British Airways, Lufthansa and Air Canada, alleging similar practices.
Poyner said previously that airlines' labelling extra fees as taxes would be similar to a client coming into Poyner's office and getting charged an extra "tax" of $100, which really just went to paying the lawyer's office rent.
Airlines have got away with the practice, he said, because people are used to paying taxes and haven't questioned it.
Poyner said the extra fees also make it very difficult for consumers to compare airline ticket prices that usually don't include them in advertised fares.
None of the claims in the lawsuits have yet been proven in court.
Japan Airlines has not yet filed a statement of defence.
