FOI Ref: FOI/2021/3168
You asked
Would it be possible to get the below file updated for the September data (ie, domestic vs European vs long-haul flights)?
I also wanted to ask if it is possible to include the prices for imputed months as if they were used. I.e., my understanding was that the ONS successfully collected airfares for most months during the pandemic and made an ex-post decision does not use these prices as it was thought the many flights may not have taken place. I would be most curious to understand how the three indices looked like had the collected prices been used all the time if that's something the ONS can share.
We said
Thank you for your request.
The stratum indices for domestic, European and long-haul flights have been updated for October 2021 and are available here.
Unfortunately, we would be unable to release the requested information regarding prices for imputed months of air fares, or their index-level aggregates.
If we were to release this information, we have determined that this would prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs and is therefore exempt under Section 36(4) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
Prices for airfares are collected in advance of the reference month. Flights were unavailable for periods over the pandemic, and as a result, some of these prices were not used and were instead replaced with an imputation. Therefore, indices based on the unused price data would differ from the official aggregates used to compile our consumer price inflation statistics.
Releasing these indices would therefore prejudice the official inflation figures. Given the way in which price indices are used for indexation in contracts and for uprating, the uncertainty would lead to challenge and disputes that would prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs by undermining our ability to make methodological decisions in order to produce good quality consumer price inflation statistics.
This exemption is subject to the public interest test. Whilst we appreciate arguments in favour of transparency of the information that we hold, and we understand that this information could be academically beneficial, we believe that the public interest in withholding outweighs these factors.
We do not believe that these figures would be beneficial to the public, as they will prejudice our official statistics and would undermine public confidence in measures of inflation over the coronavirus pandemic. It is our obligation as an official statistics organisation to fulfil our statutory objectives by ensuring the statistics we produce are consistent, good quality, and serve the public good. This it to ensure that the public do not lose faith in our statistics and our functions.
Therefore, in this case, we find the weight of the public interest to fall in favour of withholding the request information.