Airlines criticised for maintaining high fuel surcharges

Airlines are increasingly being criticized for failing to reduce fuel surcharges that they introduced during the oil price surge earlier this year, even though there has been a steady drop in the price of oil, according to a report in The Telegraph.

Over the summer, many carriers introduced or increased fuel charges in response to the soaring price of oil, which reached a high of $147 per barrel in July.

Last week, the per-barrel price of oil had dropped to a level near $90, but the newspaper noted that only a small number of carriers have lowered the fuel surcharges they charge their customers.

British Airways introduced a series of surcharge hikes throughout the summer season, and even with the downward trend in oil prices, passengers are paying surcharges per person of £218 on return long-haul flights.

Rival carrier Virgin Atlantic also imposes surcharges at similar levels, even though when oil prices last stood at $90 per barrel, the fuel surcharge levied by the airline were much lower, at £116 return.

A BA spokesperson defended the airline’s fuel surcharges, saying: “Although the spot price of oil has dropped in recent weeks, the market remains volatile. Our overall fuel bill, which is paid for in dollars, has not reduced.”

Critics of the current surcharge levels point out, however, that British Airways World Cargo has decreased fuel surcharge amounts three times since July, citing “the recent drop in fuel prices.”

Thanks to www.telegraph.co.uk for the quotes above, for more information on this article please visit their website.

www.britishairways.com