When will the surcharges ever end?

[hal55]

I'm going to book a UK trip tomorrow (Emirates) and the fuel etc surcharges are as steep as ever even though the price of oil has crashed. Anyone know when, if ever, these rotten surchages will drop?

Hal55

 

[Evan]

JL drops again in Jan i here.
But dont hold your breath oil may be low but Jet-A is still rather pricey.
E

 

[dajop]

If you are booking on Emirates, they don't have fuel surcharges ... so it will make no difference. Whilst some airlines are quite happy to charge $500+ in surcharges and taxes for return flights AUS-Europe, Emirates charge only the airport charges and govt taxes, or more around the $100AUD mark.

 

[Warks]

I've been holding off booking at trip to Canada for mid 2009 (alternatively Oct 09) while I watch things like fuel surcharges, the $A and of course if the recession bites what discounting, if any, will happen. Knowing what a rip-off the trans-Pacific route remains I am not hopeful but I don't see any reason to rush in at this stage.

Qantas will have done pretty well out of the surcharges - they locked in a pretty good fuel price for a period when the price went ape and if they didn't lock in long term on a high price when that ended they'll be sitting pretty now. Whatever happens they'll keep gouging.

 

[JohnK]

It would be nice but I wouldn't expect fuel surcharges to disappear in a hurry. Fuel surcharges have a become a nice little income earner, as they are also levied on "free" award tickets, for most airlines. Since fuel surcharges were introduced in late 2004 I think QF has had something like 9 increases and 3 decreases to fuel surcharges.

 

[Travel Guru]

If you are booking on Emirates, they don't have fuel surcharges ... so it will make no difference. Whilst some airlines are quite happy to charge $500+ in surcharges and taxes for return flights AUS-Europe, Emirates charge only the airport charges and govt taxes, or more around the $100AUD mark.

Actually that's not entirely correct, EK do charge Surcharges, but they're one of only a couple of airlines who include the surcharges in the fare not the taxes, so you're still paying them, but they are where they belong, in the fare (mainly so that agents will rightly be paid commission on the surcharge not just the fare)

EK's fares will always appear higher, but this is just due to the Surcharges built in, once their $100-150 taxes are added, theyre generally on par with airlines of the same standard such as SQ, MH, CX etc who include the surcharges in their taxes.

TG

 

[AlphaVictor]

Travel Daily did a table on Monday to highlight the rise, rise, rise of fuel surcharges and the whimper of a fall we've seen so far. It's not exactly comparing apples with apples but you will get the gist.

Hopefully it attaches (as I haven't attached here before)

 

[dajop]

Actually that's not entirely correct, EK do charge Surcharges, but they're one of only a couple of airlines who include the surcharges in the fare not the taxes, so you're still paying them, but they are where they belong, in the fare (mainly so that agents will rightly be paid commission on the surcharge not just the fare)

Ok, granted, but how does one distinguish a fare change from a surcharge change? At the moment EK are offering very inexpensive fares MEL-SIN-MEL - something around the $700 mark IIRC. Has a) the surcharge dropped or b) has the fare dropped or c) or has both dropped, or d) who really cares, as long as the fare is cheaper!!!?? I think the real test is whether a surcharge is levied on award flights. Do EK do this?

 

[clifford]

Fuel surcharges have a become a nice little income earner, as they are also levied on "free" award tickets, for most airlines.

Not on UA. I just booked HNL-NRT-ICN-SZX (and return) for 40,000 miles and "taxes" of AUD 52.00.

As a little aside, it would have been 60,000 miles if I'd have booked to HKG, as this is classed as being in "South Asia" by UA (go figure).

 

[hal55]

Just checked the quoted price for the trip, it broke down as $2199 fare, $200 surcharge and $75 booking fee for the agent. It's just that surcharges are all over the place and are making comparisons difficult, not to mention annoying when the "FLY TO LONDON FOR $1599 RETURN!!" email turns out to be nothing like it.

Hal55

 

[Travel Guru]

Just checked the quoted price for the trip, it broke down as $2199 fare, $200 surcharge and $75 booking fee for the agent. It's just that surcharges are all over the place and are making comparisons difficult, not to mention annoying when the "FLY TO LONDON FOR $1599 RETURN!!" email turns out to be nothing like it.

Hal55

If your agent is charging you a $75 booking fee, i'd be booking elsewhere, we certainly don't charge booking fees, there's plenty of commission on a 2.2k booking to sufficiently remunerate for making a booking without having to charge booking fees.

TG

 

[dajop]

Just checked the quoted price for the trip, it broke down as $2199 fare, $200 surcharge and $75 booking fee for the agent.

Aaah the $200 surcharge is definitely not fuel related. A large chunk of that is the "We're the UK so we'll charge you as much as we can" surcharge. For comparison, some of the different surcharges on EK (exMEL) are:

London Heathrow $216
London Gatwick $196
Paris CDG ~$150
Frankfurt & Nice ~$140
Rome ~$110

Also have you checked the Emirates website to validate what you're TA is charging you?

 

[hal55]

We did, and it looks more than reasonable - I think.
For some $200 odd more than the straight return to London fare were getting a nights stopover in Dubai going over and Singapore coming back, plus we're actually flying out of Nice on the return connecting at Dubai.
We tried costing each leg individually and it was a financial disaster.
Happy to admit that booking a non starightforward flight is beyond us.

Hal55

 

[simongr]

Travel Daily did a table on Monday to highlight the rise, rise, rise of fuel surcharges and the whimper of a fall we've seen so far. It's not exactly comparing apples with apples but you will get the gist.

Hopefully it attaches (as I haven't attached here before)

Thanks for that - was that teh US$ barrel price?