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29 Nov, 2014

Airline surcharges fly high despite slump in fuel prices — Sydney Morning Herald

Passengers will be wishing Australia had taken a leaf out of Hong Kong’s book before the Christmas holidays, the busiest flying time of the year.

Since January, the Chinese territory’s aviation regulators have forced Qantas and other airlines to drop passenger fuel surcharges on long-haul flights by almost a third to $HK628 ($95).

‘I can guarantee you that it is designed by accountants who have no moral fortitude’: Flight Centre managing director Graham Turner.

But in Australia, Qantas and Emirates have kept their fuel surcharges on international flights intact, despite a 25 per cent fall in jet fuel prices since the start of the year.

Australia’s largest travel agent, Flight Centre, has renewed its calls for the airlines to remove the surcharges, which hit travellers redeeming frequent-flyer points hardest.

Read the rest: Frequent flyers hit as airline surcharges fly high despite slump in fuel prices.