USAToday: Foul Play ? Jet fuel prices plunge, but Airlines Passenger fees defy gravity
Foul Play? Jet fuel prices plunge, but passenger fees defy gravity
As any driver knows, oil prices have plunged in recent weeks and with them the cost of filling up the gas tank. Airlines are enjoying the same respite from the summer's record-breaking prices: Jet fuel fell to an average $2.16 a gallon last week, down 45% from its peak this July. But major airlines have been slow to share this good fortune with fliers.As any driver knows, oil prices have plunged in recent weeks and with them the cost of filling up the gas tank. Airlines are enjoying the same respite from the summer's record-breaking prices: Jet fuel fell to an average $2.16 a gallon last week, down 45% from its peak this July. But major airlines have been slow to share this good fortune with fliers.
When prices skyrocketed, the fuel surcharges were at least more understandable and palatable to passengers, who knew what it was costing to fill up their own gas tanks. But what goes up ought to come down. Instead, on international flights, just the opposite has been happening. In October 2007, when jet fuel cost an average $2.40 a gallon, the average surcharge on international roundtrips was, according to FareCompare.com, about $125. The average last Wednesday during a week when fuel averaged $2.16 was $300. Several flights across the Pacific carried surcharges of $506.
Labels: Airline Industry, Fuel Surcharge
