BA is to increase its fuel surcharge on long-haul flights by £10 as from Thursday, although people who have already booked flights will be exempt. How generous.
Passengers will now pay a surcharge of between £63 and £108 depending on which cabin they are in (different cabins on the same plane use different amounts of fuel?) and the duration of the flight (at least there is logic there).
The rises are apparently to reflect the substantial recent increase in the price of oil.
Economy class passengers on long-haul flights of less than nine hours will now have to pay a surcharge of £63. On flights of more than nine hours it will be £76.
For those in World Traveller Plus (one step up from economy class), the new surcharge will be £73 for long-haul flights under nine hours and £94.50 for those over nine hours.
First class and Club World (business class) will pay £88 for long-haul flights of less than nine hours and £108 for those exceeding nine hours.
The ‘surcharges’ can’t be too far off paying the entire fuel bill now, not just the increased costs. Watch out for a ‘pilot surcharge’ in the future.