Airlines’ fuel surcharge to stay at year-low levels in August

MANILA  -The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) will keep the fuel surcharge that airlines are allowed to collect from passengers at its lowest level for the year in August.

This move is seen supporting the pickup in air travel demand amid the recent flight delays and suspensions that left thousands of passengers fuming.

In a recent advisory, the CAB said the fuel surcharge would be kept at Level 4 for the third month in a row in August.

Next month, passengers will still pay an additional P117 to P342 for domestic flights and P385.70 to P2,867.82 for flights abroad.

Under Level 4, passengers going to Caticlan, Legaspi, Kalibo and Roxas are charged an additional P184 while those flying to Laoag, Iloilo, Bacolod, Cebu and Puerto Princesa will pay P232 in fuel surcharge.

Airlines will collect a fuel surcharge of P296 for flights to Dumaguete, Tagbilaran, Siargao and Cagayan and P318 for flights to Zamboanga, Cotabato and Davao.

The applicable fuel surcharge for flights to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Cambodia will be P385.70; China, P523.68; and Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, P533.42.

Those flying to Indonesia, Japan and South Korea will pay fuel surcharge amounting to P600; Australia and Middle East, P1,327.14; and North America and the United Kingdom, P2,731.26.

“With fuel surcharges staying put, this should keep the momentum for high travel demand and yet keep fares affordable for our passengers. We hope this encourages more people to proceed with their travel plans in the second half of the year,” said Xander Lao, president and chief commercial officer of Cebu Pacific.

Fuel surcharges are additional fees by airlines to help them recover fuel costs. These are separate from the base fare, which is the actual amount paid by the passenger for his or her seat.

The budget carrier, along with Philippine Airlines (PAL), has been dealing with flight interruptions due to supply chain woes that resulted in the parking of some of their aircraft.

“Amid still-existing supply chain issues, we have managed to enhance schedule reliability by proactively reducing our flights and by carrying out initiatives to enhance operational efficiency,” said Cielo Villaluna, spokesperson for PAL.

Both airlines are now in the process of acquiring more jets to address the flight cancellations and delays. For AirAsia Philippines, Steve Dailisan, head for communications and public affairs, said the airline would “continue to cushion the effects of fuel surcharge cost with our double-digit sale and other promos to ensure an affordable ticket price for our guests.”

In the first half, Ninoy Aquino International Airport saw international and domestic passengers soar by 78 percent to 22.22 million. The flight movements, meanwhile, referring to the number of takeoffs and landings, were up 42 percent to 135,883 for the period. INQ

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