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Sometimes I hate being right all the time
By Dae on Oct 7, 2008 | In Shit I hate | Send feedback »
Link: http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2008-09-18-fuel-surcharges_N.htm
Despite lower crude oil prices, fuel-related fees added by airlines and cruise companies are here to stay.
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Major U.S. airlines also are reluctant to consider canceling the recently introduced fees. “They are not going away because the airlines are greedy,” says Henry Harteveldt, a travel analyst at Forrester Research, adding that jet fuel is still 40% to 50% more expensive than a year ago.
American Airlines, Delta, United and Northwest say they’re not canceling fuel surcharges. Major U.S. airlines have had fuel charges on international routes for years, but they’ve added them to domestic destinations in the past year, citing high fuel prices. They vary, depending on competition and distance. “The run-up in our cost related to our fuel prices continues to exceed the surcharge levels in place,” says Northwest spokeswoman Michelle Aguayo-Shannon.
In June, when crude oil was $134 a barrel, jet fuel was $163 a barrel. This week, the jet fuel price was about $140, according to the International Air Transport Association.
The carriers also have added fees for other services — checking bags, redeeming miles online, booking reservations over the phone — and are showing no signs of retiring them.
