It has recently been announced that Luton Airport will be charging £1 or €2 for the use of one of the airport’s baggage trolley. Unlike the pound tokens that re used at many supermarkets I have visited, the airport has chosen to make the fee non-refundable. With the rising cost of petrol in the UK, should we expect to be paying even more for our flights in the near future?
With the cost of jet fuel rising dramatically in the last few years, airlines are being forced to raise prices or cut flights. American airline Northwest recently announced they were removing various planes from their fleet and reducing the number of flights by around 10%. The cost of jet fuel will inevitably affect UK based airline too and with additional fees being piled on to flights already, this regular flier is wondering where it will end.
BA recently increased their fuel surcharge on short haul flights by £3 and long haul flights by £15 and £30 depending on the length of the journey. The rising price of fuel doesn’t seem to be having too negative an affect on BA however, as last year they recorded growing profits of £883m.
With the current price of oil hitting a high of $130 a barrel, BA have predicted that their total fuel costs for this financial will increase by approximately £1bn. It is only to be expected that this increase will fall onto the passengers and so inevitably prices will rise.
Will the cost of flights deter people from flying and make more families, couples and singles choose to holiday in the UK. I very much doubt it – especially since the cost of petrol and diesel has increased by approximately 20% in the past year. So, what are the options? Pay the “little” extra that the airlines are charging or fill your tank up with liquid gold. Either way, you will fill out of pocket by the end of it.
