Private airline duo to hike surcharge

Mumbai: Jet Airways and Kingfisher — the county’s leading airlines — are planning to raise the fuel surcharge on domestic air fares by 10 to 15 per cent from the first week of June.
Crippled by a surging fuel bill, the airlines have finally decided to raise the surcharge and take some of the burden off their back. Jet Airways, the country’s largest private airline, plans to increase the fuel surcharge by about Rs 350, or 15 per cent, on domestic flights of over 750 km.
Vijay Mallya-owned Kingfisher and low-cost carrier Simplifly Deccan plan to raise the surcharge by Rs 450 and Rs 300 on long-haul and short haul routes, respectively.
Once these airlines raise the surcharge, others are expected to follow.
On May 1, when crude oil was hovering at about $120 a barrel, all major domestic airlines including Jet Airways, Kingfisher and SpiceJet, raised the fuel surcharge by Rs 150 on flights over distances of less than 750 km and by Rs 350 on long haul routes — destinations beyond 750 km.
Currently, the airlines levy a surcharge of Rs 1,950 on short haul and Rs 2,350 on long-haul routes. After next week’s increase, passengers will have to pay a fuel surcharge of Rs 2,700 to Rs 2,800 on long range flights, and Rs 2,200-2,250 on short haul destinations.
31/05/08 Anirudh Laskar/The Telegraph

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Categories: Jet Airways May 2008, Kingfisher May 2008