Aer Lingus Fuel Surcharge

mirwillbeback

hi,

Anyone any idea of how long they can get away with this? The price of fuel has come down to below what it was this time last year, yet Aer Lingus continue to rip us off in this way?

We're planning to travel to the states next year, but i intend to hang on until the charges are scrapped - does anyone think they will?

Our man in Havana

Not a hope in hell. Dermot Mannion has even said they won't remove them.

Big Tone

Not at all, its like PRSI, VRT, these so called "temporary" taxes never come off! :mad:

Recon

It'll go back to how Aer Lingus were ripping people off in the 80's and 90's. I think that's how Ryanair were so successful, far play to Michael O Leary!

Sam Johnston

As fuel is just another input expense I don't see why it should be handled differently - it affects all the airlines so all the prices will rise (and fall) accordingly.

Sam Johnston

Not content with just discussing it here I have just submitted the following complaint to the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs (ODCA) via their web site per instructions at http://www.oasis.gov.ie/consumer_affairs/consumer_complaints/consumer_complaints.html in the hope that these expenses will be rolled in with other input costs where they belong.

Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs
http://www.odca.ie
4 Harcourt Road
Dublin 2
Tel: (01) 4025555
Lo Call: 1890 220 229
Fax: (01) 402 5501
Email: odca@entemp.ie

In a recent transaction with Aer Lingus (ticket 0532431132876) I was charged a fuel surcharge on a flight to the US of EUR40.00 (see http://www.rte.ie/business/2006/0421/aerlingus.html). This was included in the fare itself (EUR135.00) at the end of the booking process rather than under taxes and charges (EUR46.10, total EUR181.10) which could in itself be an advertising standards problem (see http://www.asai.ie/complaint_view.asp?CID=103&BID=6).

However when I subsequently changed the flight to a London flight for which no fuel surcharge was applicable (ticket 0532431289809) only EUR95.00 of the EUR135.00 fare was applied and I was told that the EUR40.00 fuel surcharge was forfeited.

While I understand the reason behind the fuel surcharge I feel it should be included in any advertised pricing (including during the flight search process) as I see it being no different to any other input cost. Accordingly I also feel that it should have been made available to me for use on a segment for which no such surcharge applies and would like to see the amount of EUR40.00 (contributing to a total expense of EUR302.10 for a one way dublin->london flight) refunded.

Thank you for your time in this matter,

Kind regards,

Sam

Our man in Havana

There is a change fee of €35 per leg.

tea

mirwillbeback wrote:

hi,
We're planning to travel to the states next year, but i intend to hang on until the charges are scrapped - does anyone think they will?

You could always fly with Continental instead (www.continental.com). Their standard fares are usually cheaper, and they don't impose fuel surcharges. Aer Lingus's promotional fares often edge Continental out though.

Slightly less choice though - they only do Dublin and Shannon to Newark/New York afaik, although connecting flights to anywhere else in the US from Newark are usually cheap (I paid 15 euro extra to add Washington DC last week)