How does Brussels Airlines calculate the fuel surcharge?

[sn26567]

The calculation of the fuel surcharge remains mysterious and lacks transparency. The French magazine "Le Quotidien du Tourisme" takes the example of a passenger flying long-haul on Brussels Airlines (probably to a destination in Africa).

If he leaves from Paris (via Brussels), the fuel surcharge is 174 EUR. You would expect that when he leaves from Brussels the surcharge would be lower, since he travels less miles. Wrong! The surcharge from Brussels is an astonishing 294 EUR !!!

Where is the math at SN?

http://www.quotidiendutourisme.com/site ... 67026.html

[shockcooling]

Where's the math? Did you check it out for yourself on their website?

Because I just compared it with two random flights, Lome and JFK, leaving Brussels or Paris. In both cases the price breakdown was ofcourse different, but the 'airline fees' were exactly the same (which include fuel surcharge) http://www.brusselsairlines.com/com/hel ... ew_en.html

Check it out.

[fcw]

And why is there a fuel surcharge on a FREE ticket?

[Airbus330lover]

Probably because planes need fuel to fly !

[Air Key West]

And why is there a fuel surcharge on a FREE ticket?

Well, because there are not any free tickets when you use miles. MANY years ago, frequent flyer programs offered free tickets (pax did not have to pay for the taxes and fuel surcharges did not exist yet). When airlines started to look for extra revenue, they also started to call their free tickets, award tickets or bonus tickets and pax had to pay for taxes, fees and fuel surcharges

The calculation of the fuel surcharge remains mysterious and lacks transparency. The French magazine "Le Quotidien du Tourisme" takes the example of a passenger flying long-haul on Brussels Airlines (probably to a destination in Africa).

If he leaves from Paris (via Brussels), the fuel surcharge is 174 EUR. You would expect that when he leaves from Brussels the surcharge would be lower, since he travels less miles. Wrong! The surcharge from Brussels is an astonishing 294 EUR !!!

Where is the math at SN?

http://www.quotidiendutourisme.com/site ... 67026.html

Believe it or not, but b.air has done away with the fuel surcharge. Doesn't exist anymore ! It is now called an "international surchage" (on b.air's domestic flights, of course, there is no surcharge ).

Just one example : the ex fuel surcharge, now international surcharge, is proportionate to the fare you pay and on a return ticket to Nice for instance is usually 44 euros in b.light, 86 euros in b.flex and 106 euros in b.business. It was the same when the fuel surcharge still existed. So, is this surcharge (whatever you call it) not just a hidden part of the fare ? It was clever from b.air to change the name "fuel surcharge" into "international surcharge", because why would a business class pax have to pay a 106 euros fuel surcharge and a b.light pax only 44 ?

[WC_EEND]

Believe it or not, but b.air has done away with the fuel surcharge. Doesn't exist anymore ! It is now called an "international surchage" (on b.air's domestic flights, of course, there is no surcharge ).

So on domestic flights there is no fuel surcharge? Oh wait...

[Air Key West]

I'm sorry that you have not understood the irony in my comment.

[cathaynes]

I was browsing other sites when I saw this thread about fuel surcharge. Airlines have always included the fuel within the price of the ticket. It is not an add-on because you can't fly a plane without fuel. That is why charges and higher costs of fuel make flying more expensive. Well, short term loans might help pay for the trip.

[kimkardishon]

This should work for Aeroplan awards on all Star Alliance partner carriers, and is a nice way to at least fly some airlines that ordinarily impose fuel surcharges without paying the total amount.