Both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have both raised their fees and now charge £38 one way on their longest flights.

There is a good argument to say that the surcharges should be included in the price because fuel costs are simply part of an airline’s day to day business. But, even if you do accept them, how can the current levels be fair?

In May 2004, when a barrel of crude oil was $37, BA and Virgin introduced a surcharge of £2.50. Three years later, the price of oil has nearly doubled to $68 a barrel, but the fuel surcharge has increased 15-fold to £38.

The airlines are claiming the rise is justified because the cost of fuel has risen in recent weeks. Maybe, but it’s still $8 a barrel cheaper than when BA last raised its surcharges in April last year!

Guest Article by Jeremy Skidmore

A new government requirement on airports to carry out random tests of liquids in hand luggage has now come into force. Passengers can carry up to one litre of liquids in containers of not more than 100ml in a clear, sealable plastic bag.

A spokesman at Heathrow claimed that it had been running tests on the system and there should not be any impact on passengers.

Let’s hope he’s right, but the comments are at odds with a statement from the Department for Transport, which was leaked on to a pilots’ discussion forum, which said it anticipated inconvenience for customers, airport staff and crew travelling through UK airports. It added the new rules could potentially impact the speed of security processing.

Of course, we all want security to be tight, but the hugely sensitive point is whether it should be random or targeted.

I’ve long argued that it should be targeted, based on intelligence about who is most likely to be a terrorist. This does not mean focusing on foreign nationals as we know many potential terrorists have been British. It just means using the intelligence and information that we have. I see little point in searching the hand luggage of a little old granny, just to be seen to be doing the right thing, unless, of course, she fits the profile of people we are looking for.

When I go to football matches, I’m thoroughly searched because most hooligans are, like me, white males of a certain age. I’ve not had a fight in the several hundred games that I’ve been to, but I’ve got no problem with the policy.

Guest Article by Jeremy Skidmore

For those travelling in economy, the duty on short-haul flights rose to £10 and on long-haul flights to £40, while premium economy, business and first class passengers were told they had to pay double the fee.

Some agreed with me that it was simply a revenue-raising exercise that had nothing to do with protecting the environment, but others argued that we had to do something to try to save the planet.

In his recent budget, Chancellor Gordon Brown didn’t go so far as to admit he’d made a mistake. But he did say that he’d recognised the anomaly over the two-tier rate.

Brown said charging premium economy passengers the same higher rate as business and first class travellers might not send out the right environmental signals.

The government will consult with the aviation and travel industry and may well make a change but only on a “broadly revenue neutral basis”. In plain English, that means he’s not prepared to reduce the amount coming into his coffers.

Expect premium economy passengers to be charged slightly less, while business and first class travellers will be hit with an even greater tax.

Guest Article by Jeremy Skidmore