UK Ferry Tickets

How many times have you bought a holiday, only to be told there’s a surcharge for fuel?

Many companies have a ‘no surcharge guarantee’. This means that whatever happens, the price on your booking confirmation at the time of booking is the price you pay.

But an increasing number of companies are adding surcharges. I’ve raised this issue before but, if anything, it’s becoming more of a problem. My postbag regularly has letters from readers complaining about surcharges.

Many airlines added extra fees when the price of fuel rose over the summer and American Airlines has now started charging an extra £3 per person per flight on transatlantic routes from Heathrow. The carrier used to get all its fuel from Heathrow, but since the fire at the Buncefield depot, which supplied a third of the fuel to the airport, American Airlines has had to fly in supplies from the United States at extra cost.

Meanwhile, many tour operators are levying surcharges, despite having fixed contracts with the airlines they are using. It’s a way of making them look cheaper in a competitive market and adding to the bottom line.

They can advertise a holiday at price x instead of y, and then mention there’s an extra charge.

It’s little more than a scam, but the government doesn’t understand the issue, so it won’t take an action.

Guest Article by Jeremy Skidmore

Sunday, February 26th, 2006