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LOCAL and foreign airlines have sought regulatory
approval for a planned increase in their fuel surcharge to offset
rising jet fuel costs.
In separate applications filed
before the Civil Aeronautical Board (CAB), Air Philippines,
Southeast Asian Airlines (Seair), Asian Spirit, Cathay Pacific,
Singapore Airlines, Air Macau, Silk Air, and Malaysia Airline System
Bhd. asked for permission to increase their surcharges.
Air Philippines wants a P100
extra charge to P1,200 for Luzon to Mindanao flights, P970 for
Luzon-Visayas, and P900 for Cebu-Mindanao. Seair wants to raise its
Luzon-Visayas flight surcharge to P825, within Luzon to P725, within
Visayas to P595, Visayas-Mindanao to P775, and within Mindanao to
P550.
Asian Spirit wants to raise its
surcharge to P1010 for its Luzon-Mindanao flight, to P880 for Luzon-Visayas,
to P710 for within Luzon, to P660 within Visayas, and to P810 for
Visayas-Mindanao and within Mindanao.
Malaysia Air seeks to raise its
surcharge to $31.70 per passage per sector, while Air Macau and Silk
Air wants to raise their respective surcharges to $15 and $26,
respectively.
Singapore Airlines sought a $26
per seat between Singapore gateways in the US and $75 for all other
flights, while Cathay Pacific wants to charge $54.90 to $59.70 for
Hong Kong to Pacific flights and $13.30 to $14.50 to North America,
Europe, Africa and South Asia.
A fuel surcharge is a temporary
relief granted to airlines to help them recover losses they incur
from higher jet fuel prices. According to the International Air
Transportation Association Jet Fuel Price Monitor, the average jet
fuel price for 2007 stood at $87 per barrel.
Fuel accounts for a third of an
airline’s operating cost per passenger, and is the second-highest
expense next to labor. The price of jet fuel started going up in
2002 but local and foreign airlines began asking for an adjustment
in their fuel surcharges in 2004.
--Darwin G. Amojelar
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