Airlines have been accused of “shamelessly misusing” fuel surcharges as the cost of fuel has dropped significantly over the past 18 months.
The United Federation of Travel Agents Associations (UFTAA) has written an open letter to IATA highlighting that during 2014 the cost of oil has gone down from $110 a barrel to as low as $40 a barrel.
Despite this most airlines are still charging a fuel surcharge ranging from €25 to €450 per ticket, UFTAA claims.
The surcharge was added with a special code ‘YQ’ on the ticket to cover sudden unexpected increases in oil prices.
“Generally the cost for the fuel should as soon as convenient be included in the general operation cost eg. air fare (no airplane can fly without fuel),” the organisation said in the letter.
“However, airlines continue shamelessly to misuse this ticketing loophole and thus manipulate the transparency of the ticket price.”
It added: “The tax box on the tickets has increasingly become a vehicle for various extra charges not included in the basic air fare either to distort the price transparency or perhaps to serve as a loophole for tax evasion? How long will this charade be tolerated by the consumers?”