Air summer surcharges add up
Your summer vacation just got more expensive, as the five largest US airlines introduced "peak air travel surcharges" virtually every day while school is out for much of the country.
The airlines have done this by slapping a surcharge for flying on a so-called “peak travel Day,” according to an analysis published by USA Today.
Surcharges are up to $30 for each one-way domestic fight. These are included in the cost of a ticket, says FareCompare.com, which analyzed airfare data.
How much does this mean for a family of four? Up to $240 more for the cost of a round trip ticket this busy summer vacation season.
"The airlines are treating the entire summer season like a holiday," said FareCompare.com CEO Rick Seaney.
The average round-trip airfare in mid-May, minus surcharges, was already 10 percent higher for this summer’s cheapest coach tickets between the 100 most popular US cities than last year, FareCompare.com finds.
Five big airlines — American, Delta, Continental, United and US Airways — have surcharges on most flights on 73 of 74 days June 10 through Aug. 22. The only day without a surcharge is July 4, usually one of the summer’s least-busy travel days.
There also are no surcharges on a small number of sale fares and fares for many routes where Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways or another low-fare airlines compete, Seaney says.
Southwest and JetBlue have no surcharges on any flights.
Big airlines’ most common surcharge is $20. It’s most frequently charged on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays, FareCompare.com says.
A $10 surcharge is most common Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The most expensive surcharge — $30 — is usually in effect on Sundays.
Sundays usually are the busiest travel days and have the highest surcharges, says American spokesman Tim Smith. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the least busy.
Airlines are also increasing what travelers pay to go to Europe by imposing much higher surcharges for fuel than they charged last year.
The charges, aimed at helping the airlines offset higher oil prices, are adding $80, $100 or more to the price of a round-trip ticket to some destinations compared with last summer, an examination by Bestfares.com finds. For instance:
•A passenger can pay a $182 fuel surcharge to go from Dallas/Fort Worth to Dublin and back compared with just $14 last year before oil prices climbed.
•A round trip from Los Angeles to Paris can have a $320 charge compared with $224 early last summer.
By David Wilkening
David
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