Loganair has announced a new structure for its fuel surcharges, with customers paying according to the length of flight.
The carrier introduced the surcharge in March this year in response to rising fuel prices, and it had been applied at a flat rate of £3.95 for all bookings other than those flown under Public Service Obligations.
A new system of three charging zones will now be applied in order to “apportion the surcharge on an equitable basis in line with distance travelled”.
Passengers travelling on zone 1 routes under 200 miles in length will see their fuel surcharge fall from £3.95 to £1.95 from tomorrow (September 9). Loganair says that this distance “typically covers lifeline routes to and from the Scottish Islands and the Isle of Man”.
The carrier also said that the decrease “is in line with Loganair’s original pledge to cut the surcharge when the price of Brent Crude falls below $110 per barrel for more than six consecutive weeks”.
However it added that “the cost increase across the industry is still significant, especially in view of the deteriorating US dollar exchange rate against UK Sterling given that oil is globally traded in US dollars”, and as a result there will be two new fuel surcharge zones for longer flights, as follows:
- Zone 2 (flights between 200 and 300 miles) – charge remains at £3.95
- Zone 3 (flights over 300 miles) – charge increases to £5.95
The new rates are determined by the date of booking rather than the date of travel, and so will only apply to new bookings made from September 9.
Commenting on the news Jonathan Hinkles, Loganair chief executive, said:
“We are happy to announce that on our key island and local community flying, we’re today halving the fuel surcharge for new bookings – as we promised we would do back when Brent Crude prices remained under $110 for six consecutive weeks.”
“However, fuel prices remain highly volatile and a combination of US dollar exchange rates and refinery costs means that we’re paying more for fuel today than we were in March.
“Therefore, it’s only right that we address the balance and as we go into the Winter, it is essential that we adjust charges to reflect these costs. We are continuously monitoring the situation and will keep customers completely updated with any changes.”
