Virgin Australia will be raising fuel surcharges on both domestic and international flights in August. The news follows similar announcements by Qantas and Emirates (see here).
The airline has attributed this change to the sustained fall in value to the Australian dollar, along with the recent increase in crude oil prices. Virgin’s fuel costs have risen by 13 per cent over the past two months, prompting the change.
“As a result of the competitive environment, Virgin Australia has been unable to recover previous increases in fuel costs and is now facing higher fuel costs primarily due to the fall in the value of the Australian dollar,” said chief commercial officer of Virgin Australia, Judith Crompton.
The changes to the fuel surcharges are highlighted below:
Long-haul international
Surcharge increase |
Destination & Terms |
A$25/US$22 |
One way to United States, Europe and the Middle East for economy class |
A$35/US$31 |
One way to United States, Europe and the Middle East for premium economy class |
A$50/US$44 |
One way to United States for business class |
A$65/US$58 |
One way to Europe and the Middle East for business class |
Short-haul international
Surcharge increase |
Destination & Terms |
3% |
Increase in base fares on the majority of short-haul international routes |
Domestic
Surcharge increase |
Destination & Terms |
3% |
Average increase in domestic and regional base fares |
For more information, visit www.virginaustralia.com
Clement Huang