{"id":4127,"date":"2018-09-28T15:29:17","date_gmt":"2018-09-28T20:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.journohq.com\/blog\/?p=4127"},"modified":"2020-05-31T20:53:56","modified_gmt":"2020-06-01T02:23:56","slug":"what-is-fuel-surcharge-and-how-to-avoid-paying-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.journohq.com\/blog\/what-is-fuel-surcharge-and-how-to-avoid-paying-it\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Fuel Surcharge? And How To Avoid Paying It"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"what<\/h2>\n

Fuel surcharge is an additional charge added to flight prices when airlines cannot offset the costs of fuel. <\/strong><\/h2>\n

This practice started in 2004, when oil prices soared, according to <\/span>Reward Expert<\/span><\/a>. Fuel surcharge is not mandated by fuel prices or by the government, so airlines are free to charge as they please. <\/span><\/p>\n

Even when oil prices drop or go back to normal, you could still be charged for fuel surcharge. This fee is often hidden under \u201ccarrier fees\u201d or \u201ccarrier-imposed fees.\u201d \u2708\ufe0f<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCarrier fees\u201d are often charges that cover many different things. But watch out for them, because this could add anywhere from $50 to an additional $300 to your flight. In 2016, <\/span>Business Insider<\/span><\/a> discovered a flight from New York to London that listed $259 of carrier fees for a $1,690 flight. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The sneaky section of fuel surcharge comes into play with <\/span>loyalty programs<\/b> and <\/span>rewards programs<\/b>. With a higher fuel surcharge price, that means, it takes more points to redeem rewards with airlines. <\/span><\/p>\n

Here is what you need to know when booking a reward flight through a program:<\/span><\/p>\n

Know Your Loyalty Programs\u00a0\u2708\ufe0f<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"loyalty
\nReward Expert created a <\/span>table<\/span><\/a> in August of 2018 to show you side-by-side the programs and on which airlines and partners that fuel surcharges are collected on. <\/span><\/p>\n

Important to note: Singapore Krisflyer, the British Airways Executive Club, and American AAdvantage charge fuel surcharge fees on all of their flights. <\/span><\/p>\n

Delta always adds fuel surcharge fees to flights originating in Europe, and it adds to Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas (to Europe), Air Europa, Air Tahiti Nui, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, Kenya Airways, and Middle East Airlines. That\u2019s quite a few. <\/span><\/p>\n

Good news, United Mileage Plus charges no surcharge fees on any flights. <\/span><\/p>\n

Keep in mind if you book a flight from a carrier that doesn\u2019t normally charge fuel surcharge fees, you may be required to pay fuel surcharge if you book that flight through another airline that usually does. <\/span><\/p>\n

Here is one that gets pretty confusing: American Airlines.<\/span><\/p>\n

American Airlines doesn\u2019t add fuel surcharges, and Japan Airlines doesn\u2019t add any surcharges to American Airlines. But British Airways adds fuel surcharges to American flights to and from Europe, and so does Cathay Pacific. That\u2019s confusing! Luckily, Reward Expert caught this for us.<\/span><\/p>\n

Estimate The Hidden Fee \ud83d\udcb0<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"hidden
\nBecause we have the glorious world of the web, we can search and make estimates of these fees before they are charged. <\/span><\/p>\n

Reward Expert recommends using the <\/span>Matrix Airfare Search by ITA Software<\/span><\/a> to help you find the fare breakdown (which we give you step-by-step instructions on how to use in our Travel Hacker’s Toolkit<\/a>), of what each additional cost is and means. <\/span><\/p>\n

For instance, I searched for a flight from New York to London any time between October 2nd and November 2nd, for a 5-night stay and an Economy seat. I found a flight that departs on October 11th for $550. From there, I am able to see the exact costs of my flight:<\/span><\/p>\n