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PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific have asked
the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) to allow them to
increase their fuel surcharge for short-haul flights.
PAL
asked for an $8 increase for one-way trips to China. At
present, the surcharge is $38 so that if granted, the
new fuel surcharge will be $46. The flag carrier also
wants to hike the surcharge for its Taiwan flights to
$20 from $17; and Singapore, to $25 from $22.
Cebu
Pacific, the budget airline of the Gokongwei group,
asked for a $10 increase for one-way trips to
Hong Kong from Davao;
Shanghai
from Manila; Hanoi from Manila; and Bangkok from Manila.
At
present, Shanghai, Hanoi and Bangkok Cebu Pacific
flights carry a $35 fuel surcharge while those from
Davao have a surcharge of $40.
Cebu
Pacific also asked the CAB for hikes in surcharges to
Kuala Lumpur, $33 to $55; Indonesia, $44 to $60; Taiwan,
$30 to $35; China, $44 to $50; and Bangkok from Cebu,
$37 to $50.
PAL’s
and Cebu Pacific’s applications were filed January 28.
It normally takes the CAB one month to evaluate these
applications.
Fuel
accounts for a third of an airline’s operating cost per
passenger. It is the second-highest expense next to
labor. |
